Sports

Caitlin Clark showed flashes of both stardom and struggle in her WNBA debut

It was a tale of two halves for Caitlin Clark in her Indiana Fever debut on Tuesday. In her first official WNBA game, Clark and the Fever came up against one of the league’s elite defenses and struggled accordingly, falling by a final score of 92-71. Clark herself had a roller coaster night. She started slow, scoring just seven points in the first half after missing her first five shots from the field. Her first basket did not come until the second quarter on a steal and fastbreak layup. Caitlin Clark will be seeing DiJonai Carrington in her nightmares tonight. Just a masterclass defensive performance.Clark has 12 points on 3 of 10 shooting and 8 turnovers, tied for a Fever franchise record.— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzellNBA) May 15, 2024 After that 0-5 start from the field, though, Clark made five of her final 10 shots from the field the rest of the way and scored 13 points in the second half, including three 3-pointers. Behind her 20 points, the Fever kept within reach of the Sun for most of the night before Connecticut’s late push blew the game open. DiJonai Carrington earned the lion’s share of the credit for Clark’s rocky showing with her stellar defensive effort to go along with 16 points as well. Alyssa Thomas had 13 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds to open the year with a triple-double for the Sun, and DeWanna Bonner tied Clark for game-high scoring honors with 20 points. Alyssa Thomas on DiJonai Carrington, who helped force Caitlin Clark to 10 turnovers tonight:“Nai’s huge – we knew what she was capable of. This is what we expect of her. To take on that job, and do this at a high level, we’re proud of her."— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzellNBA) May 15, 2024 The night ended up being a mixed bag in terms of results for Clark. On top of her shooting woes overall after finishing 5-15 from the field, she struggled with turnovers all night long, tallying 10 on the evening to just three assists against a stifling Sun defense. Last season, the Sun ranked second in the league in defensive rating. However, her 20 points were only three behind Tamika Catchings (23 points) for the franchise record for most points in a debut game. Her scoring — including her four total 3-pointers — also resulted in her ending the evening in elite company. With a young Fever roster still trying to find their way together, Tuesday was a pretty tough opening test. And with back-to-back games against the Liberty, including Clark’s home opener on Thursday, it’s not going to get any easier in the short term for the Fever. But while it was far from an optimal start for the Fever, there’s certainly plenty of room to grow. And Tuesday also showed that, even on nights when she has plenty of struggles, Clark can still find ways to produce at a high level. In many ways, Tuesday was a microcosm of what we’ll likely see from Clark this season: road bumps sprinkled with flashes of potential along the way. The challenge for her and Indiana moving forward in her rookie campaign is making her second-half production more consistent to avoid the ups and downs, hopefully resulting in more victories along the way. You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.

Scottie Scheffler to have replacement caddy for PGA Championship third round

Scottie Scheffler and his caddy, Ted Scott, have a motto: family comes first. That has especially rung true for Scheffler as of late, as he and his wife Meredith welcomed a baby boy, Bennett, into the world on May 8. Hence, Scheffler skipped out on last week’s Wells Fargo Championship. But the reigning Masters champion is back in the field this week at Valhalla, where he eyes a second straight major title. Yet, his looper will have to miss part of this week’s PGA Championship thanks to a family obligation that takes precedence. “Teddy is going home Friday night, coming back Saturday evening after [his daughter’s high school] graduation—or probably Saturday late night, I’m sure they’ll do a little celebration afterward,” Scheffler explained Tuesday. Scottie Scheffler and Ted Scott chat on the 7th hole during a 2024 PGA Championship practice round. Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images “That’s something we talked about from the beginning of our relationship: family always comes first, and it’s the same thing for me as it is for my caddie. It was a pretty easy decision. He told me at the beginning of this year that that was the date it was, so I have a backup caddie lined up.” Scheffler and Scott have bonded not only through golf, but through their faith and similar moral values. Golf has always been lower on Scheffler’s totem pole than his faith and his family. Scott holds the same beliefs. So it's no wonder that PGA Tour Chaplain Brad Payne will loop for Scheffler during Saturday’s third round, should he make the cut. “He’s one of my older friends who travels week to week out here,” Scheffler explained. “I trust him to rake a bunker more than my buddies.” Scheffler then went on to say that Scott will return for Sunday’s final round, which will undoubtedly produce some drama. The past three PGA Championships at Valhalla have come down to the final hole, with the 1996 and 2000 editions ending in playoffs. Considering this course’s memorable history and Scheffler’s impressive season, something special could happen for him on Sunday evening. Not as magical as becoming a father for the first time, but a Scheffler win at Valhalla—and a second straight major—would make the 2024 PGA Championship a memorable one. Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

