Fire in the Northwest: Portland Stuns Liberty as Angel Reese Makes History

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A Tuesday night slate in the WNBA proved that the league’s 30th season is already a chaotic masterpiece. While the expansion Portland Fire pulled off the upset of the young season against the powerhouse Liberty, the spotlight in Dallas remained fixed on Angel Reese, who continues to redefine interior dominance in her third professional campaign.

Portland Fire Torch the Liberty: 98–96

The biggest shockwave of the night came from the Moda Center, where the expansion Portland Fire secured a signature win, toppling the New York Liberty 98–96.

In a game that many expected to be a runaway for New York, Portland’s backcourt played with a “nothing to lose” intensity. The Liberty led by as many as 12 in the third quarter, but the Fire rode a raucous home crowd to a late 15–4 run. Despite a late surge from Breanna Stewart, New York couldn’t find the bucket in the final 12 seconds, handing Portland a historic victory against the Liberty.

The “Double-Double Queen” Reigns in Dallas: Dream 77, Wings 72

In Arlington, the Atlanta Dream ground out a tough road win, but the story was the relentless play of Angel Reese.

The Milestone: Reese recorded 12 points and 16 rebounds, marking the 51st double-double of her career, becoming the fastest player to reach 50 career double-doubles. Her eight offensive rebounds were particularly staggering—out-rebounding the entire Dallas Wings team on the offensive glass (7) by herself.
The Closer: Allisha Gray provided the scoring punch Atlanta needed, dropping a game-high 26 points to stave off a late Wings rally led by Arike Ogunbowale.
Wings Woes: Dallas led at the half for the second consecutive game but struggled with late-game execution, falling to 0–2 on their current homestand.

Clutch in the Desert: Lynx 88, Mercury 84

The Minnesota Lynx escaped the Footprint Center with a narrow victory over the Phoenix Mercury, thanks to a moment of late-game magic.

With the game tied at 84 and under 30 seconds remaining, Lynx forward Lexie Coffey stepped into a cold-blooded three-pointer that silenced the Phoenix faithful. The Mercury had one last chance to tie, but a stifling Minnesota defense forced a turnover on the perimeter. It was the first win of the year for the Lynx while the Mercury fall to 1-2.

Tuesday Night Scoreboard (5/12/2026)

Matchup	Final Score	Top Performer
NY Liberty @ Portland Fire	96–98	Bridget Carleton (POR): 26 points
Atlanta Dream @ Dallas Wings	77–72	Allisha Gray (ATL): 26 PTS; Angel Reese (ATL): 12/16
Minnesota Lynx @ Phoenix Mercury	88–84	Lexie Coffey (MIN): 19 PTS, Game-Winning 3PT