The Dallas Wings and the Portland Fire are headed in different directions as they prepare to meet Saturday night in Portland.
While the Wings (8-4, 3-1 Commissioner’s Cup) have won five of their last six games, the expansion Fire (6-8, 0-4 Commissioner’s Cup) have lost their last four games.
Dallas’ only loss in its recent stretch was a rough 100-76 loss Tuesday at Minnesota, but the team’s last five wins have come by an average of 13.8 points. They bounced back from Tuesday’s loss with an 85-70 victory against visiting Phoenix on Thursday.
“We’re trying to be a resilient team,” said guard Paige Bueckers, who scored a season-high 31 points. “You’re not going to win every game in this league, but it’s all about what you do the next game, what you do the next possession, how you respond to adversity.”
Bueckers shot 14 of 20 from the floor and got plenty of help. Jessica Shepard made 7 of 8 shots, scored 17 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and led the team with seven assists. Rookie Azzi Fudd had 17 points, a season-high four assists and tied another season-high with three blocks.
“I have the opportunity to coach a really good basketball team with a lot of weapons on both ends of the floor,” Dallas coach Jose Fernandez said. “For me it’s just moving pieces around, making sure we’re well prepared and we get the ball to the right people.”
The Fire are coming off a 105-89 home loss against the defending champion Las Vegas Aces and the Wings will be their ninth opponent with a winning record. Their next game will be on the road against league-leading Minnesota on Monday.
“We have two tough games up,” Portland coach Alex Sarama said, “but it’s not all doom and gloom. It’s a long season. We’re almost a third of the way through, so there’s a lot of season left. We’re fine. We’re seeing some really good signs.”
One sign that isn’t good right now is the Fire’s rebounding. They were outrebounded 42-19 including 17-1 on the offensive glass, by the Aces. Portland ranks last in rebounds per game (28.0) and defensive rebounding percentage (68.1%).
–Field Level Media
