CHICAGO Caitlin Clark tried. She really did. The Indiana Fever star scored the first bucket off Saturdays WNBA All-Star Game off a steal. An actual, real-life display of extra effort. And Clark didnt let up, darting around the backcourt like a pest as the opposition brought the ball up the United Center floor, not doing too much as much as trying to do something.She even made a plea before the teams returned to the locker room at halftime, telling ESPNs Holly Rowe that the fans paid a lot of money to get in the building, and maybe all the players could do a little more than just walk around. A bit of a wont-somebody-think-of-the-children request, made with the best intention.And then, in the third quarter, after that clarion call? The most interesting thing to happen on the court was Clark stopping by courtside seats to dap up actor Jason Sudeikis daughter.Alas, another All-Star exhibition came and went as just that: A facsimile of real basketball, an exercise in fun and camaraderie, with a dash of moment-making and leg pulling along the way. Team Spoon held on for a 129-122 victory over Team Coop before a WNBA All-Star Game record crowd of 19,783. So it goes. The problem of non-competitive midseason spectacles lives on for another group to try to solve.Liberty forward Jonquel Jones led Team Spoon with 22 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, taking home MVP honors making her the only player in history to be MVP of the league, the WNBA Finals, the Commissioners Cup and the All-Star Game. Jones dedicated the night to her recently deceased aunt, whose memorial service was Saturday.This one is for my auntie, Jones said while accepting the award.Clark added 17 points 11 of which she scored in the first five minutes and Lynx rookie Olivia Miles posted an 11-point, 12-rebound, eight-assist effort. The Fevers Kelsey Mitchell led Team Coop with 28 points so at least Indiana fans could be rapt start to finish and Toronto Tempo guard Marina Mabrey added 23 points in her first All-Star appearance.If there was any moment that might linger in perpetuity, it occurred midway through the second quarter: Dominique Malonga sprinted down the floor in transition, Angel Reese found her with a pass from the wing and the 6-foot-6 Malonga rose for a one-handed dunk that created some welcome delirium.It was the fifth dunk in WNBA All-Star Game history, and the first since 2022. Malonga became the youngest player to record a double-double (12 points, 12 rebounds) in the event.The first half indicated how this would go: The teams combined for 145 points and shot a combined 71 3-pointers before the break.The general ennui continued with both Jackie Young and Paige Bueckers getting shots up during replay reviews and timeouts in the third quarter. Before a fourth quarter that might have seen the intensity ramp up, there was Courtney Williams, dancing on the court, a turn of events that was hilarious and a sure sign that things werent about to get overserious.In the end, commissioner Cathy Engelbert took the floor to hand over the MVP award, was drowned out in a wave of boos, and everyone left to get on with the rest of the season. The WNBAs players have put in exhausting effort to affect meaningful change within their league over the past couple of seasons.Fixing All-Star Games, one presumes, can be someone elses problem.This article originally appeared in The Athletic.WNBA2026 The Athletic Media Company

Hamtramck Detroit City Football Clubs three-game winning streak was broken in a 1-0 loss to the Las Vegas Lights Football Club on Saturday night, marking their first home loss in the USL Championship this season.I thought we had too many players having an off night to be quite honest when you need to win games, you need your big players to step up to the plate, DCFC head coach Danny Dichio said. Theyve been fantastic this year, but when we have more than 3 or 4 guys having an off night, its difficult to win games.Colorful smoke bombs of pink, orange, and blue filled the air from the DCFC fans to kick off the sold-out match before 7,252 people.A minute into the game, Las Vegas forward Oalex Anderson scored the goal with an assist from midfielder Carson Locker.Thirteen minutes later, Las Vegas made an early substitution after goalkeeper Charlie Lanphier was hit with rough physical contact while blocking a goal and was subbed for his teammate Triston Henry.The anticipation for Detroits first goal was high from the fans as the stadium