The Portland Fire spoiled Seattle’s Fourth of July holiday, slipping past the Storm 77-72 at Climate Pledge Arena on Saturday to pick up a hard-fought road victory. Despite a 22-point effort from Seattle’s Dominique Malonga, Portland found enough answers down the stretch to leave the Emerald City with the win.
Carla Leite was the engine that drove Portland’s offense, finishing as the team’s leader in both scoring and playmaking with 20 points and 4 assists. Her ability to create for herself and others gave the Fire a reliable offensive anchor throughout the contest. On the glass, Megan Gustafson was a force for Portland, hauling in a game-high 9 rebounds to anchor the front line and help the Fire finish with a commanding 47 total boards — 10 of which came on the offensive end, giving Portland crucial second-chance opportunities.
For Seattle, Malonga’s 22 points were the brightest spot on an otherwise difficult evening. Natisha Hiedeman distributed 4 assists to lead the Storm in that category, while Flau’jae Johnson contributed 8 rebounds to keep Seattle competitive on the boards. But the Storm ultimately couldn’t generate enough consistent offense to overcome Portland’s late-game execution.
The box score tells a story of contrasting strengths. Portland shot just 37 percent from the field, connecting on 25 of 68 attempts, and was downright cold from three-point range, hitting only 4 of 25 attempts for a 16 percent clip. What kept the Fire afloat — and ultimately pushed them over the top — was an exceptional performance at the free-throw line. Portland converted 23 of 25 free throws for a 92 percent mark, a near-flawless showing that more than compensated for the team’s struggles from distance. Those 23 made free throws proved to be the difference in a five-point game.
Portland’s 9 steals also played a significant role in shaping the outcome. The Fire’s defensive pressure created turnovers and disrupted Seattle’s offensive rhythm at critical moments, even as Portland itself committed 20 total turnovers — a number that kept the Storm within striking distance throughout the second half.
Seattle had its chances. The Storm’s rebounding effort, led by Johnson’s 8 boards, and Hiedeman’s facilitation kept the offense moving, but the team could never fully close the gap that Portland built. The Fire’s ability to get to the line and convert at such a high rate ultimately proved too much for Seattle to overcome.
The victory is a meaningful one for Portland, who secured a road win against a Storm squad playing in front of its home crowd on a holiday. For Seattle, the loss is a missed opportunity to gain ground, as the Storm will need to regroup and find more consistent offensive production if they hope to reverse their fortunes in the days ahead. The Fire, meanwhile, can take confidence from their resilience — winning ugly with the free-throw line as their most reliable weapon on a night when almost nothing else fell from the perimeter.
