The Portland Fire took a step closer toward the eighth seed and final WNBA playoff spot in their first season since returning to the league as an expansion team. Portland defeated the Washington Mystics, 75-56, on Thursday at CareFirst Arena.
When the Fire and Washington Mystics last played just over two weeks ago, the two teams played the second quadruple-overtime game in WNBA history, which Washington won 124-123.
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Portland made sure the game wasn’t so close this time around, running out to a 28-13 first-quarter lead with Carla Leite scoring 9 points during the game’s opening 10 minutes. Leite finished with 14 points and 5 assists to lead the Fire, followed by 12 points and 5 rebounds from Serah Williams.
Williams was in the starting lineup in place of Megan Gustafson, who missed the game for personal reasons.
The Mystics never got closer than within 13 points during the fourth quarter. Shakira Austin tallied 19 points with 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks, but was the only Washington player to score in double figures. Sonia Citron added 8 for the Mystics, reaching 1,000 career points during the game.
Portland has been one of the WNBA’s worst defensive teams this season, but were relentless against the Mystics. Washington shot 29% (19-for-65) from the floor and 10% (2-of-21) on 3-pointers. The Fire also swiped 10 steals, leading to 19 Mystics turnovers.
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Kiki Iriafen had one of her worst games of the season, tying a career-low with 2 points on 1-for-8 shooting. She came into Thursday as the Mystics’ second-leading scorer, averaging 15.6 points per game and shooting 55% from the floor.
Washington (12-11) came into Thursday’s matchup with a slight hold on the WNBA’s No. 7 seed, essentially tied with the New York Liberty. (The Liberty were originally scheduled to play the Dallas Wings on Thursday, but the game was postponed due to a mechanical issue with their team plane.)
With their win, the Fire (11-14) are now two games behind the Mystics for that No. 8 spot in the league standings. Stringing together consecutive victories could help them make a move. But that might be difficult with a visit to the WNBA-best Minnesota Lynx (19-6) on Saturday. Portland has alternated wins and losses over its past five games.
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Up next for the Mystics are consecutive games against the Golden State Valkyries (18-7) in San Francisco on Saturday and Monday.
