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⚽ Five things to know Friday
- The USMNT closed group play with a gut-wrenching loss. It has no bearing on the bigger World Cup picture as the Americans are still moving on to the Round of 32 as Group D champions. But it was a tough 3-2 defeat at the hands of Türkiye nonetheless. The decisive goal came in the final minute and was a sour finish to an up-and-down outing for the United States, which received goals early in both halves from Auston Trusty and Sebastian Berhalter. Those goals gave the USMNT eight for the tournament, which is the most by an American team in a single World Cup -- and they are only three games deep. Up next is the Round of 32 matchup with Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1.
- The Hornets dealt LaMelo Ball to the Timberwolves in a shocking trade. Things moved quickly in Charlotte's head-turning pursuit of a trade partner, and it found one in Minnesota, which was willing to part with a bevy of future draft picks in exchange for Ball. This could prove to be a win-win deal, as our trade grades suggest. In order for the Timberwolves to capitalize on this addition, Ball needs to stay healthy and prove himself as a winner. On paper, Anthony Edwards benefits greatly from the deal as he is now flanked by the best backcourt partner of his career. But can two ball-dominant guards thrive in the same system? As for the Hornets, they're playing the long game and choosing to build around Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller rather than Ball. They need to ace the draft in the coming years for this to age well.
- There is a new WNBA single-game scoring co-champion. The league witnessed one of its greatest individual performances on Thursday when Marina Mabrey tied the scoring record with 53 points in the Tempo's 125-97 win over the Sparks. She is the third player to log 53 points in a game, following A'ja Wilson and Liz Cambage, and she also matched the 3-point record with nine conversions from beyond the arc. The first All-Star selection of Mabrey's career is on the horizon as she now leads the WNBA in 3-pointers with 64 and ranks fourth in scoring.
- Shohei Ohtani and Ernie Clement are MLB All-Star Game starters. Phase 1 of All-Star voting is complete, and as the top vote-getters in the National League and American League, respectively, Ohtani and Clement are guaranteed spots in their teams' starting lineups. Check out the top two finishers at every position, plus the top six outfielders, who moved on to the second round of voting. That next phase runs from June 29 through July 2 and will determine the rest of the starting position players.
- Alyssa Thomas received a one-game suspension for her incident with Caitlin Clark. While she was not called for a foul in the moment, the WNBA retroactively assessed a flagrant-2 foul against Thomas for pushing her fist into Clark's neck in the Mercury's 111-109 win over the Fever on Thursday. Clark was on the receiving end of what coach Stephanie White called "two cheap shots" and left the game with a back injury after those incidents. She will aim to return for Saturday's game against the Sparks, which you can watch at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+.
🏈 Do not miss this: Top 100 NFL players of 2026
The reigning NFL MVP is not the best player in the league heading into the 2026 season, according to Pete Prisco. While he is still extremely high on Matthew Stafford as he gears up for his age-38 campaign, Prisco slightly prefers the sport's biggest defensive star at the top of his annual top-100 player rankings.
Myles Garrett cemented himself among the all-time legends when he broke the NFL single-season sack record last year. The former Browns superstar -- now a member of the Rams following this summer's biggest blockbuster trade -- took the crown as the biggest game-changer the league has to offer.
Prisco: "Trading away a Defensive Player of the Year the season after he won the award had never happened before this deal. But it works for the Rams. They are all in this year, so they made the move to get Garrett by giving up a haul. That tells you his value. It speaks to why he sits atop my list of the NFL's best 100 players."
That also makes it three Rams inside the top 10. Los Angeles is the Super Bowl favorite for a reason. Putting this trio on the same roster is a surefire way to give yourself a shot at the Lombardi Trophy.
1. DE Myles Garrett (Last year: 2)
2. QB Matthew Stafford (NR)
9. WR Puka Nacua (63)
Also, now that we're just 75 days out from the season opener, I'll share with you Prisco's 75th-favorite player. It's 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, who, despite playing just nine games last year due to injuries, climbed back into the top 100.
🏀 NBA Rookie of the Year predictions
Each of the top three picks in the NBA Draft had a strong case to be the No. 1 overall selection. One of them, however, does not own a clear path to the Rookie of the Year award. Not a single one of our NBA experts picked Darryn Peterson because he won't accrue the stats necessary to earn the honor, given the amount of talent in Utah. That leaves AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer as the clear favorites.
That doesn't mean it's a lock that one of those two will win, though. These three other newcomers have +1500 odds or better to secure some early-career hardware:
- G Darius Acuff Jr., Kings: +450
- F Caleb Wilson, Bulls: +950
- G Mikel Brown Jr., Nets: +1500
Our Cameron Salerno went against the grain and was the only expert to select Acuff as his Rookie of the Year pick.
