Could 23, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Portland Fire ahead Bridget Carleton (6) provides an interview after defeating the Toronto Tempo at Coca-Cola Coliseum. Obligatory Credit score: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Photographs This could possibly be the WNBA’s golden age for enlargement groups.
Final 12 months, Golden State turned the league’s first crew to make the playoffs as a first-year franchise.
This 12 months, the Portland Fire — set to go to the New York Liberty on Monday night time — hope to turn out to be the second crew to earn that distinction.
Portland is off to a promising 3-3 begin, together with a break up of two video games towards the Liberty. New York misplaced to Golden State on Thursday, so upstart groups have given the Liberty bother.
“We would like to be annoying to play towards,” stated Bridget Carleton, Portland’s first decide in the enlargement draft.
Carleton, the primary participant to signal a contract with the Fire, has certainly been annoying to New York, scoring 26 factors in the Fire’s two-point win on Could 12. Within the rematch two days later, New York held her to 11 factors and gained by 18.
One other participant the Liberty will not quickly neglect is Sarah Ashlee Barker, whose put-back on the buzzer beat New York 98-96 in that Could 12 recreation.
In the meantime, the Liberty have misplaced two straight video games to begin its season-long, seven-game homestand.
Nevertheless, the excellent news for the Liberty is that two starters have returned to the lineup over the previous few days — three-time All-Star Satou Sabally (cyst) and four-time All-Star Sabrina Ionescu (foot damage).
Sabally scored a team-high 20 factors in New York’s 91-76 loss to Dallas on Sunday. Ionescu had 11 however went scoreless in 16 second-half minutes.
“I got here again quite a bit prior to I used to be supposed to,” Ionescu stated of her damage. “I am grateful.”
Sunday marked the primary professional recreation in which Ionescu and Sabally performed collectively. The previous Oregon teammates had been the highest two WNBA draft picks in 2020, with Ionescu chosen first. They lastly have been reunited, however solely after Sabally left Phoenix and signed as a free agent.
Extra importantly for the Liberty, they need to finish their modest skid.
–Subject Degree Media
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