Portland Fire vs Los Angeles Sparks Picks and Prediction for Sunday September 20 2026

The Portland Fire visit the Los Angeles Sparks at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Sunday, September 20, 2026. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM ET with coverage on USA Network and Spectrum SportsNet. Portland enters at 16-26 overall and 8-13 on the road, while Los Angeles is 15-26 overall and 7-13 at home. The Sparks have won both previous meetings this season, taking the first 89-72 in Los Angeles before winning 106-101 in Portland. DraftKings lists Los Angeles as a 1.5-point favorite at -102, Portland +1.5 at -118, and the total at 175.5 with both sides priced at -110. Be sure to check out our free WNBA picks for more WNBA predictions throughout the season.

Portland Tries to Stop a Three-Game Slide

Portland enters Sunday on a three-game losing streak and has dropped four of its last five overall. The Fire's only victory during that stretch was an impressive 101-83 road win, but they have otherwise struggled to maintain consistent offensive production. Portland scored 66, 91, 69, 101 and 78 points over its last five, averaging 81.0 points per game while allowing 88.2. Three of the four losses came by at least 16 points, although the 94-91 defeat showed Portland can stay competitive when its offense gets going.

For the season, Portland averages 86.2 points while allowing 90.9, producing a negative scoring differential of 4.7 points per game. The Fire shoot 45% from the field and average 30.3 rebounds, 20.5 assists, 3.6 blocks and 7.6 steals. Portland's defensive numbers remain the larger concern, but the Fire actually compare reasonably well with Los Angeles statistically. The two teams are separated by fewer than two points per game in both scoring and points allowed.

The challenge for Portland is turning those similarities into a different head-to-head result. Los Angeles has already defeated the Fire twice, including a 17-point victory at Crypto.com Arena. Portland also enters with multiple availability concerns and has struggled to finish games during its current skid. Still, the Fire are 8-13 on the road compared with Los Angeles' 7-13 home mark, so neither venue split provides a particularly dominant advantage.

Los Angeles Looks for a Season Sweep

Los Angeles enters at 15-26 after dropping its most recent game 97-77. The Sparks are 3-2 over their last five, however, with victories of 90-74, 88-82 and 77-68. Los Angeles has scored 403 points and allowed 399 during those five games, averaging 80.6 points scored and 79.8 allowed. That recent defensive performance is considerably stronger than its full-season average, even with the 97 points surrendered in the most recent loss.

The Sparks average 87.1 points per game while allowing 91.9, shoot 46% from the field and average 31.0 rebounds. Los Angeles also produces 21.9 assists, 3.4 blocks and 7.9 steals per game. The statistical comparison gives the Sparks narrow advantages over Portland in scoring, field-goal percentage, rebounding, assists and steals. None of those margins is overwhelming, but Los Angeles holds enough small advantages to explain why it is favored at home.

The strongest argument for Los Angeles is the combination of recent form and its success in this matchup. The Sparks have won three of their last five while Portland has lost four of five, and Los Angeles is already 2-0 in the season series. There are several availability questions surrounding the Sparks entering Sunday, which helps explain why the current spread is considerably shorter than the opening number. At only -1.5, however, Los Angeles essentially needs to win the game to cover.

Portland Fire vs Los Angeles Sparks Picks and Prediction

Pick: Los Angeles Sparks -1.5 (-102)

The current number makes Los Angeles -1.5 the side pick. The Sparks have already beaten Portland twice this season, including an 89-72 victory in the previous meeting at Crypto.com Arena, and they enter having won three of their last five while Portland has dropped four of five. Los Angeles also holds small season-long advantages in scoring, shooting percentage, rebounding, assists and steals. The availability questions on both sides keep this from being a spot to lay a larger number, but the move from an opening Los Angeles -3.5 to the current -1.5 reduces the required margin considerably. With essentially a pick-the-winner spread, the Sparks get the edge.

Pick: Under 175.5 (-110)

The Under 175.5 is the total pick. Portland's last five games have averaged 169.2 combined points, while Los Angeles' last five have averaged only 160.4. The Sparks have held three of their last five opponents below 85 points, and Portland has been held to 78 points or fewer in three of its last five. The previous meeting produced 207 points, but the first matchup finished at only 161, and the more recent scoring profiles point toward something closer to that lower-scoring result. With Portland averaging just 81.0 points and Los Angeles 80.6 over their respective last-five stretches, 175.5 provides enough room to back the Under.

Final Picks: Los Angeles Sparks -1.5 (-102) and Under 175.5 (-110)