Fire Fall to the Aces 88-80

The Portland Fire walked into Thursday night's game knowing exactly what they were up against. A'ja Wilson the reigning MVP, the most dominant player in the league was back after a three-game absence. And she looked like it from the opening tip.

The Las Vegas Aces won 88-80. But the Portland Fire gave them something to think about in the fourth quarter and on a night full of individual milestones for this young franchise, there is plenty to feel good about heading into the second half of the season.

Carla Leite was the engine

13 points and a team-high 5 assists Leite's eighth game leading the Fire in scoring this season. That consistency from your starting guard is exactly what a first-year franchise needs, and Leite has delivered it all season long. She scored 8 of Portland's first 12 points in the first quarter alone, single handedly keeping the Fire in a game where the Aces came out shooting 56 percent.

Teja Oblak had a career night

11 points and three made threes both career highs for the Fire guard. Oblak has been developing quietly all season and tonight was her best performance in a Portland uniform. Three threes in a game against a defense as physical and experienced as Las Vegas tells you she's ready to take on a bigger role. Watch her.

Megan Gustafson passed 500 career rebounds

11 points and 3 rebounds on the night, and with those boards Gustafson surpassed 500 career rebounds a milestone for a player who has carved out a real role as a versatile center in this league. She also went 5-for-9 from the field, continuing to show the efficient interior scoring that makes her valuable every time she's on the floor.

Bridget Carleton keeps making history

Carleton hit her 51st three-pointer of the season passing Jackie Stiles for third on the franchise's all-time single-season three-point list. That's a significant milestone for a player in just the first year of this franchise's existence. She is writing herself into Portland's record books one three at a time.

Emily Engstler was disruptive

10 points and two blocks her 15th game of the season with multiple blocks. That kind of consistent defensive presence from a forward is invaluable, and Engstler has been one of the most reliable two-way players on this roster all year.

Frieda Bühner eclipsed 100 career points

Six points off the bench and with those points Bühner surpassed 100 career points a personal milestone for the young forward who is developing her game every single time she steps on the floor.

The fourth quarter showed what this team is made of

Down 19 points entering the fourth quarter the Fire outscored the Aces 28-19 in the final period. That's not garbage time. That's a team refusing to quit against the defending champions with a fully healthy A'ja Wilson on the court. Portland shot 52.9 percent in the fourth and 55.9 percent from three. That's the character of a team that competes until the final buzzer regardless of the score.

What Coach Sarama said

Head coach Alex Sarama was honest about both the positives and the areas that need improvement. "If you would have told me before the game that we would have won the rebounding battle by three, I would not have believed it. Credit to Las Vegas firstly. Of course we want to win every single game, but outside of the turnovers tonight, I think there are a lot of good things — especially on the glass. Last time we played Vegas at home, we were really exposed in that area. It was really good to see how we flipped the switch and really turned that around."

The turnovers were the story 17 of them, leading to 25 Aces points. Sarama didn't shy away from it. "The story of the game was those turnovers, especially so many being on live balls, which hurt you the most because then it's just transition layups and wide open shots that you're conceding. It took us a while to find advantages against their drop. NaLyssa Smith was really good in that drop in the first half and it was tough for us to exploit hard drives around our pockets like we normally do. That's the story of the game."

But he also made sure to highlight what his younger players did at the end. "I did want to highlight the 'get better' group our version of 'stay ready.' They did an excellent job in the last two minutes. Some really nice glimpses there with our younger players. I always want to win that quality time period and I was really happy with how they played."

That mindset finding growth in a loss against one of the best teams in the league is exactly what a first-year franchise needs from its coaching staff.

My take

The Fire are 9-13 and they just held their own on the glass against the defending champions with A'ja Wilson back at full strength. Individual milestones are piling up Gustafson, Carleton, Bühner, Oblak all had something to celebrate tonight. The turnovers are the fixable part and Sarama knows it. This team competes every single night and the fourth quarter fight tonight was proof of that.

Portland hosts the Atlanta Dream on Saturday July 11 at 1pm PT at Gateway Center. Her Game Network covers both teams and that one is a must watch.