Sports
Becky Hammon defends load management even if Aces have to ‘take the L’ vs. Liberty
NEW YORK — The Las Vegas Aces’ starting five was unrecognizable Sunday afternoon in Brooklyn.
Instead of A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young taking the center circle for the tipoff, they sat at the end of the bench as Jewell Loyd, Dana Evans and Brianna Turner replaced them on the court. At first glance, it was a potentially curious decision considering the stage — a nationally televised ABC matchup against rival New York Liberty — and the importance of every game with regard to playoff seeding.
Aces coach Becky Hammon couldn’t care less about those factors. Her team rolled into town at the tail end of a five-game road trip and less than 24 hours after a loss to the top-ranked Minnesota Lynx. As a result, the Aces looked like a shell of themselves in Sunday’s 111-71 loss to the Liberty.
Load management has become an increasingly important topic as the WNBA adds games to its calendar, and Hammon isn’t shying away from it.
“The health and safety of players comes first,” Hammon said. “Wherever we end up, we end up, and we’ll play whatever hand is dealt to us. To me, this was just a bigger picture type (of) scenario, so you take the ‘L,’ understanding that it pays dividends on the back end.”
The last time Wilson, Gray and Young missed the same game was the 2024 regular-season finale against the Dallas Wings, which the Aces won handily 98-84.
The league’s new collective bargaining agreement, which was ratified after the WNBA released its 2026 regular-season schedule, states that the league will “make reasonable and good faith efforts” to provide at least 20 hours between the scheduled start of a team’s first game of a back-to-back and the scheduled start of its second game. However, the WNBA follows a guideline, like the NBA, that gives teams a minimum of 22 hours between back-to-back games, and travel must be limited to no more than one time zone.
The Aces’ game against the Lynx tipped off Saturday at 1 p.m. (ET), and Sunday’s game in Brooklyn was a 12:30 p.m. start. The Lynx also played the second half of a back-to-back Sunday, but Minnesota’s home game against the Wings started at 3:30 p.m.
“Not going to put (players) in any kind of jeopardy to get hurt when we’ve been expending a lot of energy and traveling a lot of miles back and forth, crisscrossing the country,” Hammon said of the decision to rest three starters. “It is what it is. I know these are big matchups, and these are what people want to see, but you should ensure that it’s fair.”
The league’s schedule has steadily expanded in recent years, from 32 games in 2021 to 36 in 2022, and then 40 in 2023 and 2024. This season, like last season, includes 44 games in the regular season. In 2027, the schedule is set to grow again to 50 games.
“Obviously, we want to be able to play as many games as possible, win as many games as possible,” Liberty forward Jonquel Jones said. “But also with the schedule ramping up, I don’t know, maybe we need a little bit more time. We were in a similar position earlier, where we had a lot of games in a very short period of time. It’s really tough to gauge that. You want to play in front of the fans, you want people that pay for the tickets to be able to see you play, but you also want to be smart and make sure you’re resting your body and not putting yourself in a position where you can get injured.”
Jones said the Liberty players were “a little bit disappointed” that the Aces’ three leading scorers weren’t available Sunday as they were looking forward to the marquee matchup and seeing it as a test of New York’s standing in the league as the regular season winds down.
“Obviously, they have to do what’s right for their team,” Jones said. “They have to do what’s right for their bodies. But as competitors, we really wanted to match up against them.”
The Liberty took an immediate lead off a Sabrina Ionescu 3-pointer Sunday and never trailed.
With 3:48 left in the third quarter, New York was up 16 points and appeared in control, so Liberty coach Chris DeMarco subbed out all of his starters except Breanna Stewart. Minutes later, when the lead ballooned to 21, Stewart also took a seat on the bench. The Liberty reserves finished the game from there.
Marine Johannes took flight, leading the Liberty with a career-high 27 points off the bench while shooting 7 of 13 on 3-pointers. Jones added 15 points and eight rebounds, and Stewart finished with 14 points. Ionescu had five points on 2-of-10 shooting.
The entire Aces starting five combined for just 19 points. Their bench carried the load, led by Ta’Niya Latson’s 20 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.
“This was a great opportunity for the bench to get some minutes and get some burn,” Latson said. “It’s going to give us a lot of experience, and hopefully when our name is called, we’re ready.”
After Sunday’s loss, the Aces (22-11) are third in the standings, four games behind the league-leading Lynx (26-7). If the season ended on Sunday, they would have a first-round face-off against the Liberty, who jumped to sixth with the win.
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Michael Brennan secured his place in the FedExCup Playoffs as he won the Wyndham Championship by three strokes from Beau Hossler.
Brennan had a run of five straight birdies between the fourth and eighth holes, and recovered from a bogey on the 11th by picking up further shots on the 13th and 18th holes, saving par on the 17th with an excellent second shot after running into the rough with his tee-shot.
Hossler, who shared the overnight lead with Brennan, had kept himself in touch with a birdie on the third and an eagle at the par-five fifth, but then bogeyed the ninth and 12th holes as Brennan surged forward.
