Rookie Jovana Nogic made an immediate splash in her WNBA debut, scoring all 19 of her points in the first half of the Phoenix Mercury’s 99-66 rout of the host Las Vegas Aces on Saturday.

The 28-year-old Serbia native connected on her first four 3-point attempts to lead Phoenix (1-0) to a dominant start in a rematch of last season’s WNBA finals.

All five starters for Phoenix scored in double figures, led by Alyssa Thomas’ game-high 20 points. Kahleah Copper and DeWanna Bonner scored 13 points apiece while Natasha Mack grabbed 15 rebounds to go with her 10 points.

Las Vegas (0-1) sputtered offensively with little scoring support behind reigning Most Valuable Player A’ja Wilson and veteran guard Jackie Young.

The duo combined for 26 of the Aces’ 35 first-half points. Wilson finished with 19 points while Young added 12. No other Las Vegas scorer reached double figures until NaLyssa Smith hit 11 and Chennedy Carter netted 10 in garbage time.

The Mercury jumped to a 21-point lead by intermission, spoiling Saturday’s celebration of the Aces’ 2025 championship. The first-half blitz was punctuated by Nogic’s fourth 3-pointer just before halftime — and the deficit only swelled from there.

Nogic knocked down a pair of her triples as part of a pivotal 14-2 run spanning the first 4:08 of the second quarter. In one sequence, she buried a 3-pointer on one end, intercepted a pass on the other and fed Bonner for the assist in transition.

The crescendo pushed the Mercury lead to 41-23 with 5:52 left in the first half. It never dropped below 15 the rest of the way.

Thomas and Bonner ignited a 19-2 run to close out the third quarter. The deluge snuffed any hope of a Las Vegas rally.

Thomas dished nine assists and grabbed six rebounds to complement her scoring high. Kianna Williams came off the bench to knock down three 3-pointers on the way to 11 points.

Williams was also one of four Mercury with multiple steals, joining Mack and Nogic with two apiece. Thomas swiped three as Phoenix forced Las Vegas into 17 turnovers that turned into 19 points.

–Field Level Media

Donovan Mitchell had 35 points and 10 rebounds, as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the visiting Detroit Pistons 116-109 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Saturday afternoon.

The fourth-seeded Cavaliers lost the first two games of the series in Detroit but ended the contest on a 12-5 run to remain unbeaten at home this postseason. James Harden came through in the clutch, scoring seven of his 19 points in the final 90 seconds.

Game 4 is Monday in Cleveland, where the Cavaliers are 10-1 all-time in the playoffs against the Pistons.

Cade Cunningham posted the second triple-double of his playoff career with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the top-seeded Pistons, but committed eight turnovers. Two of his miscues occurred in the final 2:32 — the first when Max Strus stole his inbounds pass and scored to put the Cavaliers ahead for good at 106-104.

Harden took over from there making a jumper, tough pull-up and a 3-pointer, the latter making it 113-109 Cleveland. Cunningham had buried a 3-pointer to pull the Pistons within one before Harden’s 26-footer. Mitchell then iced the win at the foul line with three makes in the last 20 seconds.

Jarrett Allen had 18 points, and Evan Mobley added 13 points and eight rebounds for the Cavaliers. Mitchell scored his 1,000th career playoff point in the first quarter.

Tobias Harris scored 21 points and gave Detroit its final lead at 100-98 with a 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter. Duncan Robinson scored 15 points, and Paul Reed had 11 points in 10 minutes off the bench, all in the second half.

Reed made a layup to complete a 28-10 run to begin the third for the Pistons, who grabbed a 76-74 lead behind 10 points from Cunningham. Mitchell answered with consecutive hoops as Cleveland moved back in front 83-81 going into the fourth.

The Cavaliers outscored Detroit 32-18 in the second, fueled by 11 points from Mitchell and seven from Mobley to extend their advantage to 64-48. Mitchell scored 20 points, and Allen added 13 in the first half, while Cunningham and Harris had 10 apiece.

The second featured a five-point Cleveland possession that saw Harden make a 3-pointer and miss the attached free throw, but Mobley grabbed its first offensive rebound for a slam. The Pistons were called for three offensive fouls in the period.

Allen and Mitchell each scored nine points in the first as Cleveland went up 32-30 on the seventh lead change. Cunningham had six points, five rebounds and four assists for the Pistons, who jumped ahead 12-5 with Mitchell picking up two fouls in the first 2:45.

–Field Level Media

Brandon Valenzuela hit a three-run homer to cap a seven-run fifth inning Saturday and the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the visiting Los Angeles Angels 14-1.

Valenzuela had four hits and Ernie Clement recorded his second career five-hit game, including a solo homer as Toronto rapped out 20 hits to take their second in a row in the three-game series. Jesus Sanchez added a solo homer as Toronto padded statistics against infielder Adam Frazier, who pitched a four-run eighth for the Angels, who have lost four of five to Toronto this season.

Mason Fluharty (2-0) pitched a perfect fifth to pick up the win.

The Angels threatened in the second against Trey Yesavage. Jorge Soler led off with a double to the top of the center field wall. He took third on Yoan Moncada’s ome-out single to right. The inning ended when Addison Barger threw Soler out of the plate on Vaughn Grissom’s flyout to right.

Barger (sprained ankle) was reinstated from the injured list Saturday with Yohendrick Piñango optioned to Triple-A Buffalo.

Yesavage lasted four innings, allowing no runs and four hits with six strikeouts.

Toronto scored once in their fourth against Jack Kochanowicz (2-2). Sanchez was hit by a pitch followed by singles from Daulton Varsho and Clement to load the bases with no outs. Andres Gimenez hit a sacrifice fly to the left-field corner.

Toronto scored four more in the fifth against the sloppy Angels. Barger walked and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singled. The runners advanced on a wild pitch and Kazuma Okamoto flared an RBI single to left. Sanchez blooped an RBI single that dropped among three fielders down the left-field line. Another run scored when Kochanowicz threw wildly to first on Varsho’s comebacker. Clement grounded an RBI single to left to make it 5-0. Mitch Farris replaced Kochanowicz and allowed Valenzuela’s one-out three-run homer to left.

Kochanowicz allowed seven runs (six earned), nine hits and two walks with no strikeouts in four-plus innings.

Clement led off the seventh with a homer to left against Farris. Guerrero added an RBI single,

Pinch hitter Frazier stroked an RBI double to right against Tyler Rogers in the eighth to give the Angels their first run of the series.

Angels pinch hitter Omar Martinez picked up his first major league hit in the ninth with a single against Tommy Nance.

–Field Level Media