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🏀 Convey on the WNBA playoffs
(Yahoo Sports activities)
The WNBA common season got here to an finish on Thursday, setting the stage for eight groups to start their championship quest.
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Who’s in? The sector was already set, however the seeds and matchups have been decided after final night time’s finale.
Lynx (34-10): Minnesota responded to its heartbreaking Recreation 5 finals loss final season by mowing down the remainder of the league and clinching the 1-seed with two weeks to spare. They do look weak getting into the playoffs, although, having misplaced 5 of their closing 11 video games.
Aces (30-14): Vegas ended the season on a 16-game successful streak, the second-longest ever. They’re the fourth workforce in league historical past to win 15 straight video games, and the earlier three all went on to win the title.
Dream (30-14): Atlanta’s first season below head coach Karl Smesko went gangbusters, as they received a franchise-record 30 video games behind an MVP-caliber season from nine-year vet Allisha Grey, who averaged career-highs in factors (18.4), rebounds (5.3) and assists (3.5).
Mercury (27-17): How did Phoenix reply in its first season with out Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner? By ending over .500 for the primary time since 2021. Credit score triple-double queen Alyssa Thomas, who ought to rating her fourth straight top-five MVP end.
Liberty (27-17): The defending champs had an up-and-down season on account of a laundry checklist of accidents to their star gamers. However now that everybody’s wholesome, would it not actually shock you if Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones and firm ran it again?
Fever (24-20): On the one hand, Indiana’s season hardly went as deliberate contemplating Caitlin Clark (groin) performed simply 13 video games and can miss the playoffs. On the opposite, they nonetheless set a franchise document with 24 wins and completed over .500 for the primary time in a decade.
Storm (23-21): Which Seattle squad will we see subsequent week? The one which began 14-9, the one which misplaced 9 of 12 popping out of the All-Star break, or the one which completed 6-3 to clinch the ultimate playoff spot of their final sport of the season?
Valkyries (23-21): It should be arduous to disclaim Natalie Nakase the Coach of the Yr award after Golden State turned the primary WNBA enlargement workforce ever to make the playoffs of their debut season.
Who’s out? The Sparks (21-23) have missed the playoffs 5 years in a row after lacking them in simply 4 of their first 24 seasons. The Mystics (16-28), Solar (11-33), Sky (10-34) and Wings (10-34) are additionally out.
What to observe: The primary spherical suggestions off on Sunday, with the upper seed internet hosting Video games 1 and three (if crucial): No. 1 Lynx vs. No. 8 Valkyries, No. 2 Aces vs. No. 7 Storm, No. 3 Dream vs. No. 6 Fever, No. 4 Mercury vs. No. 5 Liberty. Then comes the best-of-five semifinals adopted by the WNBA Finals, which might be a seven-game sequence.
📸 Via the lens
(Michael Reaves/Getty Pictures)
Inexperienced Bay — The Packers turned of their second straight dominant defensive efficiency in a . After the sport, Micah Parsons , “Thanks, Jerry!”
(Alika Jenner/Getty Pictures)
Seattle — Rookie Harry Ford got here via with a pinch-hit, walk-off sacrifice fly within the twelfth inning to raise the Mariners over the Angels, 7-6, and .
(Philip Fong/AFP through Getty Pictures)
Tokyo — Officers and employees put together the Nationwide Stadium forward of the World Athletics Championships.
🥊 The primary occasion: Canelo vs. Crawford
(Jonathan Castro/Yahoo Sports activities)
When Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Terence “Bud” Crawford step via the ropes on Saturday within the principal occasion, the burden of U.S. boxing rests firmly on their shoulders.
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From Uncrowned’s Darian Desai:
Boxing within the U.S. is arguably at its lowest level since its first golden age started within the early twentieth century. Lengthy gone are the times when the game thrived on main networks like CBS, NBC, ABC, HBO, Showtime and ESPN.
As we speak, HBO and Showtime have exited the game, and ESPN has minimize ties with High Rank, leaving the broadcasters’ future within the sport unclear. No main tv community is actually invested in boxing.
On Saturday, nevertheless, boxing might get the shot within the arm it desperately wants.
Two of one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the earth, together with the most important star of the previous decade in Alvarez, collide in entrance of 60,000 followers at Allegiant Stadium and what is going to absolutely be a multi-million viewers on Netflix.
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The final superfight in U.S. boxing was Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia in April 2023. Alvarez-Crawford, in contrast to Davis-Garcia, options two of one of the best fighters on the earth — Davis and Garcia have been the 2 largest stars within the division moderately than pound-for-pound prime fighters — and it is not behind an $80 paywall.
Boxing is within the store window this week. Tens of millions of potential informal followers may have the prospect to come across the occasion, making it a uncommon mainstream showcase for the game. And boxing desperately wants to indicate out for the parents passing by.
📺 Weekend Watchlist
(Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports activities)
🏈 NFL, Week 2 | Sunday
A Tremendous Bowl rematch headlines , because the Chiefs search revenge for the shellacking they suffered by the hands of the Eagles again in February.
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Finest video games: Along with the Tremendous Bowl rematch, different video games to observe embody a pair of NFC North groups trying to keep away from an 0-2 begin, DK Metcalf’s reunion with Seattle and Joe Flacco’s return to Baltimore.
