Puoch does not miss but Portland still fall short

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Portland Fire forward Nyadiew Puoch did not miss a shot on Monday. Her team still lost by five.

Puoch started against the Los Angeles Sparks and finished 1-from-1 from the field, 1-from-1 from three and 4-from-4 at the line for seven points, with four rebounds and no turnovers in 21 minutes. Portland lost 106-101.

Only two of Australia's 12 WNBA players took the floor on the slate. Two more were on a game sheet without getting on, and the other eight had the day off.

WNBA Scores: LOS ANGELES SPARKS 106 def PORTLAND FIRE 101

Portland led after the first quarter and were outscored 34-29 in the fourth. Bridget Carleton had 24 points and 11 rebounds for the Fire and made seven of her 13 attempts from beyond the arc. Dearica Hamby scored 23 with 10 rebounds for Los Angeles and Nneka Ogwumike added 22 and 10.

Puoch's night was small in volume and clean in execution: one shot, one make, four free throws, four makes, and a plus-one in a five-point loss.

Portland fall to 11-19 and sit seventh in the West. The Sparks are 11-17.

WNBA Scores: DALLAS WINGS 83 def CONNECTICUT SUN 63

Australian Opals centre Alanna Smith started for Dallas and played 14 minutes, fewer than any other Wings starter. She picked up her third foul with 6:55 left in the third quarter, went to the bench and did not return. There was no injury.

Smith finished with three points on 1-from-6, three rebounds, an assist and two blocks.

Dallas came out of a timeout and closed the third quarter on a 20-2 run, turning a nine-point lead into 72-45. Connecticut went 3-from-15 in the quarter and scored eight points. That is why the starters watched the fourth.

Jessica Shepard and Arike Ogunbowale scored 15 each, Ogunbowale on 7-from-9 with five assists, and Azzi Fudd added 12 on 4-from-5 from three. Paige Bueckers had six, the fewest of her two-year career, and finished plus-21. The win ended a two-game Dallas slide and lifted them to 19-11, fourth in the West.

Diamond Miller top-scored for Connecticut with a season-high 22. The Sun closed a six-game road trip with five losses, played a fourth straight game without Brittney Griner and are 1-13 without her. They traded Aneesah Morrow to Toronto on Friday. Without Griner they were beaten 46-24 in the paint.

Three bus loads of fans travelled from Houston to watch. The Sun relocate there next season.

ON THE SHEET, DID NOT PLAY

Chloe Bibby was on a Minnesota bench for the first time since signing with the Lynx on 1 August and did not get on. Coach's decision, and the context is not hard to read: Minnesota beat Indiana 108-100 for a tenth straight win, their first ten-game run since 2016, and improved to 25-6.

Olivia Miles scored 28 and Courtney Williams 27. Kelsey Mitchell answered with 37 in the loss, her fifth 30-point game of the season and her 14th consecutive game of 20 or more, a streak second in league history only to A'ja Wilson's 15. Minnesota led 36-32 after a first quarter that tied the WNBA record for points in an opening period.

Miela Sowah was listed out for Golden State, also a coach's decision, as the Valkyries beat Toronto 96-79 in front of a sellout at Chase Center. Janelle Salaun scored 24 off the bench.

THE OTHER EIGHT AUSSIES

Isobel Borlase (Atlanta, 18-10), Steph Talbot (Las Vegas, 20-9), Rebecca Allen and Anneli Maley (New York, 17-13), Sami Whitcomb (Phoenix, 11-19), Ezi Magbegor and Jade Melbourne (Seattle, 6-25) and Georgia Amoore (Washington, 16-12) were all idle.