NFL schedule 2024: Tracking latest rumors for next season’s games

In the sports world, the NFL remains king. Among the reasons for football’s ability to captivate audiences? The league has found ways to stay in the conversation even in the offseason. Free agency and the NFL Draft are two examples, but perhaps the biggest example of the league’s ability to draw attention during the off months comes this week, when the league releases its schedule in primetime Wednesday. Again, due to the NFL’s schedule format we know what the games are next year, but over the next few days, culminating on Wednesday night, we will learn who is playing who, when. And it will dominate sports media for days, even with the NHL and NBA playoffs underway, MLB heading into the summer, the WNBA beginning a highly-anticipated season, Formula 1 in the midst of what could be a very interesting campaign, and the Olympics looming around the corner. Despite all that ... a list of schedules will be the focus for the rest of this week and into next. And you better believe we will have all of it covered here on SB Nation, from breakdowns, rumors, schedule release videos, and more. Ahead of the main event, we will be tracking games as they are released, as well as keeping tabs on all the latest scheduling rumors. The rumors will be up top, and the games will be added on a week-by-week basis below the latest rumors. So check back early and often! Latest rumors: Tuesday, May 14 Could the Kansas City Chiefs be playing on Christmas Day for the second-straight season? That is a rumor coming out of Pittsburgh this Tuesday afternoon: Our friends at Dawgs by Nature are tracking all Browns-related rumors here, and the most recent Browns rumor is that Cleveland will travel to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars in Week 2. That would mean that the Browns will not be traveling to London to play Jacksonville this year, if the rumor is true: BREAKINGBrowns at Jaguars - Week 2Jaguars at Raiders - Week 16— Ozzy (@OzzyNFL) May 14, 2024 We actually have some preseason rumors this morning! NFL SCHEDULE RUMOR (preseason)New Orleans Saints - Preseason ScheduleSaints @ Cardinals - Week 1 (Aug 9-12)Saints @ 49ers - Week 2 (Aug 16-19)TBA @ Saints - Week 3 (Aug 22-25)— NFL Schedule Update (@NerdingonNFL) May 14, 2024 Latest rumors: Monday, May 13 NBC has added another late-season game to their schedule, likely signaling a double- or triple-header for late December: Just in: NBCU has purchased an additional late-December NFL game to show in the 2024-25 season. It will run 12/21 across NBC, Peacock and Telemundo, with a 12/22 SNF broadcast ready the next day— Brian Steinberg (@bristei) May 13, 2024 The above also sets up a head-to-head between the NFL and the College Football Playoff: College Football Playoff will be going head-to-head with the NFL this year.Saturday, Dec. 21 for CFP: Three first-round games (early afternoon, late afternoon and evening) Saturday, Dec. 21 for NFL: At least two games with one on NBC. pic.twitter.com/Ic2ele4rIR— John Breech (@johnbreech) May 13, 2024 One Pittsburgh-area reporter believes the Steelers will open the season on the road, in a battle of new quarterbacks with the Atlanta Falcons hosting Pittsburgh: Keep an eye on the Steelers opening the season on the road. At the Falcons. Wilson vs Cousins.— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) May 13, 2024 Preseason Week 1 Ravens at Chiefs on Thursday night (season opener, announced) Packers at Eagles in Brazil on Friday night (International Game, announced) Cowboys at Browns in the late Sunday afternoon window (announced) Jets at 49ers on Monday night (announced) Week 2 Chiefs at Bengals in the late Sunday afternoon window (announced) Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 Week 13 Week 14 Week 15 Week 16 Week 17 Week 18

Which MLS teams have the best chance of winning the U.S. Open Cup?

