Dream Seek to Snap 4-Game Skid as Fire, Storm Renew Season Series

Q: After a historic 4-overtime loss, does the young Portland Fire have enough left in the tank to defeat the Seattle Storm?

Probably, but only narrowly. Portland’s biggest obstacle is obvious: the Fire are coming off a 3-hour, 35-minute quadruple-overtime loss to Washington, the longest game in WNBA history. Carla Leite logged 48 minutes and erupted for 32 points and nine assists, and that kind of workload can carry a real next-game cost, especially for a young expansion team that already struggles with consistency. If Georgia Amoore’s knee soreness lingers, that would further strain Portland’s backcourt. The reason Portland still has a real chance is that Seattle is also vulnerable. The Storm have been one of the league’s least reliable teams, sitting at 3-11 with a seven-game losing streak, and they are dealing with injuries of their own, including Dominique Malonga in concussion protocol and Ezi Magbegor sidelined. That leaves Seattle leaning heavily on Natisha Hiedeman, Flau’jae Johnson and Awa Fam for creation and scoring. Portland also has proof it can beat this opponent; the Fire won the first meeting. More broadly, the Fire have shown they can compete through Leite’s shot-making and playmaking, and their young core has responded well in high-pressure moments even when results have been uneven. The best read is that fatigue makes Portland less likely to play its sharpest game, especially late. But because Seattle is also young, short-handed and inconsistent, the Fire still appear to have enough to win if Leite controls tempo and Portland gets balanced support around her.

3 articles · Updated · Swish Appeal · Jul 4

Atlanta brings a four-game losing streak into its 1 p.m. ET July 4 home game against Golden State, which already handed the Dream two of those defeats in San Francisco.
Under 25% 3-point shooting over those four losses has driven Atlanta's slump, a sharp reversal from the prior four-game winning streak when the Dream scored at least 94 points every time and hit nine or more 3s in each game.
Karl Smesko is still expected to stick with Atlanta's spacing-heavy system, betting the same 3-point volume that produced a franchise-record 113 points against Indiana will swing back in the Dream's favor.
In the late game, Portland visits Seattle at 9 p.m. ET after the Fire's draining four-overtime loss in Washington, while the Storm try to rebound from a 67-point dud at Phoenix.
That second Fire-Storm meeting pairs two volatile young teams—Portland won the first matchup, and Seattle's Dominique Malonga, Flau'jae Johnson and Awa Fam headline the upside that could decide the rematch.