Dallas at Portland

We had Portland live against this same Minnesota juggernaut last week and cashed comfortably, the Fire keeping it to a single-digit final that never let the number get away from us. Dallas visits tonight without Paige Bueckers, the engine of a Wings offense that ranks fourth in the league in scoring efficiency, and without forward Alanna Smith, leaving Arike Ogunbowale and Jessica Shepard to carry a much heavier load than usual. This is the same Portland team, 11-15 on the season, that already beat Dallas once this year, a one-possession decision in June that Bridget Carleton took over down the stretch with 20 points. The Fire have lost six of their last nine since then, including a loss to Minnesota where Carleton still managed 22, and aren't playing their best basketball right now, but a shorthanded Dallas team giving up this kind of cushion on the road is a number I'm comfortable fading. Side with Portland tonight.