Fire vs. Valkyries prediction favors Golden State to win Friday's WNBA matchup [9/18/2026]

The Golden State Valkyries will face the Portland Fire in WNBA action at Chase Center on Friday, beginning at 10:00 PM ET.

Dimers' advanced WNBA model projects the Valkyries as the most likely winner in this Fire vs. Valkyries prediction.

The Valkyries, who have star players such as Tiffany Hayes, Veronica Burton and Kaitlyn Chen, will face off against the Fire, whose lineup includes Emily Engstler, Megan DiLeo and Carla Leite.

This article offers an expanded analysis of Friday's matchup, including best bets and player prop picks.

Fire vs. Valkyries prediction and odds

Using innovative machine learning and statistical analysis, we have re-simulated the outcome of Friday's WNBA matchup between the Fire and Valkyries, forming part of our WNBA predictions coverage.

Our famous predictive model gives the Valkyries an 80.0% chance of defeating the Fire. According to our model, the Fire (+12.5) have a 63.7% chance of covering the spread, while the 159.5-point over/under has a 58.9% chance of going over.

Latest betting odds

We have researched the best WNBA odds in America for this game, which are listed here:

• Spread: Fire +12.5 (+100) / Valkyries -12.5 (+100)
• Moneyline: Fire +650, Valkyries -669
• Total: Over/Under 159.5 (+102/+100)

All odds are correct at the time of publication and are subject to change.

Model picks and best bet

After matching our predictions against the best current odds, we can reveal our picks for each of the major markets in this matchup. Plus, find our best bet for the game below:

• Spread: Fire +12.5 @ 50¢ via Polymarket
• Moneyline: Fire @ +650 via BetMGM
• Total: Over 159.5 @ 50¢ via Novig

According to our WNBA best bets, the top play to make on this game is Fire +12.5 at the spread.

These picks are based on our probabilities matched against the implied probabilities from the current available odds.

Top player props

Betting on Portland vs. Golden State WNBA player props? We have crunched the numbers to project how each team's leading players will perform at Chase Center.

Emily Engstler is expected to lead the Fire with 19 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists, while Tiffany Hayes is projected to have 13 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists for the Valkyries.

For early game action, the data identifies Tiffany Hayes as the most probable player to secure the first basket.

Check out our WNBA player projections for a full range of projected box scores, including points, assists, rebounds and a deeper look at today's WNBA first basket picks.

Fire player props

Our model's projected player stats for the Fire are:

Player	PTS	REB	AST	3PM	DFS
Emily Engstler	19	7	2	3	41
Megan DiLeo	12	5	1	1	23
Carla Leite	12	2	6	1	28
Amy Okonkwo	7	3	1	1	14
Frieda Buhner	6	3	1	1	13

Valkyries player props

Projected points, rebounds, assists and three-pointers made for the Valkyries:

Player	PTS	REB	AST	3PM	DFS
Tiffany Hayes	13	6	3	2	31
Veronica Burton	12	3	9	2	34
Kaitlyn Chen	10	2	3	1	18
Kaila Charles	8	6	3	1	23
Kayla Thornton	8	5	1	2	18

Game info & tip-off details

Friday's action between the Valkyries and Fire at Chase Center is scheduled to commence at 10:00 PM ET.

• Who: Portland Fire vs. Golden State Valkyries
• Date: Friday, September 18, 2026
• Time: 10:00 PM ET/7:00PM PT
• Venue: Chase Center

Conclusion

We predict the Valkyries, with an 80.0% win probability, will likely beat the Fire in Friday's WNBA matchup.

Additional tools and information for betting safely can be found in our Responsible Gambling hub.

This article's predictions and probabilities are generated by Dimers' proprietary WNBA prediction model. Our editorial team reviews the resulting content for accuracy and presentation before publication.