Sports
Liberty's Breanna Stewart climbs scoring list as Mercury soar up standings
Jul 30, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) shoots the ball against Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young (0) during the fourth quarter of a WNBA basketball game at Michelob Ultra Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images New York’s Breanna Stewart moved into the top 10 in WNBA career scoring Thursday, but her focus was elsewhere after the Liberty’s 104-99 loss at Las Vegas.
“We were playing basketball against a good team, and they made more plays than us,” Stewart said. “Sometimes that’s the way it goes.”
Stewart and the Liberty (16-13) will wrap up their three-game road trip on Saturday against the Phoenix Mercury (11-18), who have won three straight.
Stewart scored 26 points against the Aces to give her 6,588 career points, 14 more than previous No. 10 Candace Parker. She added 11 rebounds and three steals.
“She made sure I was courtside for it,” joked Parker, a commentator on the Prime network broadcast.
Stewart has averaged 20.6 points in her 320 career games, almost two points a game more than any other player in the top 10. No. 1 Diana Taurasi (10,646) averaged 18.8 in her career.
The Liberty had a three-game winning streak broken in Las Vegas during an up-and-down stretch. They are 4-5 since beating the Aces for the Commissioner’s Cup on June 30, a game that did not count in the standings.
“It’s hard to have improvement off a loss,” Stewart said, “but I want to say this is improvement because we didn’t have to dig ourselves out of a hole.”
Sheis tied for third in the league this year with a 21.5 scoring average.
“We’re pretty resilient,” Liberty coach Chris Demarco said.
Phoenix’s DeWanna Bonner is third on the career scoring list (8,088, 14.3 average), and she had 17 points and 10 rebounds in a 91-89 victory over Golden State on Wednesday.
Alyssa Thomas, who leads the league with 8.3 assists per game, has been the key to the Mercury’s winning streak.
She had her first triple-double of the season — 19 points, 11 rebounds, 15 assists — in an 86-82 victory over the Sparks in the last game before the All-Star break and followed that with a season-high 25 points in Wednesday’s win over the Valkyries.
The 6-foot-2 Thomas was used as a point guard when the Mercury went to a big lineup in the fourth quarter-and she scored 15 of the team’s 31 points as they rallied to victory. She added nine rebounds and eight assists.
“I thought she played with force all night,” Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said. ” ‘A.T.’ was fabulous (Wednesday). She was fabulous in L.A., and we need that version of her. That’s when we’re at our best.”
“My job is to get everybody else involved, and I felt that the fourth quarter was my time to take over a little bit,” Thomas said.
Guard Kahleah Copper had 27 points, her 10th 20-point game in the last 12, before fouling out against Golden State. She leads the Mercury and is tied for sixth in the league with 20.7 points per game.
The Mercury continue their climb toward a playoff berth on Monday in Chicago in the first game of a four-game, seven-day trip.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Lynx put 9-game winning streak on line vs. surging Fever
Jul 28, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve talks with guard Olivia Miles (5) during a game against the Toronto Tempo in the second quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve appreciates the WNBA’s history.
On Sunday afternoon, Reeve and fans everywhere will be able to witness the league’s present — and its future.
Star players like Indiana’s Caitlin Clark and Minnesota’s Olivia Miles will square off when the Fever (19-10) play the Lynx (24-6) in Minneapolis. The Lynx have won nine games in a row, while the Fever have won five straight.
Clark and Miles have been huge reasons for their teams’ success.
“We knew a time when we had (Sue Bird) and Diana (Taurasi), and that sort of thing,” Reeve said. “This next era of guard play — Caitlin Clark will be a big part of that. Olivia Miles will be a big part of that.”
It’s no surprise that both players are receiving buzz as Most Valuable Player candidates.
Clark is averaging 21.6 points, 8.0 assists and 4.1 rebounds for Indiana. She is shooting 44.6% overall, 35.5% from 3-point range and 86.8% from the free-throw line.
In her most recent game, Clark notched a triple-double with 26 points, 10 assists and 10 boards. She helped Indiana pull away for a 112-98 road win against the Portland Fire on Friday.
Fever coach Stephanie White said her players still could reach another level of improvement.
