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👑 Five things to know Friday
- LeBron James’ free agency watch is heating up. Thursday came and went without a decision on where James will play next season, which came as a bit of a surprise as many anticipated a potential announcement at one of his multiple public appearances. Instead, James was coy about his interest in the reported frontrunners. He did, however, indicate that his decision is coming soon and stated he only has one or two years left in the NBA. Meanwhile, while introducing Giannis Antetokounmpo as a member of the Miami Heat, Pat Riley hinted that the team remains in pursuit of James.
- Spain and Argentina will duel in the World Cup final on Sunday. On one side is a Spain team that have allowed just one goal all tournament. On the other is an Argentina squad that score at will, especially when their backs are against the wall. One of them will be champions by the end of the weekend. We projected the lineups for the final match of the World Cup, and one thing is certain: Lionel Messi and Yamine Lamal will be the focal points nearly two decades after they shot what has quickly become an iconic photo.
- Bryson DeChambeau is in early contention at The Open. DeChambeau, who missed the cut in the first three majors of the season, stood two shots back in a tie for fourth after Round 1. Scottie Scheffler was also within striking distance as he aims for back-to-back wins at The Open. Rory McIlroy had some trouble on the greens during his opening round. Here are the tee times and pairings for Round 2 on the quest for the Claret Jug.
- The NBA will look into Gary Trent Jr.’s eyebrow-raising contract. When Trent signed his fully guaranteed, four-year, $64 million deal on the heels of the worst season of his career, it immediately raised suspicions. The Bucks face allegations of salary cap circumvention with many around the NBA questioning whether the team agreed to overpay Trent to induce him into signing back in 2024. This played out in 1999 when the Timberwolves pulled off a scheme with Joe Smith and ultimately lost five first-round picks as punishment.
- MLB unveiled its 2027 schedule. This season is still only halfway through, but fans can already circle March 24 as a key date for next year. The 2027 campaign will feature the earliest Opening Day in baseball history. MLB announced its full slate, including matchups for Rivalry Weekend, Independence Day and other holidays. It also locked in the 2027 All-Star Game for July 13 — the date on which Wrigley Field will become the only active venue to host the game four times.
⚾ Do not miss this: MLB playoff predictions
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The MLB season’s second half is underway. Coming out of the All-Star Break, this is where postseason contenders should start to separate themselves from the pretenders. In a year where so many teams have disappointed and the path to the postseason is wide open, especially in the American League, seemingly just about anything could happen over the next couple of months.
Our baseball experts set out to predict which teams will emerge from the cluster in the standings and secure spots in the postseason. A couple of divisions are easy to project, but the analysts did not reach a consensus on most of them.
And in the AL, they could foresee as many as seven different teams earning Wild Card spots:
- Yankees (2 votes)
- Rays (2)
- Red Sox (2)
- Blue Jays (2)
- Guardians (2)
- Tigers (1)
- Rangers (1)
What’s more, all four analysts selected a different AL pennant winner. In comparison, three of them agreed on the NL champion.
And to conclude the exercise, the Dodgers received more World Series votes than any other team, which probably shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. They are already running away with the NL West, as Dayn Perry pointed out.
- Perry: “The Dodgers will win the division by almost 20 games thanks to their superior roster depth and top-line excellence. They’ll be the only team in the division with a winning record.”
🏀 Flau’jae Johnson climbs in WNBA Rookie Rankings
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It’s a runaway race for WNBA Rookie of the Year as Olivia Miles became the fastest player in WNBA history to accumulate 400 points, 100 rebounds and 100 assists. She is also fresh off the best offensive showing of her young career: A 33-point explosion in the Lynx’s win over the Mercury. The rest of the rookie class is simply fighting for second place at this point.
The race behind Miles has been quite compelling, actually. In fact, we have a tie for No. 2 in our biweekly WNBA Rookie Rankings after Flau’jae Johnson climbed the ladder. She is on level ground with Azzi Fudd after posting 25 points on Wednesday.
Our Isabel Gonzalez explained why it’s more than just the scoring that has Johnson on the rise.
- Gonzalez: “Even in the games she struggles to score, such as going 0-5 against Portland, Johnson locks in for rebounds and however else she can help out her teammates. This week she became the first rookie this season to reach 300+ points, 135+ rebounds and 30+ assists.”
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
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📺 What we’re watching this weekend
Friday
⛳ The Open: Second round, 4 a.m. on USA Network
⚾ Rays at Red Sox (DH Game 1), 1:35 p.m. on MLB Network
🏀 Summer League: Bulls vs. Cavaliers, 7 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ White Sox at Blue Jays, 7:07 p.m. on Apple TV
⚾ Rays at Red Sox (DH Game 2), 7:10 p.m. on Peacock
⚾ Rangers at Braves, 7:15 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
🏀 Dream at Tempo or Sparks at Sky or Storm at Fever, 7:30 p.m. on Ion
⚽ Wave at Current, 8 p.m. on Prime Video
🤼 WWE SmackDown, 8 p.m. on USA Network
⚽ Atlanta at Nashville, 8:15 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Summer League: Pistons vs. Heat, 9 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ Cardinals at Diamondbacks or Nationals at Athletics, 10 p.m. on MLB Network
🏀 Sun at Mercury, 10 p.m. on Ion
⚽ LAFC at Galaxy, 10:45 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Summer League: Timberwolves vs. Clippers, 11 p.m. on ESPN
Saturday
⛳ The Open: Third round, 7 a.m. on NBC
⚽ Reign at Gotham, noon on ABC
⚽ Thorns at Summit, 2 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
⚾ Twins at Cubs, 2:20 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ Courage at Bay, 4 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
⚾ Mets at Phillies, 4:05 p.m. on Peacock
⚾ Rays at Red Sox, 4:10 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⚽ World Cup third-place match: France vs. England, 5 p.m. on Fox
⚾ Rangers at Braves, 5:30 p.m. on MLB Network
🏀 Summer League semifinal: TBD vs. TBD, 6:30 p.m. on Prime Video
⚽ Angel City at Stars, 6:30 p.m. on Ion
🏀 Liberty at Fever, 8 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🤼 UFC Fight Night: du Plessis vs. Usman, 8 p.m. on Paramount+
⚾ Dodgers at Yankees or Giants at Mariners, 8:08 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Summer League semifinal: TBD vs. TBD, 8:30 p.m. on Prime Video
⚽ Pride at Royals, 8:45 p.m. on Ion
Sunday
⛳ The Open: Final round, 7 a.m. on NBC
⚾ White Sox at Blue Jays, 12:15 p.m. on Peacock
🏀 Sparks at Wings, 1 p.m. on ABC
🏀 Big3: Rig Hands vs. Amps, 2 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
⚽ World Cup final: Spain vs. Argentina, 3 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Big3: Riot vs. Triplets, 3 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏀 Sky at Dream, 4 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
⚾ Nationals at Athletics, 4:05 p.m. on Peacock
⚾ Cardinals at Diamondbacks or Tigers at Angels, 4:10 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Giants at Mariners, 4:10 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
🏀 Sun at Mercury, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏁 NASCAR at North Wilkesboro, 7 p.m. on TNT
⚽ Spirit at Legacy, 7 p.m. on Victory+
⚾ Dodgers at Yankees, 7:20 p.m. on NBC
🏀 Summer League championship: TBD vs. TBD, 9 p.m. on ESPN