WNBA Recap | August 14, 2026
Friday's two-game slate delivered a superstar duel in Indiana and a tight road win in Seattle. Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers each dropped 29 in a game the Fever eventually pulled away in. And Portland held off a spirited Seattle fourth-quarter push behind a 20-point night from Holly Winterburn off the bench. Here's how it all went down, plus a look at how the preview predictions and season-to-date record held up.
Clark and Bueckers Trade 29-Point Nights as Fever Pull Away Late
Dallas Wings 87, Indiana Fever 98
This one stayed tight into the fourth quarter, with Dallas actually leading after the second and matching Indiana in the third. Then the Fever's defensive improvement, the storyline the preview built its lean around, showed up when it mattered most, outscoring Dallas 35-21 in the final frame to pull away. Final: 98-87, Indiana improves to 23-12 and stays fourth in the East, while Dallas falls to 20-15 and remains fourth in the West, extending their stretch without consecutive wins.
Caitlin Clark posted a double-double with 29 points and 10 assists on 61.1 percent shooting, adding a single turnover for an 11.1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Aliyah Boston added a double-double of her own with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Tyasha Harris was perfect off the bench, going 5-of-5 from three for 15 points. Indiana's 85.7 percent fast-break conversion and their ability to close out the fourth quarter with defensive stops, exactly the improvement the preview flagged over Indiana's last three games, were the numbers that decided a game that was competitive for three quarters.
Dallas's shorthanded roster, missing five rotation pieces including Azzi Fudd and Jessica Shepard, competed hard behind a superstar effort of their own. Paige Bueckers matched Clark point for point, going 11-of-21 from the field for 29 points with six assists, though seven turnovers reflected the pressure Indiana's defense applied throughout. Arike Ogunbowale added 20 points on 43.8 percent shooting. But Dallas's road shooting struggles, the storyline the preview identified as their central problem, showed up again: 24.1 percent from three, and their 12 turnovers converted into 13 Indiana points were the difference in the fourth quarter collapse.
IND 98 · DAL 87
Fire Survive Seattle's Fourth-Quarter Push
Portland Fire 84, Seattle Storm 82
Portland jumped out early, building a 26-16 first-quarter lead and a cushion as large as 16. Seattle chipped away all night and made it a genuine fourth-quarter fight, outscoring Portland 28-22 in the final frame, but the Fire held on. Final: 84-82, Portland improves to 14-20 and stays ninth in the West, while Seattle falls to 7-30 and remains dead last in the league.
Carla Leite ran the offense efficiently, going 5-of-7 from the field (2-of-3 from three) for 14 points at 79.9 percent true shooting with six assists, though five turnovers reflected the pressure Seattle's defense applied throughout. Holly Winterburn was the breakout performer off the bench, going 8-of-14 from the field for 20 points at 65.3 percent true shooting with five assists and three steals. Bridget Carleton added 14 points on 4-of-10 from three, and Megan DiLeo contributed 14 points with nine rebounds. Portland's 31 bench points and their 22 assists reflected a team that found enough offense across the roster to survive Seattle's fourth-quarter push.
Seattle competed hard but came up just short. Awa Fam was outstanding, going 7-of-12 from the field (4-of-8 from three) for 20 points at 77.6 percent true shooting. Dominique Malonga followed up her 31-point outburst against New York with a quiet 9 points on 3-of-15 shooting but grabbed 12 rebounds and five assists, and Jordan Horston added 12 points with 11 rebounds. Seattle's 35.9 percent three-point shooting kept them within range throughout, but their 28.6 percent second-chance conversion and a 16-point deficit built in the first quarter were too much to fully overcome.
PDX 84 · SEA 82
IND & PDX Wins.
Friday's slate delivered a superstar showcase and a hard-fought road win. Indiana's defensive growth over the last three games showed up exactly when the preview said it would, closing out a tight game against a shorthanded but competitive Dallas team behind matching 29-point efforts from Clark and Bueckers. And Portland's ability to survive a real Seattle fourth-quarter push speaks to genuine depth on a roster that keeps finding ways to close out close games.
Star of the Night: Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever
29 points | 9-of-18 FG | 10 assists | 1 turnover | 11.1 assist-to-turnover ratio
Clark's double-double with a single turnover on a night she matched Bueckers point for point gives her the edge in a genuine superstar duel. Her fourth-quarter execution, when Indiana's defense finally pulled away, reflected complete control of the game's most important stretch.
Dud of the Night: Dominique Malonga, Seattle Storm
9 points | 3-of-15 FG | 20% field goal percentage | 12 rebounds
Malonga's rebounding stayed strong, but three made field goals on 15 attempts in a two-point home loss reflects a night where Seattle's most talented scorer could not find the basket when it mattered most. Coming off a 31-point outburst against New York, the drop-off could not have come at a worse time, in a game the Storm had every opportunity to win at home.
How We Did: Checking the Preview Predictions
Friday's picks went 1-for-2 on sides, with the Indiana lean the clear highlight of the night.
Dallas @ Indiana: The preview leaned Indiana -6 with the under at 187.5, citing the Fever's defensive improvement over their last three games meeting Dallas's road shooting collapse. Indiana won by 11, comfortably covering, and the total came in at 185, just under the number. A clean sweep and the pick of the night.
Portland @ Seattle: The preview leaned Seattle -2.5 with the under at 181, citing Dominique Malonga's recent scoring floor. Portland won outright, meaning Seattle did not cover, but the total came in at 166, comfortably under the number. The side missed, but the under call held up as both teams' offenses were quieter than expected.
The headline takeaway: Indiana's defensive growth translated directly into a covered spread, while Portland closed out a genuinely competitive road game against a Seattle team that pushed hard in the fourth quarter.
Season Predictions Record
Tracking every graded pick against the spread and total from the preview articles this season, updated through August 14:
Spread / Side: 30-24
Total (Over/Under): 24-33
Fifty-four games graded so far across nineteen preview articles. The side calls sit at 56 percent, while the totals remain below break-even at 42 percent. We'll keep this tally updated with every recap going forward.