- Salerno: "Acuff is walking into a situation with the Kings in which he will likely be handed the keys to the offense almost immediately. That's not the case for almost every rookie picked in the lottery. Acuff was an offensive engine at Arkansas and will be given the opportunity to carve out a similar role in Sacramento."
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
- The final signature event of the PGA Tour season is underway, and Eric Cole leads after opening the Travelers Championship at 7 under.
- Our predictions are in for Saturday's WWE Night of Champions, which features three title matches and the King and Queen of the Ring finals.
- The Rays were oh-so-close to achieving MLB's second combined no-hitter of the season.
- Who will be the next domino to fall on the NBA trade market? Kawhi Leonard could be on the move, especially if his former teams come calling.
- There is a good chance Joey Bosa has already played his final NFL snap.
- The trade deadline is still more than a month away, but if things in the wild-card race don't change, there may not be many sellers. Perhaps the Mets should be among those to tear things down amid another massively disappointing season.
- DeAndre Hopkins wants to sign with a contender for his 14th season. Here are a few teams that could be interested.
- MLB owners submitted another CBA proposal and doubled down on their push for a salary cap.
- Caleb Williams had his "Iceman" trademark application refused. Why? Here's the surprising reason, which has nothing to do with George Gervin.
- Alabama is among the college football powerhouses that needs to step things up on the recruiting trail this summer.
- The pressure is already on for a couple of first-year NFL coaches. As for the new college coaches, we graded their Year 1 rosters, and a few of them are playoff-caliber.
📺 What we're watching this weekend
Friday
⚽ World Cup: Norway vs. France, 3 p.m. on Fox
⚽ World Cup: Senegal vs. Iraq, 3 p.m. on FS1
⛳ Travelers Championship, second round, 3 p.m. on Golf Channel
🏒 NHL Draft, first round, 7 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ Yankees at Red Sox, 7:10 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⚾ Phillies at Mets, 7:10 p.m. on Peacock
⚾ Mariners at Guardians, 7:10 p.m. on MLB Network
🏀 Fire at Sky or Mystics at Sun, 7:30 p.m. on Ion
⚾ Cubs at Brewers, 7:45 p.m. on Apple TV
⚽ World Cup: Uruguay vs. Spain, 8 p.m. on Fox
⚽ World Cup: Cabo Verde vs. Saudi Arabia, 8 p.m. on FS1
⚽ NWSL Challenge Cup final: Current vs. Gotham, 8 p.m. on Prime Video
🤼 WWE SmackDown, 8 p.m. ET on USA Network
⚾ Dodgers at Padres, 9:45 p.m. on Apple TV
🏀 Dream at Valkyries, 10 p.m. on Ion
⚾ Braves at Giants, 10:15 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ World Cup: New Zealand vs. Belgium, 11 p.m. on Fox
⚽ World Cup: Egypt vs. Iran, 11 p.m. on FS1
Saturday
🏒 NHL Draft, rounds 2-7, 11 a.m. on NHL Network
🤼 UFC Fight Night: Fiziev vs. Torres, noon on Paramount+
🤼 WWE Night of Champions, 1 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⚾ Yankees at Red Sox, 1:10 p.m. on ABC
🏀 Mercury at Tempo, 2 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
⛳ Travelers Championship, third round, 3 p.m. on NBC
🏀 Big3: Power vs. Riot, 4 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
⚾ Reds at Pirates, 4:05 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⚾ Royals at White Sox or Phillies at Mets, 4:10 p.m. on MLB Network
🏀 Big3: 305 vs. Amps, 5 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
⚽ World Cup: Panama vs. England, 5 p.m. on Fox
⚽ World Cup: Croatia vs. Ghana, 5 p.m. on FS1
⚾ Nationals at Orioles, 7:05 p.m on Peacock
⚽ World Cup: Colombia vs. Portugal, 7:30 p.m. on Fox
⚽ World Cup: Congo DR vs. Uzbekistan, 7:30 p.m. on FS1
🏀 Sparks at Fever, 8 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🥊 Zayas vs. Ennis, 8 p.m. on DAZN PPV
⚾ Dodgers at Padres, 8:40 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ World Cup: Jordan vs. Argentina, 10 p.m. on Fox
⚽ World Cup: Algeria vs. Austria, 10 p.m. on FS1
Sunday
⚾ Reds at Pirates or Diamondbacks at Rays, 1:35 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Astros at Tigers, 1:40 p.m. on Peacock
⚾ Phillies at Mets, 1:40 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
🏀 Lynx at Wings, 2 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
⚽ World Cup: South Africa vs. Canada, 3 p.m. on Fox
⚾ Athletics at Angels, 3:15 p.m. on NBC Sports Network
🏁 NASCAR at Sonoma, 3:30 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Aces at Sky, 4 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
⛳ Travelers Championship, final round, 4 p.m. on NBC
🏀 Liberty at Valkyries, 7 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ Yankees at Red Sox, 7:20 p.m. on NBC
