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Seattle plays Las Vegas following Ogwumike's 26-point game

Seattle plays Las Vegas following Ogwumike's 26-point game

Fox Sports7 hours ago

Associated Press
Seattle Storm (7-5, 7-4 Western Conference) at Las Vegas Aces (5-6, 3-5 Western Conference)
Las Vegas; Friday, 10 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Seattle Storm visits the Las Vegas Aces after Nneka Ogwumike scored 26 points in the Storm's 98-67 win against the Los Angeles Sparks.
The Aces have gone 3-5 against Western Conference teams. Las Vegas is ninth in the WNBA averaging 79.1 points and is shooting 38.7% from the field.
The Storm are 7-4 in Western Conference play. Seattle is sixth in the WNBA scoring 82.1 points per game while shooting 47.3%.
Las Vegas scores 79.1 points per game, 1.1 more points than the 78.0 Seattle gives up. Seattle averages 82.1 points per game, 0.4 fewer than the 82.5 Las Vegas gives up.
The teams meet for the third time this season. The Aces won 75-70 in the last matchup on June 1.
TOP PERFORMERS: A'ja Wilson is averaging 20.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, four assists, two steals and 2.6 blocks for the Aces. Jackie Young is averaging 18.3 points over the last 10 games.
Skylar Diggins is averaging 17.8 points and 6.2 assists for the Storm. Ogwumike is averaging 16.3 points and 7.3 rebounds while shooting 53.0% over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Aces: 5-5, averaging 79.2 points, 32.6 rebounds, 15.9 assists, 8.1 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 39.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 81.5 points per game.
Storm: 6-4, averaging 84.7 points, 30.6 rebounds, 23.1 assists, 8.1 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 49.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 78.4 points.
INJURIES: Aces: Cheyenne Parker-Tyus: out (personal), Megan Gustafson: out (leg).
Storm: Katie Lou Samuelson: out for season (knee).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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Ranking the NFC West's starting QBs: Where does Matthew Stafford stand in 2025?
Ranking the NFC West's starting QBs: Where does Matthew Stafford stand in 2025?

USA Today

time2 hours ago

  • USA Today

Ranking the NFC West's starting QBs: Where does Matthew Stafford stand in 2025?

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Breaking down Jason Robertson: What he does, what he's worth, and should Stars trade him?
Breaking down Jason Robertson: What he does, what he's worth, and should Stars trade him?

New York Times

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Breaking down Jason Robertson: What he does, what he's worth, and should Stars trade him?

