Thorns set record for shutout minutes at home in 2-0 win over Bay FC
M.A. Vignola and Mallie McKenzie each scored and the Thorns broke the NWSL record for shutout minutes at home with a 2-0 victory over Bay FC on Wednesday night. The Thorns passed the regular-season record of 568 minutes without allowing a goal in the 64th minute of the match at Providence Park. Elsewhere in the National Women’s Soccer League, San Diego forced a late 2-2 draw against Houston and Angel City defeated Kansas City 2-1 at home.
Aaron Rodgers says the 2026 NFL season will be his last: ‘This is it’
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says his 22nd season in the NFL will be his last. The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback said “this is it” when asked Wednesday if he will retire at the end of the 2026 season. The 42-year-old did not expand on why he came to that conclusion. Rodgers signed a one-year deal to return to the Steelers just before the start of organized team activities. The four-time NFL MVP says the hiring of Mike McCarthy as coach played a factor in his decision to return to the Steelers after helping lead the club to the AFC North title last season.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 30, Thunder top Spurs 122-113 in Game 2 of West finals
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The MVP looked like the MVP again, and the Western Conference finals are knotted up. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander bounced back from a subpar series opener to score 30 points, Alex Caruso added 17 off the bench and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the San Antonio Spurs 122-113 on Wednesday night in Game 2. Chet Holmgren scored 13 points and reserves Jared McCain and Cason Wallace each had 12 for Oklahoma City. The Thunder finished with a 57-25 edge in bench scoring, plus a 27-10 edge in points off turnovers. Stephon Castle scored 25 points for the Spurs, who got 22 points from Devin Vassell and a 21-point, 17-rebound, six-assist, four-block night from Victor Wembanyama.
FIFA’s big experiment may have made the World Cup too big for its own good
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — A supersized World Cup with more teams, more games and even more host nations than ever before leaves a big question hanging over the biggest sporting show on earth: How much is too much? The value of scarcity – the idea that less is worth more – is a concept often discussed in soccer, but rarely practised. And the latest edition of the World Cup – co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico – will further push the boundaries of how far the most popular sport on the planet can go before it reaches breaking point.
Wembanyama disappointed after Spurs fall to Thunder, despite another brilliant stat line
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Victor Wembanyama fouled Jalen Williams on a shot attempt in the opening minutes of Game 2 of the Western Conference finals on Wednesday night. Except, no, he really didn’t. Yes, Wembanyama made contact with Williams. Yes, it looked like a foul. Yes, it was called that way — at first. Upon review, it was determined that Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein actually shoved Wembanyama into his teammate and caused the foul himself. That’s how physical the Thunder were with Wembanyama in Game 2. They grabbed, pushed, nudged, anything and everything they could muster against the 7-foot-4 French star who still finished with 21 points, 17 rebounds, six assists and four blocked shots.
Golden Knights roll to early lead, hold off Avs 4-2 to open Western Conference Final
DENVER (AP) — Dylan Coghlan scored his first Stanley Cup playoff goal to get Vegas rolling, Carter Hart made 36 saves and the Golden Knights opened the Western Conference final by holding off the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 on Wednesday night. Trailing 3-0 in the third period, Colorado made it a 3-2 game with 2:21 remaining on a power-play goal from Gabriel Landeskog. Nic Dowd sealed the win for Vegas on an empty-net goal with 44.5 seconds left. Pavel Dorofeyev and Brett Howden also added goals for the Golden Knights, who took advantage of several defensive miscommunications by the Avalanche as they juggled their blue-line pairings with Cale Makar sidelined by an upper-body injury.
From hockey exile to playoff spark: Carter Hart’s new chapter with the Golden Knights
DENVER (AP) — Carter Hart has made a strong comeback with the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup playoffs. After being acquitted in the Hockey Canada sexual assault scandal, Hart joined the Golden Knights last December. On Wednesday night, he helped them beat top-seeded Colorado 4-2 in the Western Conference Final opener. Hart stopped 36 of 38 shots, showing his skill and focus. Vegas coach John Tortorella praised Hart’s mental strength and performance. Hart expressed his respect for Tortorella and his excitement to play under him again.
Cavaliers shrug off concerns about Harden as they try to even the East finals against the Knicks
GREENBURGH, N.Y. (AP) — Jalen Brunson against Donovan Mitchell was the matchup splashed across the screens to hype the Eastern Conference finals. Unfortunately for the Cleveland Cavaliers, it turned into Brunson versus James Harden in the fourth quarter of Game 1. Brunson continuously attacked the matchup to spark one of the largest postseason comebacks on record, as the New York Knicks rallied from a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter for a 115-104 victory. As they prepare for Game 2 on Thursday, the Cavaliers are shrugging off concerns that one of the most accomplished offensive players in league history might be too poor of a defender to give them NBA Finals hopes.
As CFP barrels toward 24 teams, the questions remain: Who’s paying for this, and how much?
RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. (AP) — The Big Ten is pushing to expand the College Football Playoff to 24 teams, but the question is who will televise it. Fox supports the idea, but concerns remain about how much networks will pay for games involving less popular teams. The current ESPN deal is worth $7.8 billion over six seasons. The Southeastern Conference prefers a 16-team playoff, while the Big Ten has support from the Atlantic Coast and Big 12 conferences for 24 teams. A larger playoff could eliminate conference title games, affecting revenue. The NFL’s dominance in viewership is a factor in negotiations.
Shohei Ohtani hits leadoff homer, lowers ERA to 0.73 in another 2-way gem for victorious Dodgers
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Shohei Ohtani returned to his full two-way form for the Los Angeles Dodgers in San Diego, and the results were formidable. While pitching and hitting in the same game for the first time in four weeks, Ohtani homered on the first pitch of the night and then threw five innings of three-hit ball in Los Angeles’ 4-0 victory over the Padres. After launching his eighth homer of the season and then lowering his ERA to a minuscule 0.73, Ohtani took satisfaction in doing it all even on a night when he didn’t feel great on the mound.
Trey Yesavage outduels Cam Schlittler in marquee matchup as Blue Jays top Yankees 2-1
NEW YORK (AP) — Trey Yesavage outpitched Cam Schlittler in a marquee matchup between young aces, and the Toronto Blue Jays edged the New York Yankees 2-1. Following a rain delay that lasted more than two hours, the right-handers traded zeros until the seventh inning — when Toronto loaded the bases with nobody out on an infield single, a walk and a bunt single. Andrés Giménez then fouled off seven pitches, five with two strikes, before drawing an 11-pitch walk that scored Ernie Clement and chased Schlittler. One out later, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. lofted a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0. Yesavage allowed two hits and walked none while striking out eight over six shutout innings. Three of his strikeouts came against Aaron Judge, who fanned all four times up.