Fire vs. Mercury: Carla Leite Scores 23 as Portland Spoils Diana Taurasi's Jersey Retirement Night

Phoenix spent Sunday night honoring the WNBA's career scoring leader. Portland spent it being extremely rude about the whole thing.

The Mercury retired Diana Taurasi's No. 3 with ceremonies at halftime and after the game, and Carla Leite made sure the second one came with an awkward soundtrack. She scored 23 points, the expansion Portland Fire came from behind in the fourth quarter, and the visitors left Mortgage Matchup Center with an 88-85 win in front of 16,513 people who had shown up for a coronation.

The Script Held Until It Didn't

The evening began on schedule. DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas each scored six in the first quarter to give Phoenix a 22-18 lead, and Bonner had 14 by the break as the Mercury went up 42-36. Portland's only real push of the half was an 8-0 second-quarter run that flipped 25-20 into 28-25, and Phoenix answered it. The Mercury would lead by as many as nine and spent 79 percent of the game in front, which is a lovely number for everything except the final score.

Portland's second half was a different story. Frieda Buhner and Megan DiLeo hit late 3s in the third to cut it to 64-61, and the Fire had a live game going to the fourth. Karlie Samuelson scored four quick points to keep them within 78-77, before Thomas' two-footer made it 80-77 with 3:26 to go.

That was the last time Phoenix led by more than a bucket, and soon it was the last time Phoenix led at all. Leite scored on a layup off an Emily Engstler feed with 2:39 left, then slid in a driving floater with 1:53 left to put Portland up 81-80. Engstler's own drive made it 83-80 with 54.9 left. Kahleah Copper answered with a drive of her own, Samuelson split a pair at the line for 84-82 with 20.3 remaining, and Phoenix had a chance to tie.

Bridget Carleton blocked Copper, grabbed the rebound with 12 seconds left, got fouled and sank both for an 86-82 lead. Thomas then buried a 25-footer with 6.0 on the clock to make it 86-85, and the building got one last jolt. Leite walked to the line with 5.5 seconds left and calmly made both. Phoenix did not score again.

Leite Stole the Evening

Leite's 23 came on 9-of-15 shooting, with five assists and two steals. She went only 4 of 8 at the line, and she still made the two that mattered most. DiLeo added 15 points and five rebounds with three 3s, and Buhner gave the bench nine points, all from behind the arc. Engstler's line of nine points, seven rebounds and four assists undersells how much she touched the closing stretch. Karlie Samuelson scored five of her eight in the final 4:27, Jordan Harrison chipped in six points and three assists, and Serah Williams went 4 of 4 at the line with two blocks in 13 minutes.

Then there is Carleton, whose box score looks like a cry for help: 3 of 15 from the field, 0 of 8 from 3. She also made the single biggest defensive play of the game and hit the free throws that came after it. Basketball is weird, and that is why we watch.

Phoenix got 23 from Bonner, who went 4 of 10 from deep and added six rebounds. Thomas was a single assist away from a triple-double at 17 points, 11 rebounds and nine dimes, with five turnovers. Copper had 19 and seven rebounds but ended the night with the block on her tab. The supporting cast could not keep pace: Sami Whitcomb was 1 of 8 from 3, and Noemie Brochant went scoreless on five shots in 27 minutes.

The Block That Changed the Party

With Portland clinging to 84-82, Copper attacked and had a real look at tying a game the Mercury badly wanted on this particular night. A bucket there sends the crowd into orbit with a dozen seconds left and the ceremony waiting on the other side. Instead, Carleton turned it away, secured the ball and converted it into two points at the other end, a four-point swing in the time it takes to say it. For a player who could not buy a 3 all night, it was a heck of a way to settle the tab.

Stats That Matter

• Bench points: Portland 29, Phoenix 15. The Fire's reserves did the heavy lifting while Phoenix leaned on its starters.
• Second half: Fire 52, Mercury 43, after trailing by six at the break.
• Free throws: Phoenix made 20 of 25 and Portland 14 of 21, so the Fire did this while losing at the line.
• 3-pointers: Portland took 37 and made 10. Not pretty, but the volume added up against Phoenix's 9 of 27.
• Turnovers: Fire 11, Mercury 13, in a game decided by a single possession.

Portland Keeps Piling Up Wins

The Fire moved to 15-20 overall and 7-10 on the road. That is two straight wins and four of their last five, and this one squares the season series with Phoenix at a game apiece after a 78-72 loss in June. Portland heads to Toronto on Friday.

The Mercury fell to 13-23 overall and just 5-11 at home, with four losses in their last five games. They visit Atlanta on Saturday.

As for Taurasi, the AP puts her career at 10,646 points and three championships across 20 seasons with the Mercury. None of that changes because of one August loss, and her number is off the market for good. The postgame ceremony simply had to happen with the home team in a worse mood than planned.

Wedding Crashers, Desert Edition

Every great celebration needs someone who was not on the guest list. The Fire rolled into Phoenix, stayed for the toasts, danced with everybody's aunt and left with the cake. Taurasi's No. 3 belongs to history now. Sunday's final score belongs to Carla Leite.

Stats from the official box score and play-by-play via ESPN. Game details as reported by the Associated Press.