Thirty-five-goal scorers don't grow on trees. Only 25 players reached that benchmark in the regular season, including Jason Robertson. So when rumors started swirling that Robertson could be on the move — a player who has tallied at least 35 goals three times in the last five years — it gained a lot of attention. After three consecutive Western Conference final eliminations, including two straight against the Edmonton Oilers, the Dallas Stars might feel pressure to make a change. But should that change be moving Robertson, one of the team's leading forwards? For the second straight year, Robertson was capped at 80 points. He hasn't been able to replicate his 46-goal, 109-point campaign for 2022-23. A slow start to this season is part of what held him back. It also contributed to his being snubbed for Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Whether it was a wake-up call or a spite-fueled run, it got Robertson back on track. Advertisement From Dec. 4 on, when the USA roster dropped, Robertson picked up the pace, after mustering only five goals and 14 points in the first 14 games of the season. He netted 30 goals and 66 points over the next 58 regular-season games, which ranked 10th in that span. At five-on-five, the Stars generated a lot of quality offense in his minutes and outscored opponents 49-37. Red hot Robo 🔥 — Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) April 6, 2025 Robertson's best strength is obvious: his shot. That tends to come with the territory for a player who can score upward of 40 goals in a given season. His shot volume was down compared with past seasons this year, but he still generated a lot of quality chances. He isn't an empty-calorie shooter, in general. Robertson makes the most of his shots by driving to the home plate area in front of the blue paint, and he manages to do that without getting set up by a lot of high-danger passes, either. SPEED DEMON, JASON ROBERTSON! 🤖 — Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) December 9, 2024 What adds to his value is the fact he isn't just a one-dimensional threat. Though he's more of a shooter than a passer, he can still set up his teammates. If Robertson's puck movement can get closer to his 2022-23 levels, he will be more of a dual threat. The Oskar for "HOLY MOLY, WHAT A GOAL!" goes to Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson! — Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) March 3, 2025 Robertson isn't exactly an ace in transition in Dallas, but he doesn't have to be with Roope Hintz on his line, who tends to carry play into the offensive zone. But the winger's impact extends back to the defensive end, where he can be counted on to retrieve pucks at a high rate and break out with control. Those defensive efforts (plus Hintz's impact as his mainstay center) have contributed to a lower expected goal rate against in his minutes in each of the last four years, even when he has been tasked with matching up against the opponents' best. Advertisement Part of what makes the Stars so dangerous is the fact their offense comes in waves. Robertson's a key cog in that, even with Mikko Rantanen in the fold. So why would management change that now? There might be some frustrations surrounding his performance on the biggest stage. Robertson's playoff pedigree has underwhelmed in seasons past. He has scored only 18 goals and 44 points in 56 games, which doesn't live up to regular-season hype. THIRD GOAL IN AS MANY GAMES! 🤖 Jason Robertson gives the Stars some life in Game 5 🚨 — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 30, 2025 That's a problem if the Stars are taking notes from the Oilers and Florida Panthers as the only two teams to go further in the playoffs. Every team needs stars to reach the playoffs, but everyone also needs dawgs to take them to the next level when it matters most. To Robertson's credit, his play this spring was stronger than his four goals and 6 points in 11 games show on the surface. He added a spark off the rush against the Oilers when the team needed it most, and netted four goals in that series when most of the team's offense dried up. Robertson put up a playoff-high 3.75 Game Score while facing elimination and did it while recovering from a sprained MCL. It was far from perfect, but something to build on, especially now that the expectations are a bit different with Rantanen jumping ahead of him on the depth chart. But teams invested in contending might not be able to bet on potential promise, when Robertson's entire body of work speaks louder than his last playoff run — especially not with a new contract on the horizon. In a salary-cap league, decisions around high-caliber players tend to revolve around money. The Stars are getting surplus value out of Robertson's $7.75 million cap hit now, when his market value for the next season projects to be around $10.5 million. But his next contract is bound to be pricier. If Robertson were to be an RFA this summer, Evolving Hockey projects an eight-year extension worth $10.9 million a year, on average. If he were to sign outside of Dallas, that next deal would tick down to a seven-year contract carrying a $10.5 million cap hit. Those numbers could inflate, depending on how this offseason unfolds in a growing cap world. Mitch Marner, Nikolaj Ehlers and Brock Boeser could all reset the value of a top-line winger. So could some of next year's pending free agents, including Kirill Kaprizov, Kyle Connor and Adrian Kempe. And since Roberston will be a year away from unrestricted free agency in 2026, he will have even more leverage with his next contract. 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Plus, there's a big difference between extending a soon-to-be 26-year-old who's still in his prime versus a UFA closer to 30 — and that's if anyone is actually available in 2026 and beyond, considering how few elite talents make it to the market. The issue for Dallas is that its asset pool is depleted. Among eight forwards, six defenders and two goalies, plus buyout and overage fees, the Stars already have over $90 million on the books for next season, with roles to fill. Rantanen's extension, along with Jake Oettinger's, will make it a tight squeeze, and how the team navigates potential extensions with Jamie Benn, Matt Duchene and Mikael Granlund could add even more stress to that cap crunch. So, tacking another $2 million to $4 million onto Robertson's cap hit in 2026-27 and extending restricted free agent Thomas Harley will be tricky. Factor in how few draft picks this team is left with after years of contending (down a first, second and fourth this year, plus a first, third and fourth next), and there is a way to replenish both at once. Trading Robertson alleviates the cap situation and likely brings back a haul to recoup what was lost in trades for Rantanen and Granlund, among others. The Stars have other options here. Management could let a couple of veterans walk this summer. Moving on from Benn could signal a new era. If Wyatt Johnston can be deployed like a top-six center, that could solve the need for a Duchene extension. Maybe there's a way to clear Matt Dumba and Ilya Lyubushkin's cap hits, too, to open up space for more cost-effective defenders. Mason Marchment, a 2026 UFA, could also be moved to add cap flexibility and bring back trade assets in return. Advertisement But none would bring back a haul like Robertson, which is why the Stars should still listen to offers to see if anything clicks. If Robertson is available, there will be interest around the league. Teams that miss out on Marner, Boeser and Ehlers in free agency would likely jump at the chance to add him. The Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets could look at him to replace wingers who depart in free agency. The Carolina Hurricanes, who added two first-rounders and two thirds from the Stars in exchange for Rantanen, make sense as a landing spot, too. The Canes need more scoring wingers to get over that Eastern Conference final hump and have a lot of cap space to work with. If Marner doesn't sign in Vegas, the Golden Knights are another trade destination. The New Jersey Devils could use more top-six scoring. The Los Angeles Kings need more high-octane offense, too, and could take a more aggressive approach this summer to find it. After clearing Chris Kreider's salary, the New York Rangers are another potential trade partner. So are the New York Islanders, who are finally under a new front-office direction. Playoff hopefuls such as the Detroit Red Wings and the Buffalo Sabres should be in the mix for Robertson, whose age lines up with their next contention windows. Even rebuilding teams such as the Anaheim Ducks could be in the mix. The Stars haven't won anything yet, so management can't afford to be out of fuel if they have any intention of going further than in years past. And the team can't just run it back and hope for the same result, either. But how much change should the team welcome, and at what cost? Just how much is a player capable of scoring 40 goals worth, and what would moving him do for their Stanley Cup hopes in this window? Those are the questions management has to ask itself this summer when contemplating Robertson's future. — Data via Dom Luszczyszyn, Evolving Hockey, HockeyViz, HockeyStatCards, All Three Zones, The Stanley Cap, CapWages and Natural Stat Trick. This story relies on shot-based metrics; here is a primer on these numbers.

Might Boston Red Sox face issues if rookie catcher keeps playing this much?
Might Boston Red Sox face issues if rookie catcher keeps playing this much?

Yahoo

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Might Boston Red Sox face issues if rookie catcher keeps playing this much?

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