Portland Fire hosts Toronto Tempo on Friday for first time

The Portland Fire get their best chance to snap a five-game losing streak Friday when they host the Toronto Tempo at the Moda Center.

Tipoff is 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7. Tickets start at $16.

Portland (11-19) is mired in a five-game skid dating to July 18 and sits five games behind the eighth-place New York Liberty for the final playoff spot.

Toronto (10-19) arrives in worse shape, losers of six straight, including back-to-back losses to Minnesota and a 96-79 defeat at Golden State on Aug. 2.

The Fire routed the Tempo 99-80 when the teams met May 23 in their first-ever matchup. Friday's rematch is the second meeting between the league's two expansion clubs.

Leite leads the way

Point guard Carla Leite, averaging 15.3 points and 6.1 assists per game, has been the Fire's brightest spot in a difficult inaugural season. On July 31 against Indiana, the 22-year-old became the youngest player in WNBA history to record multiple games with 20-plus points and 10-plus assists, breaking a mark previously held by Caitlin Clark.

Leite is receiving Most Improved Player votes alongside Dallas's Jessica Shepard and Seattle's Dominique Malonga, according to USA Today Sports.

Forward Bridget Carleton has been equally dangerous. She hit seven 3-pointers and scored 24 points with 11 rebounds in the 106-101 loss to the Sparks on Aug. 2. Megan DiLeo, who reached 1,000 career WNBA points July 11, adds 12.6 points per game.

"We're a bunch of overlooked players… I've never really been respected as a basketball player until I've gotten here," DiLeo said after a May 30 victory over Indiana. "They believe in me."

What's working against Portland

Defense. The Fire rank 14th in the WNBA in defensive rating and allow over 91 points per game. Their 6-8 home record offers little comfort, and the roster remains thin with Sarah Ashlee Barker and Sania Feagin both out for the season with knee injuries.

Still, the WNBA's Week 10 power rankings called the playoff gap "large, but not insurmountable" with games remaining.

Toronto's troubles

The Tempo may be missing their best player. Leading scorer Marina Mabrey (19.6 points per game) was listed out with a neck injury for the Aug. 4 game at Golden State.

Her status for Friday is uncertain. Trade-deadline acquisition Aneesah Morrow was also listed out for reconditioning as of Aug. 4.

Head coach Sandy Brondello, who also leads the Australian women's national team, will be looking for answers from a depleted roster.

Coaching matchup

First-year Fire coach Alex Sarama faces Brondello, a longtime WNBA veteran, in a contrast of experience. Portland started the season 6-4 under Sarama before going 5-15 over its last 20 games. A playoff berth would be the first in franchise history; the original Portland Fire missed the postseason in all three seasons of their initial run from 2000 to 2002.