PORTLAND, Ore. (Interstat) — The surging Indiana Fever will look to maintain their hold on one of the WNBA’s top playoff seeds when they face the Portland Fire on Friday at Moda Center. Indiana (18-10) enters the 7 p.m. PDT tipoff riding the momentum of a convincing 105-95 road win over the Seattle Storm on Tuesday. The Fever have won five of their last six games, with the only blemish a 88-75 loss to Golden State on July 15. Portland (11-17), by contrast, has dropped four of its last five, including a 98-83 loss at Las Vegas on Tuesday. The individual matchup to watch features two of the league’s most productive young players. Fever guard Caitlin Clark has been on a tear, averaging 27.9 points over her last seven games. She posted a season-best 45 points with 10 assists in a 110-107 win over Seattle on July 17 and followed it with a 27-point, 11-assist performance in a rout of Connecticut on July 22. In Tuesday’s win over the Storm, Clark logged 32 points and seven assists. Fire forward Frieda Buhner leads a Portland team seeking consistency. Buhner scored 16 points in the loss to Las Vegas on Tuesday but has been uneven, totaling only two points in a loss to Minnesota on July 18. In her last eight games, she has scored in double figures only four times and is averaging 9.4 points over that stretch. The season series is tied 1-1. Portland took the most recent meeting 100-84 at Moda Center on May 30, behind a balanced attack that saw five Fire players reach double figures. Indiana returned the favor with a 90-73 home win on May 20, holding Portland to 33.3% shooting. The Fire will need a strong defensive effort to contain a Fever offense that has averaged 106 points over its last five wins. Portland’s defense has allowed 97.6 points per game during its recent slide. Indiana’s schedule remains demanding after this contest. The Fever face Minnesota on the road Sunday before returning home for a four-game homestand that includes dates with Las Vegas, Chicago, New York and Dallas. Portland, meanwhile, begins a critical homestand of its own, hosting Los Angeles on Sunday and Toronto next Thursday. A simulation by Interstat projects a narrow Indiana victory, 99-97.