TONIGHT

vs. Portland, 7:30

* Site--Great Western Forum.

* Radio--KPLS (830).

* Records--Fire 1-1, Sparks 2-0.

* Update--Portland’s team debut, a double-overtime loss to WNBA champion Houston, 93-89, got everyone’s attention. The game was tied with 24 seconds left in the second overtime when Houston center Tiffani Johnson scored on a layup. The Fire didn’t look much like an expansion team to the Comets’ Sheryl Swoopes, who scored eight of her 29 points in overtime. “We were saying at halftime that we were playing like the expansion team and they were playing like champions,” Swoopes said. Three days later, Portland beat its Northwest sister expansion team, Seattle, 65-58. Sylvia Crawley and ex-New York Liberty sharpshooter Sophia Witherspoon lead Portland in scoring in the early going. Los Angeles has parlayed two solid performances on defense into an unbeaten start. The Sparks play host to Phoenix, at 12:30 p.m. Saturday before beginning a three-game, seven-day trip.

* Tickets--(213) 480-3232, (714) 740-2000.