Bears at Lions (1pm ET, Fox)
Seahawks at Steelers (1pm, Fox)
Browns at Ravens (1pm, CBS)
Broncos at Colts (4:05pm, CBS)
Eagles at Chiefs (4:25pm, Fox)
Falcons at Vikings (8:20pm, NBC)
Week 2 traces: (Frank Schwab, Yahoo Sports activities)
🏈 NCAAF, Week 3 | Saturday
Saturday’s slate options three video games between ranked groups and , together with the 108th Yard Brawl in Morgantown and Florida vs. LSU in Demise Valley.
Wisconsin at No. 19 Alabama (12pm, ABC)
No. 6 Georgia at No. 15 Tennessee (3:30pm, ABC)
Pitt at West Virginia (3:30pm, ESPN)
No. 18 USF at No. 5 Miami (4:30pm, The CW)
Arkansas at No. 17 Ole Miss (7pm, ESPN)
Florida at No. 3 LSU (7:30pm, ABC)
No. 16 Texas A&M at No. 8 Notre Dame (7:30pm, NBC)
🥊 Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford | Sat. 9pm, Netflix
One of many takes heart stage on Saturday in Las Vegas, the place Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KOs) hopes to defend his undisputed tremendous middleweight belts in opposition to Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs), who’s leaping up just a few weight courses and placing his excellent document on the road. The primary card begins at 9pm, adopted by the main-event at 11pm.
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👟 World Athletics Championships | Sat-Solar, CNBC/Peacock
The twentieth version of worlds , the place 2,000+ athletes will compete in 49 occasions throughout 9 days. The headliner this weekend comes on Sunday morning with the 100m finals, that includes Sha’Carri Richardson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce for the ladies (9:13am) and Noah Lyles and Kishane Thompson for the boys (9:20am).
⚾️ Yankees at Purple Sox | Fri-Solar
Boston (81-66) has owned New York (81-65) this yr, main the season sequence 8-2 getting into their closing assembly this weekend at Fenway Park (Fri. 7:10pm, Apple; Sat. 4:10pm, MLB; Solar. 7pm, ESPN). The stakes could not be greater, as they’re separated by only a half-game .
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🥍 PLL Championship | Solar. 12:30pm, ABC
The seventh Premier Lacrosse League season involves an finish in New Jersey, the place the New York Atlas and Denver Outlaws are each searching for their first championship.
🏀 EuroBasket, Closing 4 | Friday and Sunday, DAZN
Lauri Markannen’s Finland takes on Dennis Schröder and Franz Wagner’s Germany in as we speak’s first semifinal (10am), whereas Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Greece faces Alperen Şengün’s Turkey within the second (2pm). The winners meet within the closing on Sunday (2pm).
Extra to observe:
🏀 WNBA Playoffs: Valkyries at Lynx (1pm, ESPN); Fever at Dream (3pm, ABC); Liberty at Mercury (5pm, ESPN); Storm at Aces (10pm, ESPN) … Spherical 1 suggestions off.
⚽️ EPL: Manchester Metropolis vs. Manchester United (Solar. 11:30am, Peacock) … The 197th Manchester Derby.
⚽️ MLS: San Diego vs. Minnesota (Sat. 10:30pm, Apple) … The within the West sq. off in SoCal.
⚽️ NWSL: KC Present vs. Washington Spirit (Sat. 7:30pm, ION) … The league’s meet in Kansas Metropolis.
🍌 Banana Ball: Savannah Bananas vs. The Firefighters (Sat. 7pm & Solar. 3:30pm, truTV) … At Yankee Stadium.
⛳️ Golf: PGA’s Procore Championship (Fri-Solar, ESPN+/Golf); DP World Tour’s BMW PGA Championship (Fri-Solar, Peacock/Golf) … Mackenzie Hughes (-9) leads in California; Ludvig Åberg and Tom Vaillant (-8) lead in England.
🏁 NASCAR: Bristol Motor Speedway (Sat. 7:30pm, USA) … The might be minimize from 16 to 12.
🚴 Vuelta a España: Phases 19-21 (Fri-Solar, Peacock) … The season’s third and closing Grand Tour involves an finish on Sunday in Madrid.
📚 Good reads
Henry operating hills within the Dallas space. (Courtesy of AJ Billings)
🏈 Jeff Eisenberg:
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NFL operating backs excelling into their 30s are uncommon. Derrick Henry’s self-discipline is why he is the exception.
(Greg Fiume/Getty Pictures)
⚾️ Jake Mintz:
After three straight losses to the Phillies, the division is out of attain, and the Mets’ maintain on a wild card is at risk.
(Jared C. Tilton/Getty Pictures)
🏀 Dan Wolken:
After two days of school hoops betting scandals, it is clear the game has a playing challenge. However permitting athletes to wager on different sports activities might make issues solely worse
(Sankhadeep Banerjee/NurPhoto through Getty Pictures)
♟️ Jack Baer:
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Hikaru Nakamura has competed within the Louisiana State Championship and Iowa Open this month. He received the latter by beating a 13-year-old.
🏆 WNBA trivia
(Yahoo Sports activities)
Query: 4 of the eight groups on this yr’s WNBA Playoffs have received a number of championships. Are you able to identify all of them?
Reply on the backside.
⚾️ Backstops hitting bombs
Langeliers rounds the bases after hitting a house run. (G Fiume/Getty Pictures)
Cal Raleigh () is not the one catcher hitting bombs this yr. He is joined by the A’s Shea Langeliers (30 HR) and Colorado’s Hunter Goodman (30 HR), making this the primary season since 1999 wherein no less than three catchers hit 30 homers.
The three catchers in 1999? Mike Piazza (40), Iván Rodríguez (35) and Mike Lieberthal (31).
Trivia reply: Lynx (4 titles), Storm (4), Mercury (3), Aces (2)
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