Natisha Hiedeman scored all eight of her points in two second-half runs, Napheesa Collier returned from a night off with a game-high 24 points and the Minnesota Lynx surged past the host Golden State Valkyries 86-75 on Sunday night in San Francisco.
Returning from a sore knee, Collier completed her third consecutive double-double with a season-high-tying 11 rebounds, and Courtney Williams added 20 points for Minnesota, which remained unbeaten through seven games.
Veronica Burton had a team-high 21 points and Kate Martin a career-high 14 for Golden State, which led by one at halftime and retained a 56-53 advantage after Kayla Thornton's interior hoop in the third minute of the third period.
But the Lynx, who made the WNBA finals last season, took charge from there, starting with a 14-2 burst that featured 3-pointers from Hiedeman, Williams and Bridget Carleton.
Attempting to avoid a third consecutive loss, the Valkyries hung within 68-60 through quarter's end, before Hiedeman had two hoops -- one that she turned into a three-point play -- and Collier added a basket in a 7-0 flurry to open the fourth period that broke the game open at 75-60.
Williams also found time for five rebounds and a team-high five assists. Her three 3-pointers in seven attempts helped Minnesota outscore the hosts 33-27 from beyond the arc despite taking eight fewer attempts.
Kayla McBride chipped in with 16 points and six rebounds, while Carleton had 12 points for the Lynx, who completed a two-game Western sweep after dispatching the Phoenix Mercury on Friday without Collier.
The Lynx and Valkyries were meeting for the first time.
Thornton finished with 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds for Golden State, which had played the defending-champion New York Liberty on the road in its two previous games.
Julie Vanloo dished off a team-high four assists and swiped two steals for the Valkyries, an expansion team that has sold out all three of its home games at the spacious Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors.
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Angel Reese made the most of her return to the court on Tuesday night. The Chicago Sky star Reese, who was playing in her first game in three weeks due to a back injury, went viral for her profane taunt of Seattle Storm opponent Dominique Malonga. In the second quarter of the game between the two sides at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois, Malonga got the ball down low and tried to score one-on-one against Reese. Reese read Malonga’s post move all the way though and swatted her shot right out of bounds. As Reese made the rejection, she yelled out loud, “Give me that s–t!” Here is the video (but obviously beware of the audible cursing). Malonga is a 19-year-old rookie who was the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s WNBA Draft (behind only Paige Bueckers). Thus, it looks like Reese was trying to give Malonga her “welcome to the WNBA” moment there. In the end however, it was the Storm who got the last laugh over the Sky. While Reese (19 points and seven rebounds) won the individual battle over Malonga (15 points and seven rebounds), it was Seattle that defeated Chicago by a final score of 94-88. Not a lot has gone right for the Sky this season as they are now a horrid 8-26 on the year. But at least Reese is now back in the lineup, her statistics look good (14.2 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game overall), and she is adding again to the many viral moments that she has produced this season.
Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard patched things up Sunday after years of feuding. But even while describing their rapprochement, O'Neal couldn't keep from teasing his longtime nemesis. The "Big Aristotle" was at the BIG3 playoffs Sunday to watch Howard's L.A. Riot play the Chicago Triplets. In the middle of describing to Rachel Nichols how he and Howard had made peace, O'Neal broke off his explanation to make fun of Howard for missing a dunk. The two Hall of Fame centers had sparred for years, despite their common ground as former members of the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers. Some of the tension seemed to be due to Howard adopting O'Neal's "Superman" nickname, though O'Neal claimed to Nichols that he was simply being tough on Howard to motivate him. That explanation doesn't account for the time O'Neal mocked Howard for playing basketball in the Taiwanese league or the decade-plus he's spent roasting Howard on his podcast, in public appearances and on "Inside the NBA." Still, it appears that the two have made peace. Despite O'Neal being left off the original list of presenters, he insisted that he'll be among a group of Hall of Famers inducting Howard Sept. 6, including Dominique Wilkins, Robert Parish, Dennis Rodman and Patrick Ewing. It means that two of the most dominant big men of their eras have finally buried the hatchet. It's added a new level of interest to the Hall of Fame ceremonies, and it should be a sweet moment between O'Neal and Howard. As long as Howard doesn't mention Superman.
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning should keep his family group chat updated about his decision for the 2026 NFL Draft. He doesn't want it tipping his plans, especially when they're not confirmed. Manning's grandfather, former New Orleans Saints QB Archie, told Texas Monthly his grandson isn't going to declare for the 2026 draft in a story published at the beginning of August. The 21-year-old passer, however, clarified he's keeping his options open. "I don't know where he got that from," Manning said Tuesday, via CJ Vogel of OnTexasFootball. "He texted me and apologized about that, but I'm really just taking it day-by-day right now." Manning attempted just 95 passes in his first two seasons at Texas but is already viewed as a potential No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft. In a story published Tuesday, The Athletic's Dane Brugler tabbed him as his top QB entering the season. Still, it would reportedly take a special circumstance for Manning to declare for the draft in 2026. He would want to play for a team that has a stable head-coaching situation and front office. Most franchises that are picking near the top of the draft don't have that. More importantly, Manning must prove he's worthy of the No. 1 pick. Despite his family name, he doesn't have a large enough sample size to show he's pro-ready. "If his last name were 'Smith' and he were a three-star recruit instead of a five-star blue-chipper, would he still appear this high early in draft rankings? Who knows," wrote Brugler. "However, what he has put on film so far has been very impressive. Now, scouts need to see it consistently each week, especially against the top opponents on Texas' schedule." Manning faces an elite opponent in Week 1. The No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes host the No. 1 Longhorns on Aug. 30 at noon ET (Fox). The QB should probably tell his family to deflect questions about the draft until he's ready to make a decision. Speculation about his future could create even more pressure, which he doesn't need.
New York Jets running back Breece Hall has been the subject of trade speculation this offseason, but head coach Aaron Glenn insists he is not anticipating the departure of his star running back. Glenn told reporters on Tuesday that the Jets plan to rotate three running backs at the start of the season. The first-year coach said he believes Hall and second-year backs Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis all have different skill sets that will complement each other. "We have like three good running backs, and I keep saying that," Glenn said, via Kevin Patra of NFL.com. "Listen, they all have different skill sets that we’re going to utilize. And that does not mean that I’m trading Breece. OK? Does not! So, I’m going to say that right now. I just like having three good guys. Hell, I wish I had more, but we don’t." Hall led the Jets with 876 rushing yards last season. He has five rushing touchdowns in each of the last two seasons. The former second-round pick was shot out of a cannon during the first half of his rookie season in 2022, but he suffered a torn ACL in Week 7. He has still been plenty effective since returning and fell just short of 1,000 rushing yards in 2023. Allen rushed for 334 yards and averaged a modest 3.6 yards per carry as a rookie last season. Davis averaged 5.8 yards per carry on limited opportunities in 2024, and there has been talk that he is a "favorite" of Glenn’s coaching staff. Where Hall has been particularly valuable is in the passing game. He had 76 catches for 591 yards and four touchdowns in 2023 and 57 catches for 483 yards and three receiving scores last season. The Jets signed both wide receiver Garrett Wilson and cornerback Sauce Gardner — two of their other 2022 draft picks — to big contract extensions this offseason. One line of thinking is that they will not want to give Hall a lucrative extension as well, so they could shop him ahead of the trade deadline if he gets off to a hot start. Hall had a cryptic post on social media back in April after a report claimed he was being shopped in trade talks. For now, Glenn wants everyone to think his most explosive back is not going anywhere. That could easily change in the coming weeks or months.
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