“I did great for nine holes,” Brennan said. “I felt really good on the front nine. Just playing my game, I was really staying within myself, hitting good shots.
“Felt like I was really in control. Got a little nervous around 10 and 11. I made a really nice par putt on 12 and that kind of steadied me a little bit going through and I’m just glad to make a few putts coming in.
“It’s everything. I mean, I don’t want to be done playing golf. I feel like I’ve played the best golf I have all year the last couple weeks.
“Unfortunately, a couple tough Sundays, but outside of that, I’ve been playing really solidly. This is my sixth week in a row and so seven’s a lot, but I think I’m going to be perfectly happy running on fumes next week.”
England’s Harry Hall finished with a round of 65 to take a share of fifth place, one shot clear of compatriot Matt Wallace who had a share of seventh after he also closed with a 65.
Watch the PGA Tour’s FedEx Playoffs St Jude Championship live on Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main Event from 7pm on Thursday. Get Sky Sports or stream golf with no contract through NOW.
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Kayla McBride is the new WNBA single-game 3-point queen.
The 13-year veteran became the first player in league history to hit double-digit 3-pointers in one game, knocking down 10 triples in the Minnesota Lynx’s 103-90 win over the Dallas Wings. McBride set her career-high with 43 points Sunday, setting the single-game regulation scoring record for the Lynx franchise.
McBride was unconscious for most of the day, making her first four field-goal attempts and 12 of her first 13, which included six 3s. She went into a bit of a heat check after that stretch, missing three jumpers in a row to close the third quarter. But she rediscovered her form in the final frame, nailing four more triples to set the record and clinch the victory on the back-to-back for Minnesota.
“I love this game and it’s been so good to me,” McBride said on the broadcast postgame. “When I have opportunities like that, I want to give it back.”
Her 10th 3-pointer came on an assist from Napheesa Collier, McBride’s longest-tenured teammate in Minnesota.
Kayla McBride sets a WNBA record with her 10th made three of the day
— CJ Fogler (@cjzero.bsky.social) August 9, 2026 at 4:32 PM
The Lynx ran one more set for her to extend the record before giving her a curtain call with just more than a minute remaining. The Target Center crowd chanted “Kayla” after McBride went to the bench, and she became emotional on the corner of the court after time expired, taking in the love from the home fans.
“It’s crazy, I’ve been in this league for 13 years, and choosing to come back here in the offseason, I didn’t know — we didn’t know what it was going to look like,” McBride said on the broadcast after the game. “Moments like this, times like this, you realize you made the right decision.”
She is enjoying the most prolific shooting season of her career, taking and making more 3s than ever and averaging the most points (18.4) of her 134 seasons. Her 3-point percentage of 42.4 is the second-highest of her career, behind her final season in Las Vegas in 2019.
She ranks first in the WNBA in total made 3s and third in 3s per game behind Rhyne Howard and Marina Mabrey, both of whom have also drained nine 3-pointers in game (Mabrey has done so twice in 2026). Seven players, on nine occasions, had hit nine 3-pointers in a game before McBride’s record.
With the win, the Lynx earned a season series sweep over the Wings, who were playing without Azzi Fudd for the second consecutive contest. They have already clinched a playoff spot and are now 3 1/2 games ahead of Golden State atop the WNBA standings.
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Sports
Manchester United and Arsenal among several clubs chasing Club Brugge left-back Joaquin Seys | Football News
The top stories and transfer rumours from Monday’s newspapers…
Premier League
Manchester United and Arsenal are among several clubs chasing Club Brugge left-back Joaquin Seys – The Sun
West Ham have made an opening offer understood to be worth around £15m for AZ Alkmaar striker Troy Parrott and are exploring a deal for Arsenal’s Reiss Nelson – Daily Mail
Diego Simeone has reiterated that Arsenal target Julian Alvarez is not for sale after Atletico Madrid crushed his ‘dream’ of a transfer – Daily Mirror
Newcastle midfielder Joe Willock remains a target for Besiktas – Daily Mail
Arsenal are unlikely to consider selling Gabriel Martinelli after Galatasaray opened talks regarding a potential switch – Daily Express
Free agent defender Axel Tuanzebe is attracting interest from Saudi Pro League and Premier League sides – Daily Mail
Ruthless Jose Mourinho has told Bernardo Silva that he ‘has to improve’ and criticised the new Real Madrid star’s ‘low level’ of fitness – Daily Mirror
Scottish Football
Swedish sides Sirius and Gothenburg are chasing Scottish striker Rory Wilson – The Scottish Sun
Snooker
Shaun Murphy broke Ronnie O’Sullivan’s 12-year record for the most unanswered points in a professional match as he thrashed Matthew Selt 6-0 at the China Open – The Independent
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Wyndham Championship: Michael Brennan secures FedEx Playoffs spot with victory | Golf News
Lynx veteran Kayla McBride sets WNBA single-game 3-point record: ‘I love this game’
Manchester United and Arsenal among several clubs chasing Club Brugge left-back Joaquin Seys | Football News
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