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Caitlin Clark has electric first quarter in return from injury
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark returned from her quad injury on Saturday against the New York Liberty, and let's just say she did not look the slightest bit rusty.
Clark scored 14 points in the first quarter at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., and the majority of them came with under two minutes remaining. Clark pulled up and drained a three-pointer from 33 feet out with 1:26 remaining in the first quarter, and that was just the start of a mini-explosion.
Clark made three three-pointers in a span of about 44 seconds.
Caitlin Clark just scored 9 points in less than 45 seconds pic.twitter.com/SWBk9PhI4g
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) June 14, 2025
Indiana trailed 21-15 before Clark hit her three-pointer with 1:26 remaining in the quarter. The game was tied less than a minute later.
Clark was sidelined for five games with the quad injury. The Fever went 2-3 in those games. Clark entered Saturday leading Indiana with 19 points and 9.3 assists per game.
The 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year, Clark is known for being able to hit shots from just about anywhere on the court. She wasted very little time doing just that in her return to action on Saturday.
More must-reads:
- Caitlin Clark has interesting quote about Tyrese Haliburton
- Wings' Paige Buckers sets new career-high in Caitlin Clark-esque performance
- The 'Most points in a WNBA season' quiz
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Kelsey Mitchell explodes for 35 points in decisive Fever win over Sky
Kelsey Mitchell established season highs of 35 points and seven three-pointers to lead the Indiana Fever to a 93-78 road victory over the Chicago Sky on Sunday afternoon. Mitchell fell three points shy of her career best effort against the Connecticut Sun in 2019. The nationally televised contest lost much of its luster due to the absences of Indiana's Caitlin Clark (right groin) and Chicago's Angel Reese (back). Clark missed her fourth straight regular-season contest and 14th WNBA game of the season. Reese was ruled out shortly before tipoff for her second consecutive missed game. Aliyah Boston added 14 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for Indiana (14-12). Makayla Timpson also scored 14 points and Aari McDonald added 10. Rachel Banham scored a season-high 26 points and matched her season best of six treys for Chicago (7-18), which dropped its fifth consecutive game. Kia Nurse had 14 points, Rebecca Allen tallied 13 and Kamilla Cardoso had 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Sky. Chicago leading scorer Ariel Atkins (leg) missed her fourth straight game. The Sky shot 43.1% from the field and made 10-of-25 from behind the arc. The Fever connected on 47.1% of their shots, including 11-of-29 from 3-point range. Allen drained two three-pointers during a 10-2 surge that allowed Chicago to creep within 84-78 with 4:41 left. But the Sky didn't score again. Mitchell answered with a trey and added two free throws to start the game-ending 9-0 run that improved the Fever to 3-0 against Chicago this season. Chicago trailed by 12 at halftime but pulled within 56-55 with 5:20 left in the third after five straight points from Nurse. But the Fever answered with nine straight points — the first five by Mitchell and the next four by Timpson — to take a 10-point lead. Timpson opened the final quarter with a layup to boost the lead to 16. Banham scored the first five points of a 7-0 burst as Chicago moved within 77-68 with 7:07 left. Boston's turnaround jumper and Sophie Cunningham's trey pushed Indiana's lead back to 14 with 6:22 to go. Mitchell scored 15 first-half points as Indiana led 51-39 at the break. Banham scored 14 in the half for Chicago. Mitchell had 13 points in the first quarter, matching the Sky total as the Fever led by 13 entering the second quarter.
Phillies star confronted MLB commissioner in team clubhouse
Throughout the season, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred visits all 30 team clubhouses in an attempt to strengthen his relationship with the players. But when Manfred visited the Philadelphia Phillies last week, he did anything but strengthen his relations, at least not with Phillies star Bryce Harper. As reported by ESPN's Jeff Passan, Harper wasn't a fan of a conversation that seemed to be heading toward the possibility of implementing a salary cap in the game. Harper stood nose to nose with Manfred, telling him, "If you want to speak about that, you can get the [expletive] out of our clubhouse." Passan's report says that Manfred reportedly responded that he was "not going to get the [expletive] out of here." Manfred's main source of argument comes from his view that it's an important issue to discuss and has a direct impact on the game of baseball. Nick Castellanos, who's been known to have a fiery side of personality himself, helped to mediate the situation by saying, "I have more questions" to Manfred. Because the meeting continued, things settled down, and eventually, Manfred and Harper shook hands. Though Harper did not answer phone calls from Manfred the next day. "It was pretty intense, definitely passionate. Both of 'em. The commissioner giving it back to Bryce and Bryce giving it back to the commissioner. That's Harp. He's been doing this since he was 15-years-old," Castellanos told ESPN. Both Harper and Manfred declined to comment to ESPN on the matter. Manfred is certainly in a difficult spot with players themselves against a salary cap, as well as the MLB Players Association, which is adamantly against it. But some team owners are for it, most notably Baltimore Orioles owner David Rubenstein, who purchased the club in August 2024. It's certainly worth noting that the 1994 players' strike was a result of the league's effort to move to a salary-cap system. That is the worst-case scenario for MLB. And it seems to stress out Manfred. "Rob seems to be in a pretty desperate place on how important it is to get this salary cap," Castellanos added in his comments to ESPN, "because he's floating the word lockout two years in advance of our collective bargaining agreement [expiration]. That's nothing to throw around. That's the same thing as me in a marriage saying, 'I think divorce is a possibility. It's probably going to happen.' You don't just say those things." It's also important to note that Harper is a client of baseball super agent Scott Boras, and Castellanos is a former Boras client who now represents himself. Boras is known for bargaining for a ton of money for his clients, so that may provide one explanation of many for why Harper would be so against the discussion. It seems the only thing all parties can agree on is that no one wants a work stoppage in Major League Baseball. But that might just be where the agreements end.
Kirk Cousins makes notable leadership move after Falcons practice
Kirk Cousins might be relegated to the job of backup quarterback, but he is showing veteran leadership to his Atlanta Falcons teammates. Following Sunday's practice, Cousins pulled aside rookie defensive end James Pearce to encourage the first-round pick after his fourth practice in the league at Flowery Branch, Georgia. "QB Kirk Cousins pulled aside Pearce after practice to compliment him on a pass batted down," wrote Marc Raimondi of ESPN. Cousins reportedly had a solid day of practice on Sunday, going 7-of-12 passing against the first-team unit. If Cousins wants out of Atlanta, he's not showing it at practice. The four-time Pro Bowl quarterback is competing on the field and being a good teammate around the facility. Cousins' actions on the field backed up what Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot praised Cousins for before the team's practice on Sunday. “Outside, it's a lot more of a deal than it is in the building,” Fontenot said to the media about the idea of friction between the Falcons and Cousins, per video from D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “He shows up, he does his job, just like anybody ... We've gotta build the best 70-man roster so we can go win games. "That's what we're focused on, and Kirk, just like all the other players, is focused on coming in here and doing their job. That's what he's been doing." Fontenot didn't dismiss the idea that Atlanta would trade Cousins before the season. He said the Falcons will do whatever it takes to make the team better, but stressed that Cousins has been a professional throughout the process of being replaced by Michael Penix Jr., a first-round pick from the 2024 draft. “In terms of making moves, whether it's trades or acquiring players, we're always looking at those factors," Fontenot said. "We're gonna do whatever we can do to make this team the best it can possibly be. But he's been a great professional, and he's handled himself well.” Cousins is coming to work in a manner that will make another owner want to take a chance on the veteran quarterback. That could be one of his best-selling points before he plays in his 13th season in the league.
Shedeur Sanders gets new chance after Browns QB injury
Shedeur Sanders has been working with the Cleveland Browns' equipment staff as the No. 4 quarterback this summer. He'll have a new opportunity following the troubling injury news for Kenny Pickett. Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, Pickett suffered a hamstring injury during Saturday's practice and will not receive reps until his issue is re-evaluated. "Browns QB Kenny Pickett injured his hamstring near the end of Saturday’s practice and is expected to re-evaluate the injury later this week, per sources," Schefter posted on X. "Pickett was coming off a strong couple of practices, per sources, and at least for the short term, there now will be more reps for Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Pickett's injury will shake up the quarterback race in Cleveland. Through OTAs and early in training camp, Sanders has been the odd man out as the only signal caller on the roster not to receive reps with the first-team offense. It's unclear if the Browns coaching staff intends to give Sanders reps with the first-team offense now that Pickett is sidelined, but the fifth-round pick will have more chances this week to prove that he deserves an opportunity to stay in Cleveland. The Browns are in a unique situation with their rookie quarterbacks. Third-round pick Dillon Gabriel was selected before Sanders, but the son of Deion Sanders fell to Day 3 of the draft for reasons other than talent. The majority of draft analysts had Sanders as a better-graded quarterback than Gabriel, and many thought the Colorado product would be taken in the first round. The Browns can use the injury as an excuse to give Sanders reps with the first team, and it's a task they need to take advantage of before the team names a starter. Sanders has the potential to be a starter in the league, and this week is pivotal for his rookie season in Cleveland.
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