Kamilla Cardoso scores 22 as Chicago Sky spoil expansion Portland Fire’s WNBA opener with 98-83 win

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Kamilla Cardoso had 22 points and 14 rebounds, and the Chicago Sky spoiled the expansion Portland Fire’s WNBA opener with a 98-83 victory on Saturday night.

Carla Leite had 18 points for the Fire, whose fans at Moda Center celebrated the league’s return to the city for the first time in 24 years.

The Fire trailed by 17 points in the first half before rallying to tie it at 70 on Bridget Carleton’s 3-pointer with 8:39 left. But Chicago regained control from there.

Skylar Diggins finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Sky, who made sweeping changes after finishing 10-24 last season. Just four players from that squad remain on the roster. Angel Reese was traded to Atlanta for first-round draft picks in 2027 and 2028.

One of the Sky’s veteran signings was Natasha Cloud, who played for New York last season, but she was unavailable for the opener because of illness.

The Fire, the second-youngest team in the WNBA, were resilient through the first quarter, trailing 19-18. But the Sky pulled ahead 50-37 by halftime.

Portland went on a 12-2 run, capped by a pair of 3-pointers from Carleton, to open the second half. Carleton, who played for Minnesota last season, was the Fire’s first pick the WNBA expansion draft.

Carla Leite made the first basket for the Fire, a layup 1:02 into the game, to thunderous applause.

Portland previously had a WNBA team, also named the Fire, that played for three seasons from 2000-02.

Up next

It was the first of a four-game trip to kick off the season for the Sky, who play at Golden State on Wednesday night.

The Fire host New York on Tuesday night as their season-opening four-game homestand continues.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball __