Parker, Sky look to close out Mercury Sunday
CHICAGO » Candace Parker isn’t anticipating another rout that would complete the perfect ending to her homecoming by bringing the city of Chicago and the Sky their first WNBA title.
Parker and the Sky will try to win the best of five series in Chicago on Sunday after Friday’s Game 3 blowout victory over the Phoenix Mercury. Chicago leads 2-1.
Standing in the way of that championship is the league’s all-time leading scorer Diana Taurasi and the Mercury.
Parker, who scored 13 points in Game 3, will be trying to win her second WNBA Championship, but winning in Chicago may be just as significant as winning in Los Angeles with the Sparks in 2016. Parker was a high school star at west suburban Naperville Central High School, winning two state titles in 2003 and 2004 before capturing the national spotlight at Tennessee.
Kahleah Copper helped Parker and the Sky get one step closer to the championship by scoring 20 of her 22 points in the first half that ignited the Sky to an 8650 victory on Friday, which was the most lopsided win in WNBA history.
Soccer
ARANGO SCORES 2 GOALS, LAFC BEATS SAN JOSE » Cristian Arango scored a goal in each half to reach eight on the season and LAFC beat the San Jose Earthquakes 3-1.
LAFC (10-12-7) snapped a four-game losing streak in the series. San Jose (8-12-9) has conceded at least three goals in five of its last six games.
Arango scored in the 28th on a penalty kick and capped it in the 88th on a breakaway. He added his first MLS assist on a back-heel pass to Danny Musovski in the third minute.
Carlos Fiero scored for the Earthquakes off a corner kick in the 61st.
Pro football
PANTHERS PLACE MCCAFFREY ON IR » The Carolina Panthers have placed running back Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve, meaning he will miss at least the next three games with a hamstring injury.
McCaffrey already has missed two games, both Carolina losses.
The earliest he will be able to return to game action is Nov. 7 against the New England Patriots. McCaffrey will have missed 18 of 24 games with injuries since becoming the league’s highest-paid running back following the 2019 season. COLTS ACTIVATE HILTON, PUT BLANKENSHIP ON IR » The Indianapolis Colts activated receiver T.Y. Hilton from injured reserve in time for Sunday’s game against Houston but will not have kicker Rodrigo Blankenship.
Indy put Blankenship on injured reserve with a hip injury. He will be out at least three weeks. Michael Badgley will replace Blankenship after being signed to the practice squad earlier this week.
Hilton has been on IR since early September, but he returned to practice Wednesday. The Colts are hoping the four-time Pro Bowler will be able to make his season debut against the division rival Texans.
Golf
REPORT: MARTIN HAS RIGHT LEG AMPUTATED » Casey Martin, the Oregon golf coach who successfully sued the PGA Tour for the right to use a cart because of a rare circulatory disease, had his right leg amputated in what he told Golf Digest was always going to be “my destiny.”
The magazine, which has been in touch with Martin over the last few weeks, reported on its website that he had surgery Friday and was recovering at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. His brother said doctors feel it went well enough that Martin has a good shot at an effective prosthesis.
Martin suffered from Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome, which restricted circulation in the lower portion of his right leg and made it virtually impossible for him to walk 18 holes. He still managed to practice and play well enough to earn a PGA Tour card for the 2000 season.
Pro basketball
GRIZZLIES EXERCISE ROOKIE OPTIONS FOR MORANT, CLARKE, BANE » The Memphis Grizzlies exercised the rookie contract options for 2022-23 for point guard Ja Morant, forward Brandon Clarke and guard Desmond Bane.
The No. 2 pick overall in 2019, Morant was the NBA Rookie of the Year and has started all 130 games played through his first two seasons. He has averaged 18.4 points, 7.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds. Morant also led the Grizzlies to the playoffs last spring and averaged 30.2 points and 8.2 assists against top-seeded Utah.
Motor sports
NEMECHEK’S XFINITY WIN IN TEXAS LEAVES FINAL FOUR SPOTS OPEN » All four spots in the championship round of the NASCAR Xfinity Series are still up for grabs after non-playoff qualifier John Hunter Nemechek overcame a late penalty to win at Texas Motor Speedway.
Nemechek won the first of three races in the round of eight, leaving the eight playoff drivers with two more races in the semifinals, at Kansas and Martinsville, to qualify for the championship finale in Phoenix.
Daniel Hemric led seven of the eight playoff qualifiers across the finish line next, taking second in the 117th race of his career without a victory. It was Hemric’s 10th runner-up finish in Xfinity.
Noah Gragson was third, followed by Justin Allgaier and Austin Cindric.
A.J. Allmendinger, who won last week on The Roval at Charlotte and came in as the points leader, finished sixth on a difficult day that included a pit mishap. Allmendinger kept the points lead by four over Cindric.