The WNBA takes center stage in the sports world tonight with no World Cup games and just one MLB game, and while the marquee game of the evening (a clash between the Commissioner’s Cup title-holding New York Liberty and the up-and-coming Dallas Wings) was postponed after New York was unable to travel to Dallas due to mechanical issues, tonight’s slate provides the expansion Portland Fire’s raucous home crowd a chance to shine.
Portland has been a revelation this season, as despite not being very competitive on the court, the Fire have gotten plenty of engagement from the Portland community, ranking fourth in average attendance as of mid-June. At 7:10 p.m. ET tonight, the Fire will host the Washington Mystics, with whom they are battling for a playoff spot.
Washington is a 6.5-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook (-258 on the Moneyline), and Portland is +210 on the Moneyline.
Below, I’ll break down my three favorite prop bets from this inter-conference showdown.
Top Mystics at Fire Prop Bets
Sonia Citron O19.5 Points + Assists (-124): Citron recorded 32 points and four assists the last time these teams faced off and has reached this threshold in six of her last eight games. The Fire have allowed the third-most points and the most assists per game.
Bridget Carleton 3+ Assists (+133): Carleton has recorded at least three assists in each of her last three games. Washington is prone to turnovers, allowing Carleton to steal it and hit it ahead on the fast-break for easy dimes.
Kiki Iriafen 11+ Rebounds (+100): Iriafen has snagged at least 11 boards in five of her last seven games, and the Fire rank third-to-last in rebounding percentage. Portland also doesn’t draw many fouls, which should help keep Iriafen on the court.
Best Player Prop Bets for Washington Mystics at Portland Fire
Sonia Citron O19.5 Points + Assists (-124)
Citron hasn’t been quite as good this season as she was in 2025, when she was an All-Star and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting. In particular, her jumper has abandoned her, as she shot 44.5% from beyond the arc last season and is shooting just 27.7% from deep so far this season. 20 combined points and assists is a low bar for her, though; she had 32 points and four assists in a quadruple-overtime thriller the last time these teams faced off, and she’s reached that mark in six of her last eight games. Despite her occasional inefficiency from deep, the Mystics absolutely need her; her 22.0% usage rate ranks 25th among all players with at least 500 minutes, and they’ve been 13.5 points per 100 possessions worse without her on the floor.
After a rough game against the Toronto Tempo her last time out, Citron should be able to bounce back against the Fire, who have a much worse defense. This season, Portland ranks second-to-last in defensive rating, allowing the third-most points and the most assists per game. Additionally, the Fire have been pretty indisciplined, allowing the third-most free throw attempts per game, and Citron’s career 88.0% free throw percentage is the sixth-highest among active players. She could do her damage from elsewhere, too; Portland has allowed opponents to get to the rim at will, and Citron has made nearly three-quarters of her layups this season.
Bridget Carleton 3+ Assists (+133)
Carla Leite, a 22-year-old point guard who’s taken a massive leap since being selected from the Golden State Valkyries during the summer’s expansion draft, is more critical to the Fire’s future, but Carleton has arguably been the team’s best player. She’s emerged as a defensive ace, amassing at least 1.8 defensive win shares in each of her final two seasons with the Minnesota Lynx, and she’s averaged a career-high 1.7 steals per game this season. She often steals it and dishes it ahead for Sarah Ashlee Barker on the fast-break, as she did to close the first half of Portland’s win over the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday. In general, she’s had at least three assists in each of her last three games.
Washington isn’t the easiest opponent to rack up stats against, as it combines the third-best defensive rating with the second-slowest pace. As a result, the Mystics have allowed the third-fewest assists per game, and even in the quadruple-overtime thriller, Carleton only managed two dimes despite playing 51 minutes. Washington has one main vulnerability, its propensity to commit turnovers, and in those instances, Carleton’s hit-ahead passes could be useful. Across the last five seasons, she’s had three or more assists in eight of the 15 games in which she’s recorded three or more steals.
Kiki Iriafen 11+ Rebounds (+100)
The Mystics take a twin towers approach, starting the six-foot-three Iriafen alongside six-foot-five Shakira Austin, and both rank in the top 10 in rebounds per game and total rebounding percentage. There have been six games this season in which each has recorded double-digit boards. Iriafen is just the slightly more trustworthy option, averaging 0.6 more rebounds per game and recording only eight single-digit-rebound games to Austin’s 11. She’s also been in better form, snagging at least 11 boards in five of her last seven games, hitting that number on the dot during the quadruple-overtime contest.
Unsurprisingly, the Fire also haven’t been a great rebounding team. They rank sixth-to-last in opponent rebounds per game and third-to-last in total rebounding percentage, struggling in particular on the defensive glass (Iriafen has especially thrived on the offenive glass). While Washington’s post-oriented offensive philosophy and Portland’s struggles to protect the rim could result in fewer misses than usual, the Fire’s shooting issues, especially in the restricted area, as well as the Mystics’ elite rim protection, should see that number tick back up. Plus, Portland is poor at drawing fouls, and Iriafen’s indiscipline has hindered her ability to stay on the court.