filled with the chant, DC-FC, DC-FC, but the goal never came.While DCFC midfielder Rafa Mentzingen was attempting a shot, Las Vegas forward Christian Pinzn tripped Mentzingen up and was given a yellow card, the first of the night.DCFC midfielder Abdoulaye Diop joined his opponent with one of his own for unsportsmanlike conduct.Five minutes were added to the clock for the first half, but the time flew by with DCFC trailing 1-0.To concede after 40-seconds at home is a no-no for us, and it's very uncharacteristic of us, Dichio said. Thats disappointing because those 40 seconds end up costing us the game, losing our home record, and we got a disappointed, frustrated bunch of players in there.Possession of the ball went to Las Vegas to start the second half, but they received two yellow cards within six minutes. Locker caused DCFC defender Haruki Yamazaki to take a tumble and he received the first, then Anderson clashed with DCFC goalkeeper Carlos Herrera for the second.The 67th minute hit the clock with Detroit still scoreless.They changed their lineup with defender Tommy Silva, midfielder Ryan Williams, and forward Preston Tabortetaka checking into the game for midfielders Maxi Rodriguez, Kobe Hernandez-Foster, and Mentzingen.The adjustment didnt change the magnet Las Vegas had for collecting yellow cards, and their midfielder, Giorgio Probo grabbed their next one at 71 minutes.After the referee ruled a play to be over, Las Vegas midfielder Patrick Leal kicked a ball into the stands, which led DCFC defender Devon Amoo-Mensah to confront him, and they both received a yellow card.An extra six minutes were added to the match, and DCFC took several shots in the last two minutes, but Las Vegas' defense was tight, and they held onto their lead to win the game, 1-0.Maybe this is a game that we needed to give us a little bit of a jolt as we head into the second half of the season and keep some players on their toes, Dichio said. Well take it on the chin, and well move forward in training this week and start prepping for Miami.Diouf led the game with three total shots and five touches in the opponents box, Yamazaki had 71 touches while winning 13 out of 18 duels, and defender Aeden Stanley had 93 touches and 100% successful dribbles (three-for-three).Probos passes were 76% accurate (38-for-50), and Henry saved five goals for Las Vegas.DCFC still sits third in the USL Championship, sitting only one-point away from second. They will hit the road to Miami to face the Miami Football Club next weekend, August 1 at 7 p.m.Alauna Marable is a freelance writer.This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: DCFC's three-game win streak ends in 1-0 home loss to Las Vegas

Bruins' Jeremy Swayman has Company with On-The-Rise Goalie originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Boston Bruins traded Joonas Korpisalo to the New York Rangers this offseason.Jeremy Swayman isn't going anywhere, but he's going to have new company on the NHL goalie depth chart for the 2026-27 season.That company, most likely, will be Michael DiPietro.DiPietro is coming off a monster season at AHL Providence. He just went 34-8-1 to put up a 93.0 save percentage and a 1.91 goals against average.He has won AHL Goalie of the Year in back-to-back seasons."Given how spectacularly DiPietro has played over the last two seasons with Providence, it is clear that he is a breakout candidate to watch for Boston next season," Michael DeRosa of The Hockey News wrote on Saturday. "He has a golden opportunity to prove that he can be an NHL-caliber goaltender now that Korpisalo is gone."MORE:Zdeno Chara's NHL height record is in 7-foot-1 jeopardyIt's not to say anything bad about Swayman to suggest that having DiPietro in the NHL level could be a good thing for the Bruins in the long haul."If DiPietro can be a solid backup to Jeremy Swayman, it would be good news for a Bruins club that will be looking to take another step forward next season," DeRosa writes. "It will be interesting to see how much DiPietro can translate his wonderful AHL play to the NHL level from here."The obvious reality is that DiPietro has nothing left to prove in the AHL.That may be at least in part why the Bruins traded away Korpisalo. It opened a spot for a player they likely felt was ready for his chance.Now, it'll be up to DiPietro to prove that he belongs at the NHL level for good.More BruinsLatest BruinsnewsTD Garden fan guide: What to know before you goComplete history of Bruins championships

