Instant Takeaways: Storm Tie Season-Long Losing Streak With Loss to Fire

Dominique Malonga and Jade Melbourne combined for 44 points against a short-handed Portland Fire squad, but the Seattle Storm once again whiffed on a clutch game victory in a 100-93 loss on Saturday, Aug. 8, at the Moda Center.

Melbourne set a new career-high with 23 points and five assists, while Malonga added 21 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two blocks. The rest of the Storm’s starters struggled, however, and the bench had to contribute 32 points to keep Seattle (6-28) in the game.

Portland (13-19) lost its leading scorer early, but it got consistent offense from the entire team to win its second straight game. Bridget Carleton totaled a team-high 24 points, six rebounds and four assists. The Fire’s short streak comes after losing five in a row.