Can the Fever sustain momentum? + Layshia Clarendon Interview
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Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Liberty defeat the Sparks, who lose Cameron Brink just before halftime
Almost hidden in a mocha pair of sweatpants and sweatshirt, and crowned with those same fire-red Air Jordans from his Aug. 4 return to Los Angeles, Clippers royalty Chris Paul adorned the Sparks' bench. And though the 20-year veteran barely lifted a palm — leaving the cheering to his wife and daughter — Paul's court savvy still seemed to seep across the hardwood, finding its way to the Sparks' Kelsey Plum. Plum, who can very well be the tale of any Sparks game, but 'chooses to win,' as coach Lynne Roberts says, seemed to be scoring and assisting at will through a coast-to-coast battle against the New York Liberty, a tug-of-war that stayed taut until the rope finally slipped from the Sparks' grasp, 105-97. The Sparks' stalwart finished with 26 points alongside five rebounds and five assists. Across the court, with veteran Breanna Stewart sidelined with a a right knee bone bruise, the internationally seasoned presence of Emma Meesseman assumed control to keep the Liberty's offense in rhythm, its poise intact and restart its win streak. Emma Meesseman, who made her Liberty debut soon after Stewart's exit, looked nothing like someone fresh off a lengthy league layoff on Thursday. The 2019 Finals MVP returned Aug. 3 after a three-year hiatus from the WNBA — time she spent competing for Belgium — and scored a season-high 24 points with nine rebounds. Stewart took the hit to her knee during the last edition of the East-West rivalry on July 26. And that was also a game before Sparks sophomore star Cameron Brink returned from a 13-month-long left knee injury. About three minutes before halftime, Brink sat on the bench while trainers wrapped her knee during a Sparks timeout. She never joined the team's halftime huddle as play resumed after the break, and when she finally emerged at the 6:17 mark in the third quarter, she watched the rest of the game from her seat. At halftime, a Sparks spokesperson said there was no update on Brink's exit to the locker room. In absence of the Sparks' most threatening defensive presence, though, Dearica Hamby and Azurá Stevens policed the key and cleaned up under the rim to ensure the Sparks stayed close. The two combined for 38 points and 12 rebounds by night's end. The loudest battle, however, seemed to be the fans versus the officials. Fans groaned and barked over whistles — and the no-calls in between — as the night wore on. Roberts shared the mood, zeroing in on referee Tyler Mirkovich during a defensive sequence late in the second quarter. She sustained dialogue through the ensuing timeout, punctuating her point with a seemingly sarcastic double thumbs-up in Mirkovich's direction. Whether the whistles were with merit, no call was going to bail the Sparks out of a 10-point ditch with 22 seconds left to play. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Jacob Lopez strikes out 9 in 7 shutout innings as Athletics beat Rays 6-0
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Jacob Lopez struck out nine in seven shutout innings and Colby Thomas and Lawrence Butler each drove in a pair of runs as the Athletics beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-0 on Tuesday night. Lopez (5-6) allowed four hits and did not walk a batter. The 27-year-old left-hander retired 11 of the final 12 batters he faced. Tyler Ferguson (2-2) pitched a scoreless ninth and earned his second save. Thomas had an RBI double in the second inning and knocked in another run with a sacrifice fly in the fourth. Also in the fourth, Butler hit an RBI double and added an RBI single in the eighth. The Athletics scored two more runs on an error and a wild pitch. Tampa Bay starter Shane Baz (8-9) matched Lopez early before allowing five runs, four earned, on six hits. He finished with seven strikeouts and two walks. The Rays, who were 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position, got two hits apiece from Yandy Díaz and Brandon Lowe, and finished with four total hits. Key moment Oakland's three-run fourth inning, fueled by four straight hits off Baz, broke the game open. Key stat The Athletics posted their MLB-leading eighth shutout of the season. Up next RHP J.T. Ginn (2-4, 4.39 ERA) starts for the Athletics against Tampa Bay RHP Drew Rasmussen (9-5, 2.66) on Wednesday. ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Shohei Ohtani lines into triple play then hits go-ahead HR as Dodgers try to hold off Padres in close NL West
Shohei Ohtani's bat both hurt and helped the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday. In a tie game against the Los Angeles Angels, the Dodgers star lined into a triple play to wipe out a scoring opportunity in the sixth inning. The liner was perfectly placed for Angels shortstop Zach Neto to haul it in, stop on second base, then throw out Dalton Rushing at first base. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] It was the eighth triple play in Angels history. Ohtani was visibly stunned as the Angels ran off the field, while Rushing appeared to be in some pain after an awkward lunge, though he remained in the game. Per Statcast, the ball was 86.8 mph off Ohtani's bat and carried a .480 xBA (meaning a 48% chance at becoming a hit based off its exit velocity and launch angle). Theoretically, balls like the ones Ohtani hit have about a 50/50 chance at becoming a hit, which would have likely yielded a run for the Dodgers. Instead, Neto, a defensive standout at short, made one of the best plays of his career. The play was badly timed for the Dodgers, who entered Tuesday nursing a one-game lead over the San Diego Padres in the NL West. They managed to erase a couple two-run deficits on their way to a 5-5 tie, but missed an opportunity to take the lead in extraordinary fashion. Ohtani found redemption in the ninth, though, clubbing a go-ahead homer against his former team, his 43rd long ball of the season. The Dodgers bullpen went on to falter again, though, as Alex Vesia allowed the Angels to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth and needed to escape a bases-loaded situation just to send the game to extra innings. It was already an eventful day for Ohtani, as it was widely reported in the morning that he and his agent Nez Balelo were sued over a Hawaiian real estate deal gone bad, in which Balelo allegedly clashed with the project's developers after Ohtani signed an endorsement deal in 2023.
