The Portland Fire get another crack at the Washington Mystics on Thursday, July 16, at CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C., less than three weeks after the two teams played the longest game in WNBA history.
Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. PT.
Portland (10-14) arrives on a skid. The Fire lost 90-87 to the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday, July 14, when Bridget Carleton's corner 3-point attempt at the buzzer didn't hit the rim. Carla Leite led Portland with 18 points in that game. Now the Fire face Washington without center Megan Gustafson, who is out due to personal reasons, sidelining the 6-foot-4 starter who scored 20 points in the June 28 marathon. Washington (11-10) is at full health and ranked eighth in the WNBA's Week 8 power rankings, five spots above the 11th-ranked Fire.
The June 28 epic
The last time these teams met, on Sunday, June 28, the Mystics escaped 124-123 in four overtimes. Leite banked in a 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. Carleton hit a jumper with 3.1 seconds remaining in the third extra period to tie it at 116.
But Sonia Citron scored the winning layup with 21.4 seconds left in the fourth overtime, finishing with a career-high 32 points. The game featured 21 ties, 12 lead changes, and lasted 3 hours and 35 minutes.
It was only the second four-overtime game in WNBA history. The Mystics were involved in the first one, too, beating Seattle 72-69 on July 3, 2001.
What Portland is up against
Without Gustafson, the Fire face a Mystics defense that ranks third in the WNBA in defensive efficiency, allowing just 102.8 points per 100 possessions, per the league's Week 8 power rankings. Portland already averages the fewest rebounds in the WNBA at 29.9 per game, with Emily Engstler leading the team at 5.1 per game and Sarah Ashlee Barker second at 4.4.
The Fire do have one edge: they're 6-2 in games decided by five points or fewer in the final five minutes, per OregonLive's midseason report. That clutch record is among the best in the league.
Standings picture
Portland sits sixth in the Western Conference, seven games behind co-leaders Minnesota and Las Vegas. The Fire are 4-7 on the road after picking up wins at Seattle and Atlanta earlier in July.
"Obviously, we've had our ups and downs," Carleton told OregonLive in a July 9 midseason interview. "There's some games where we're like, 'OK, that wasn't us,' and we bounced back the next game."
The WNBA All-Star break begins Saturday, July 25, in Chicago. Portland has no All-Stars on its roster.
