Sports
Brittney Griner, Sun finding their footing while Mercury has gone cold
Jul 6, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Connecticut Sun center Brittney Griner (42) jumps for a rebound in front of Minnesota Lynx forward Natasha Howard (1) in the second half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images Brittney Griner will return to Phoenix for only the second time following her 11-year career with the Mercury when the Connecticut Sun visit for consecutive games, beginning with a contest on Friday night.
Connecticut (6-18) will then play Phoenix (8-17) on Sunday in a two-game set between two struggling teams, although the Sun have won four of their last seven games after a 2-15 start to the season.
Phoenix has lost four consecutive games after winning four of five outings.
Following the Mercury’s tribute video for Griner last season, when the nine-time All-Star center visited as a member of the Atlanta Dream, she had 17 points and eight rebounds in a 90-79 victory on July 24, 2025.
She signed with Connecticut as a free agent last offseason and leads the Sun with 13.9 points and 1.8 blocked shots per game in 14 contests (all starts).
The 6-foot-9 Griner has missed 10 games because of rib, foot and quad injuries but is coming off scoring 20 points with six assists and four rebounds in Connecticut’s 90-87 win at home Tuesday over the Portland Fire.
That performance followed a 29-point, 10-rebound effort in Connecticut’s 90-89 win at the Minnesota Lynx on July 6.
“A lot of people are counting me out, want to call me old, want to set me to retire,” said Griner, 35. “I got a lot to go, and this team is bringing a lot out of me.”
The Sun have a young roster, fueled by rookie point guard Charlisse Leger-Walker, following a major overhaul that included current Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas and the entire Connecticut starting lineup leaving before last season.
Thomas played 11 seasons for the Sun. She went 2-1 against her former team in 2025 while averaging 13.7 points, 11 assists and 9.3 rebounds in those games.
“The biggest thing is staying together; nobody’s going to feel sorry for us,” Thomas said after Phoenix lost 104-100 at Minnesota on Monday.
Phoenix has struggled in its four-game losing streak, mostly because of a lack of offensive execution. The Mercury are averaging 15.5 turnovers per game in their skid.
They showed signs of promise against Minnesota, making 55.6% of their field-goal attempts (35 of 63) while compiling 28 assists with 14 turnovers.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Revolution acquire D Cody Baker from Sounders
Mar 15, 2026; San Jose, California, USA; Seattle Sounders defender Cody Baker (33) reacts after scoring a goal against the San Jose Earthquakes during the second half at PayPal Park. The goal was disallowed after video review. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images The New England Revolution have traded their first-round pick in the 2027 MLS SuperDraft to the Seattle Sounders in order to acquire defender Cody Baker on loan.
Baker, 22, has appeared in 31 matches for the Sounders over the last four seasons and contributed one assist.
“Cody Baker is a promising young defender who will help fortify our defensive unit,” Revolution general manager Chris Tierney said in a statement. “Adding Cody helps us address an area of need as we continue to strengthen our roster ahead of the second half of the MLS season.”
Depending on how Baker fares for New England (8-5-1, 25 points) over its final 20 regular-season matches this season, the Revolution will have the option to acquire Baker permanently.
If that comes to pass, the Revolution will send the Sounders $125,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) while changing the 2027 first-round pick into a 2028 second-round pick. If Baker hits another level in performance metrics, then New England will send an additional $150,000 in GAM.
The Revolution, who haven’t played since May 23 due to the league’s break for the World Cup, return to action Wednesday when they host Toronto.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Liberty-Wings postponed till Monday due to travel delays
Jul 12, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; New York Liberty guard Pauline Astier (18) dribbles against the Toronto Tempo during the second half at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images The WNBA postponed Thursday’s game between the New York Liberty and host Dallas Wings due to the Liberty’s charter flight being beset by mechanical issues.
The game was rescheduled for Monday at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT.
The Liberty were still in New York City as of Thursday morning, the New York Post reported, with their game in Texas slated for 9 p.m. ET.
The team planned to fly to Dallas on Wednesday, but Liberty players’ posts on social media late that night indicated their flight had yet to take off.
“10 hours later, still on the tarmac,” Liberty rookie Pauline Astier wrote in her native French on Instagram.
As it is, the Liberty (13-11) are mired in a three-game losing streak and have dropped five of seven. The Wings (16-8) sit fourth in the league standings thanks to a season-high five-game winning streak.
The Wings now have off until Sunday, when they’ll host the Los Angeles Sparks at noon local time before playing the Liberty the following night. The Liberty are due to face the Indiana Fever on Saturday night in Indianapolis before finally making it to Texas.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tim Merlier completes hat trick with Stage 12 win at Tour de France
Tim Merlier celebrates after crossing the finish line to win Stage 8 of the Tour de France from Perigueux to Bergerac on Saturday. Belgium’s Tim Merlier won a wild sprint to the finish to claim Stage 12 of the Tour de France on Thursday during an attack-filled ride from Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours to Chalon-sur-Saone.
While the acclaimed sprinter rallied to collect his third stage victory of this race, so many riders were bunched together in the final meters that an accident sent several cyclists to the ground.
Colombia’s Fernando Gaviria was the first to hit the pavement and appeared to suffer the worst injuries in a spill that also included Stage 11 winner Soren Waerenskjold.
Merlier came from well back in the pack to catch Jasper Philipsen in a time of three hours, 38 minutes and 53 seconds over 179.1 kilometers. Olav Kooij of the Netherlands squeezed into second place for the second day in a row while Philipsen claimed third.
Nothing changed in the chase for the yellow jersey. Four-time champion Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia continues to hold a 3:36 lead over Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard. Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel, Spain’s Juan Ayuso and France’s Paul Seixas round out the top five.
After back-to-back sprint stages, the race returns to the mountains for Stage 13 on Friday. The highlight of the 205.8-kilometer stage will be the steady climb to Ballon d’Alsace.
–Field Level Media
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Revolution acquire D Cody Baker from Sounders