“I thought we had some moments where we were really good,” White said. “Obviously, when we get 31 points off of turnovers, I think that’s really good for us. We had some moments where our execution was really good.
“We’re still a work in progress, and a coach is never going to be happy. I liked some of the adjustments we were able to make and execute, and now we’ve got to just continue to work toward growing it for 40 minutes of consistency.”
Meanwhile, Miles has wasted no time showing her skills since the Lynx drafted her No. 2 overall during the offseason. The dazzling rookie playmaker is averaging 19.4 points, 5.8 assists and 4.7 rebounds, and she is shooting 49.2% overall, 37.3% from beyond the arc and 87.2% from the charity stripe.
Miles and the Lynx welcomed another superstar back to the lineup when Napheesa Collier returned in July. In her first three games since returning from offseason ankle surgery, Collier is averaging 18.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists.
Miles’ no-look passes and slithery drives to the paint have caught the league’s attention.
That includes Clark, who joined Miles in Chicago for the WNBA’s All-Star weekend.
“I’ve always been a fan of hers, even when she was in college,” Clark said. “She just plays with incredible pace. It’s never too fast, it’s never too slow.
“You can see her creative juices flowing on the floor. … (It’s fun to see) the way she’s come into the league, and just been pretty flawless, in a way.”
The Lynx are 11-4 at home this season and the Fever are 8-5 on the road. The teams will meet again in the final two games of the regular season on Sept. 22 in Indianapolis and Sept. 24 in Minneapolis.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Versatile Taysom Hill could find reunion with Broncos' Sean Payton
Jan 4, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill (7) runs against Atlanta Falcons linebacker Divine Deablo (0) and cornerback C.J. Henderson (39) during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images Taysom Hill’s nine-season tenure with the New Orleans Saints is over and former coach Sean Payton could have a landing space for him.
Payton and the Denver Broncos are reportedly interested in bringing in the jack-of-all-trades Hill to discuss a reunion in the Mile High City.
Payton coached Hill in New Orleans from 2017-21 and successfully unleashed his versatility as a receiver, quarterback and rusher.
Hill, who turns 36 next month, could factor in all three roles with the Broncos. He enters this season with 2,426 passing yards and 12 touchdowns against nine interceptions to go with a 7-2 record as a starter.
Hill has rushed for 2,551 yards, 34 touchdowns and recorded first downs on 179 on his 489 career rushing attempts.
As a receiver and tight end, Hill has 110 receptions for 1,034 yards and 11 scores. He accumulated first downs on 48 of his catches.
Hill also has 489 kickoff return yards during his career but it is highly unlikely he would be utilized in that role again.
With Bo Nix coming off ankle surgery, Hill could serve as the running quarterback in short-down situations and help Nix protect the ankle. Jarrett Stidham, who started the AFC Championship Game loss to the New England Patriots in place of the injured Nix, is currently the No. 2 quarterback.
Hill was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent out of BYU in 2017 before being released shortly before the start of the season and getting scooped up by New Orleans.
He passed for 43 touchdowns and rushed for 32 in parts of five seasons in Provo.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Angels scratch RHP Jose Soriano from Saturday start vs. Brewers
Jun 30, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Jose Soriano (59) pitches to the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Angels scratched right-hander Jose Soriano from his scheduled start against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday.
Baseball Operations Consultant John Mozeliak released a statement on the decision:
“Today, Jose Soriano will not make his scheduled start. With the trade deadline on Monday and the uncertainty of the next 48 hours, we decided to take a prudent approach and see where these next few days lead us.”
Soriano, 27, has posted a career-low 3.29 ERA this season through 22 starts.
For his career, he has a 3.72 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 432 strikeouts in 113 games (73 starts).
The right-hander is under contact through 2028 and carries a salary of $2.9 million this season. So, he should be an appealing trade option for many teams at the deadline.
The Angels already made a move as “sellers” by shipping right-hander Chase Silseth and catcher Logan O’Hoppe to the Texas Rangers for minor league infielder Angel Arredondo.
–Field Level Media
Lynx put 9-game winning streak on line vs. surging Fever
Versatile Taysom Hill could find reunion with Broncos' Sean Payton