Jul 25, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets pinch hitter Tyrone Taylor (28) hits a two run double against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the eighth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn ImagesNew York Mets owner Steve Cohen famously claimed he wanted to turn the club into the East Coast version of the Los Angeles Dodgers when he took over the team. Unfortunately for Cohen and the teams fan base, that goal remains far away from reality.The Mets couldnt make it happen against the defending-champion Dodgers Saturday night in Queens, losing 4-3 despite another strong outing from starting pitcher Nolan McLean as the team inches closer to selling at MLBs August 3 trade deadline.Tyrone Taylor came through in the eighth inning with a pinch-hit two-run double to cut the deficit, but New York was once again unable to get over the hump. Taylors clutch hit made an ugly third inning from the Mets defense even harder to swallow.McLean cruised through the first two innings with efficiency, but the relentless Dodgers lineup put pressure on the Mets in the game-deciding third inning. Kyle Tucker bashed a home run off the right-field foul pole, snapping a streak of 19 consecutive innings without an earned run by McLean. Dalton Rushing singled before Shohei Ohtani hit a double-play ball that the Mets couldnt handle. Brett Batys throw to second bounced off Rushings helmet, allowing Rushing to advance to third, and Ohtani to reach first safely.Lindor was charged with the error after failing to snag the ball after it bounced off Rushing. Andy Pages hit another double-play ball that the Mets once again couldnt turn, allowing Rushing to score. A passed ball from Francisco Alvarez then scored Pages and put the Dodgers up 3-0. Max Muncy struck out to mercifully end the hideous frame.Starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched six innings with five strikeouts to boost the Dodgers. Yamamotos good start and Tuckers dinger added insult to injury, as both players were high-profile free agent targets for the Mets in recent years before both picked the Dodgers. Tucker has had a disappointing first season in Los Angeles, but seems to be trending up this weekend, homering for the second straight game against the Orange and Blue.The Dodgers added on in the fifth inning with some well-placed hits. Teoscar Hernandez put in a ball just out of the reach of the diving Carson Benge, with the ball bouncing away from the rookie, allowing Hernandez to advance to second. Pages singled down the right-field line to score Hernandez.McLean was solid overall, registering his fifth quality start in a row with seven strikeouts. The infield defense and Alvarezs passed ball made him work hard. However, an unassisted double play by Lindor in the sixth inning helped seal McLeans line.The Mets entered the game going 7-for-72 with RISP over their last 10 games, and that trend continued for most of Saturday night. New York briefly threatened in the first inning with two outs. Bo Bichette and Benge each singled off Yamamoto, but Luis Robert Jr. struck out swinging on a full count to end the inning.With two outs in the fifth inning, Bichette poked a broken-bat single to score Baty from third, putting the Mets on the board. The team had been 0-for-5 with RISP in the game before Bichettes hit.New York had life in the eighth inning against Dodgers reliever Edgardo Henriquez after he hit Benge with a pitch and walked Robert Jr. with no outs. Henriquez struck out Jorge Polanco and Marcus Semien before being replaced by Tanner Scott. Mets interim manager Andy Green pinch-hit Taylor for Baty, who smoked a ball down the left-field line off Scott to score Benge and Robert Jr. Scott settled down to strike out AJ Ewing and end the threat.Lindor, Bichette, and Benge went down in order in the bottom of the ninth as the Mets fell to 43-62 on the season. The Mets are 7-12 in July as this bleak season trudges along through the dog days of summer.New York will try again in Sundays series finale at 1:40 PM EDT.SB Nation GameThreadsAmazin AvenueTrue Blue LABox scoresMLB.comESPNWin Probability AddedFangraphs.comWhats WPA?Big Mets winner: Tyrone Taylor, +18% WPABig Mets loser: AJ Ewing -23% WPA Mets pitchers: -11% WPAMets hitters: -39% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Tyrone Taylor double, +17.6% WPATeh sux0rest play:Kyle Tucker home run, +11.9% WPA

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