Carla Leite Put Shakira Austin in a Blender, And The Fire Still Lost a 4OT Epic

Holy smokes, Emerald City! You gotta hear about this WNBA game from Sunday. The Portland Fire and Washington Mystics just went toe-to-toe in a FOUR OVERTIME absolute WAR. And even with one of the nastiest moves of the season from Portland's Carla Leite, her squad still came up heartbreakingly short. My jaw is still on the floor after reading about this one.

Leite's Ridiculous Handles Left Austin Searching for Answers

Seriously, if you didn't catch the highlights, you missed one of those "did-you-see-that?!" moments that just blow up your feed. Late in that absolute marathon game, Carla Leite got exactly what she wanted: a switch that put Washington's big, Shakira Austin, right in front of her. And you know what the French guard did? She put on a clinic. Leite started a hard drive to her left, then BAM, hit the brakes and reversed like she was peeling out, faking a move back outside. Austin, trying to keep up, eased up just a fraction to follow her toward the perimeter. That was all Leite needed. She reversed AGAIN, in a flash, surged right past the Mystics defender who was totally caught flat-footed, and got straight to the hoop for an incredible score. Absolutely filthy doesn't even begin to cover it. That one dribble sequence? Pure magic, and easily one of the moves of the season.

Carla's Heroics Weren't Enough in a 4OT Heartbreaker

You'd think after a highlight

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reel play like that, and a performance that matched, the Fire would have locked it down. Carla Leite was an absolute force of nature out there. She delivered a monster stat line, dropping 32 points, grabbing 6 rebounds, and dishing out 9 assists. Think about that production over an insane 48 minutes on the court! It's no wonder she's already being called a revelation for the expansion Fire. This woman is here to play. On the flip side, Shakira Austin battled like crazy herself. She put up a fascinating statline for a frontcourt player, contributing 9 points, pulling down a game-high 13 rebounds, and adding 6 assists, while playing a grueling 47 minutes. These players were leaving it all out there! But here's the ultimate kicker, the one that stings: despite Leite's heroics and both teams pushing to their limits, the Fire came up heartbreakingly one shot short in that fourth overtime. The Mystics snatched the victory in what can only be described as an epic basketball matchup. All that grit, all that individual brilliance, and the win slipped away. What a battle! Even though the result wasn't what Portland fans, or frankly, any fan of incredible basketball, wanted for Leite and the Fire, you gotta hand it to both teams for putting on an epic show. This was one of those games, and one of those moves, that reminds you why we watch. Keep an eye on Carla Leite, because if this is what she's doing, she's going to be giving us highlights all year long. You know we'll be watching!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.