The 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup has hit the Round of 32, and the competition resumes with 16 matches. For the first time in this year’s edition of the tournament, the MLS teams will enter the competition, but only 8 of them will fight for the oldest trophy in American soccer. Atlanta United, Houston Dynamo, FC Dallas, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders, LAFC, Sporting Kansas City, and Real Salt Lake will join the lone remaining MLS Next Pro team, New York City FC II, in the Round of 32. Awaiting them are 23 other teams from the USL Championship and USL League One who hope to take them out as punishment for the league deciding to not fully compete in the tournament. So, which MLS teams have the best chance of getting out of their division and making a run for it all? Let’s first take a look at the divisions for the Round of 32: Make no mistake, the MLS-affiliated teams have some work to do, and the rest of the field will not make it easy for them. So let’s rank the MLS-affiliated teams with the best chance at lifting the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup trophy. 9. New York City FC II NYCFC II has the toughest time as the lone MLS Next Pro team left. They’re also grouped with MLS side Real Salt Lake and they line up against the Colorado Springs Switchbacks (USL-C) in their first match. New Mexico United (USL-C) is also in their division, which means they not only will have to travel should they win, they will be stretched very thin with their roster. 8. Seattle Sounders Seattle has a really tough group, as they face Louisville City (USL-C) in their first match. Should they win, North Carolina FC (USL-C) or Phoenix Rising (USL-C) await them in the Round of 16. 7. FC Dallas FC Dallas might be the weakest MLS team in the field, and the draw did them no favors in setting them up with some difficult teams who take the U.S. Open Cup seriously. They host Memphis 901 (USL-C) in the Round of 32, and either Birmingham Legion (USL-C) or the Tampa Bay Rowdies (USL-C) await in the Round of 16. 6. Houston Dynamo The defending U.S. Open Cup champions drew a difficult division, where they face hot Detroit City (USL-C) in the Round of 32. Indy Eleven (USL-C) and San Antonio FC (USL-C) could be their Round of 16 matchup, so you have 3 teams with experience beating MLS teams in the tournament and wanting to take out the defending champs. 5. Sporting Kansas City Sporting Kansas City have their work cut out for them, as they face Union Omaha (USL-1) next week and could see either FC Tulsa (USL-C) or the Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL-C) in the Round of 16. 4. San Jose Earthquakes The Quakes have a difficult group, but they’re one of the MLS teams that won’t have to travel very far. They host the Oakland Roots (USL-C) and then face the winner of Sacramento Republic (USL-C) and Monterey Bay FC (USL-1), so even if they hit the road, they’re playing a team that could be considered a lower division rival and they will remain focused as a result. 3. Real Salt Lake Real Salt Lake has been on a tear lately and they have a real chance to run the table in the U.S. Open Cup. They take on New Mexico United (USL-C) on the road, but they also have NYCFC II (MLSNP) and Colorado Springs Switchbacks (USL-C) in their group, and they should continue their run and set themselves up to go for the trophy. 2. LAFC LAFC is one of the MLS teams that have to open on the road, but they do so against the Las Vegas Lights (USL-C), who they had an affiliation with for years. With Loudoun United (USL-C) and Orange County SC (USL-C) also in their bracket, LAFC is the class of this division and arguably the best team in the field. 1. Atlanta United Atlanta has the best combination of being a good team in a division that they should be able to handle. They take on the Charlotte Independence (USL-C) and would face the winner of Charleston Battery (USL-C) and South Georgia Tormenta (USL-1). Their roster should be built to make the longest run in this tournament and potentially lift the trophy for a 2nd time. The Round of 32 should be something special, and while many are rooting for the Cupsets, fans of these 9 teams are hoping for Open Cup glory when their teams take the field.