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Post-game analysisWNBAFriday, September 18, 2026Final
Portland Fire logoGolden State Valkyries logo

Portland Fire at Golden State Valkyries

Post-game analysis · Friday, September 18, 2026

The pick

Take Portland Fire +12.5

Portland Fire is the underdog: your bet wins if they win outright or lose by fewer than 12.5 points.

Pick locked in: Sep 15, 2026 · 8:59 PM EDT — sportsbook spreads can move after that time, so check the number your book is offering now.

Scoring tier: high

The betting line

GS -12.5

Sportsbooks make Golden State Valkyries the favorite by 12.5. Expected combined score: 159.5

DraftKings · updated Fri, 9:07 PM EDT

Our projected score

Portland Fire logoPortland Fire80

Golden State Valkyries logoGolden State Valkyries85

Final score

Portland Fire logoPortland Fire66

Golden State Valkyries logoGolden State Valkyries82

Pick missed

ION, WNBA League Pass — Local availability can differ.

Post-game analysis · Sep 18, 2026

Post-game: Portland Fire miss cover at Golden State Valkyries

On Friday, September 18, 2026, the Portland Fire fell 82–66 to the Golden State Valkyries, failing to cover our tracked +12.5 spread. We backed Portland as a high-rated play expecting a competitive matchup, but the 16-point deficit resulted in a definitive loss against the market number.

The model did well anticipating Golden State's offensive pace, projecting 85 points against the 82 the Valkyries actually delivered. However, the projection missed badly on Portland's scoring capability. Relying on an early run of form, our model pegged the Fire for 80 points, but their offense sputtered throughout the night and managed just 66.

That 14-point scoring shortfall on Portland's side wiped out our perceived 7.2-point edge. When an offense underperforms that drastically relative to its baseline, a double-digit cushion disappears quickly. We will recalibrate as more possession data comes in.

How the model got here

Model projects 80–85, a 5.3 margin against a market number of 12.5 — a 7.2-point edge toward the road side. Based on 6 and 5 games of scoring form.

Our recommendations on this game

The team recommendation, the full-game total and the player recommendations for this matchup, side by side. The full-game total is its own market, shown in its own panel above. Only high-rated recommendations taken at a locked DraftKings price are used on a parlay card, and a card never takes two legs from the same game.

Team

Take Portland Fire +12.5

  • DraftKings +12.5 · tracked Tue, 8:07 PM EDT
  • Locked price -110
  • Rating high
  • Locked Sep 15, 8:59 PM EDT — before kickoff
  • Result loss

Players

No high-rated player recommendation on this matchup. We only show one when DraftKings posted the number and price before kickoff.

Information only, not betting advice. See today's parlay cards · Play responsibly.

Player prop angles

No player prop angles for this matchup yet. Our stat lines need a few completed games of form for each player before we publish a number, so early-season WNBA games fill in as the season goes on. Check back closer to kickoff.

Records & form

How our picks have graded in WNBA, plus how both teams have actually played.

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