Portland Fire vs Golden State Valkyries Prediction, 9/18/2026 WNBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Portland Fire vs Golden State Valkyries

Date: Friday, September 18, 2026

Location: Chase Center in San Francisco, CA

TV: ION

The Golden State Valkyries (29-11) host the Portland Fire (16-24) at Chase Center on Friday.

The Portland Fire faced the Golden State Valkyries and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 86-69 in their last contest. Portland finished the contest with a 38.7% FG percentage (24 out of 62) and converted 10 of their 39 shots from beyond the arc. At the charity stripe, the Fire converted 11 of 13 attempts for a rate of 84.6%. With respect to rebounding, they compiled 29 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 19 dimes in the game in addition to creating 11 turnovers and getting 8 steals. Concerning the defense, Portland let their opponent shoot 47.5% from the field on 29 of 61 shooting. Golden State dished out 8 assists and had 9 steals in this contest. Moreover, Golden State grabbed 31 rebounds (8 offensive, 23 defensive) and had 4 blocked shots. Golden State ended up shooting 90.5% from the free throw line by making 19 of 21 tries. They converted 9 of their 29 attempts from downtown.

Emily Engstler is a player who was a contributor in this matchup. She scored 12 points on 4 of 6 shooting. She saw the court for 23 minutes and totaled 4 rebounds. Engstler finished the contest at 66.7% from the floor and distributed 1 assist.

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Portland heads into this contest with a win-loss mark of 16-24 on the year. The Fire are connecting on 34.8% on shots from 3-point land (414 of 1,188) and 80.8% from the charity stripe. They average 86.6 pts per game (9th in basketball) while connecting on 45.2% from the field. They turn it over 14.1 times per game and as a squad are committing 22.1 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Portland is pulling in 30.3 rebounds per game and has accounted for 823 dimes on the season, which ranks 9th in the WNBA in terms of passing. Defensively, the Fire are forcing 13.5 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 18.3 personal fouls. They are 15th in basketball in allowing assists to their opponents with 918 conceded on the year. The Fire are allowing a field goal percentage of 46.5% (540 of 732) and they concede 34.1 boards per game as a basketball team. They are surrendering 34.6% on 3-point attempts and they are 13th in the WNBA in PPG allowed (91.1).

In their last game, the Golden State Valkyries got the victory with a final of 86-69 against the Portland Fire. The Valkyries snagged 23 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive rebounds totaling 31 in the game. They gave up possession of the ball 11 times, while getting 9 steals in the game. The Fire were called for 17 fouls for the matchup which took the Valkyries to the free throw line for a total of 21 tries. They were able to make 19 of the free throws for a rate of 90.5%. In the matter of shots from beyond the perimeter, Golden State made 9 of 29 attempts (31.0%). When the final whistle blew, the Valkyries finished the game shooting 29 out of 61 from the field which gave them a percentage of 47.5%. The Valkyries permitted the Fire to convert 24 of their 62 attempts from the floor which left them shooting 38.7% in the game. They finished shooting 25.6% from beyond the arc by shooting 10 out of 39 and walked away from this one shooting 11 out of 13 from the free throw line (84.6%). When it comes to how they attacked the glass, Golden State allowed Portland to collect 29 in total (9 on the offensive side).

Tiffany Hayes ended up being a major contributor for the Valkyries for the game. She knocked down 7 out of 12 for the matchup for a field goal rate of 58.3%, and totaled 6 rebounds. Hayes recorded 18 points in her 21 minutes on the court and had 3 assists for this game.

Golden State has a win-loss mark of 29-11 on the campaign. The Valkyries commit 19.1 fouls per game and they go 77.8% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 19.3 times per contest (13th in basketball) and they turn it over 10.3 times per game. Golden State has tallied 3,305 pts for the season (82.6 per game) and they pull in 32.9 boards per contest. As an offensive team, the Valkyries are shooting 42.5% from the field, which ranks 14th in basketball. The Valkyries on the defensive side of the court are 1st in the WNBA in points per game surrendered with 75.4. The Golden State defense gives up 32.9% on 3-pointers (318 of 966) and opponents are converting on 75.4% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have given up 18.2 dimes and 32.4 rebounds per contest, which is ranked 1st and 5th in the league. They are forcing their opponents into 13.6 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 41.8% from the floor (1st in the league).

Who will win tonight's WNBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Portland

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