Sun confident heading into Game 2

The Connecticut Sun might be down one game in the WNBA Finals after losing their first series opener of the postseason, but they haven’t lost confidence thanks to a stringent defensive effort in Game 1.

The Sun did what they hoped to do, holding the league’s No. 1 offense well below its season average. The top-seeded Las Vegas Aces averaged 90.4 points per game during the regular season and were scoring a playoff-best 92.3 per contest heading into the championship round.

On Sunday, the Sun held Las Vegas to its lowest point total of the postseason in the 67-64 loss, and Connecticut took confidence from that performance as it prepares for Game 2 tonight

“I mean, after this game, we have to have a lot of confidence,” forward Alyssa Thomas said. “I mean, this is a three-point game and we had a chance to tie. I think we are very confident and we know that all you need is one, and then there’s two games at our place. So yeah, there’s some things we can clean up. Of course, we can make more shots, but overall we played a hard game.”

Hard enough that Las Vegas shot just 39.7% from the floor, including 20.8% from 3-point range — both playoff lows.

In fact, the 67 points were the fewest Las Vegas scored all season, while there were only four other times the Aces shot worse from the floor, and one other time their long-range shooting was worse.

“They play so hard the entire game,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “That team is relentless, and so you can never let your foot off the gas.”

Which is what the Aces learned after building their biggest lead of the game in the first quarter, a 21-9 advantage that they slowly squandered as Connecticut turned the pace in its favor.

The Sun imposed their defensive will in the second quarter, opening the period on a 13-4 run to take a 3029 lead while frustrating Las Vegas by blocking passing lanes, limiting space for league MVP A’ja Wilson and keeping the Aces away from the glass.

“As the game settled in, we found rhythms to get consecutive stops,” Connecticut coach Curt Miller said. “Our defense settled in and got to our pillars, got to the game plan, and started to get the type of game that we feel we need in order to be successful.”

Boston Marathon open to nonbinary runners

Nonbinary athletes will be able to run in next year’s Boston Marathon without having to register as members of the men’s or women’s divisions, race organizers announced Monday.

The Boston Athletic Association, which administers the prestigious marathon, said it’s been working to expand opportunities for nonbinary people — not just for the marathon but for the BAA’s other races, which include a 5K, a 10K and a half marathon.

Organizers confirmed the change as registration opened Monday for the 127th running of the marathon on April 17, 2023. A field of about 30,000 is expected for next spring’s edition of the storied race.

Nonbinary athletes can submit entry applications if they’ve completed a marathon as a nonbinary participant during the current qualifying window, the BAA said. It said it’s still working to establish qualifying standards for nonbinary participants, but that its online applications will include “nonbinary” as a gender option.

“Discussions are ongoing with nonbinary athletes in an effort to further promote inclusion at all BAA events,” the organization said, adding, “We view this first year as an opportunity to learn and grow together.”

Avalanche sign depth center Rodrigues

The Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche added more depth at center by signing Evan Rodrigues to a one-year, $2 million deal.

The move comes on the heels of losing Nazem Kadri in free agency to Calgary. The Avalanche are banking that Rodrigues can help fill the void.

Rodrigues arrives in the Mile High City after a season in Pittsburgh, where he set career highs with 19 goals and 24 assists.

F1's Albon recovering from post-op issue

Formula One driver Alex Albon suffered “respiratory failure” and had to be put on a ventilator following complications from surgery.

Albon was ruled out of the Italian Grand Prix with appendicitis Saturday morning and underwent successful surgery but then had to be moved to intensive care as he required assistance breathing, his Williams team said in a statement.

“Following surgery, Alex suffered with unexpected post-operative anaesthetic complications which led to respiratory failure, a known but uncommon complication,” Williams said. “He was re-intubated and transferred to intensive care for support.

“He made excellent progress overnight and was able to be removed from mechanical ventilation yesterday morning. He has now been transferred to a general ward and is expected to return home tomorrow. There were no other complications.”

Williams added Albon is focused on recovery and preparation for the next race on Oct. 2.

Costa back in EPL

Former Spain striker Diego Costa joined Wolverhampton on a free transfer, securing a surprising return to English soccer for one of the most hot-headed and confrontational players in Premier League history.

Costa is well known in England from his spell at Chelsea from 2014-17, during which he won two EPL titles, but hasn’t played since terminating his contract at Brazil’s Atlético Mineiro in January. In between, he played for Atlético Madrid.

Wolves turned to the 33-year-old Costa after Sasa Kalajdzic, who joined in the final week of the transfer window, damaged his ACL on his debut against Southampton on Sept. 3.

Costa, who has signed a deal until the end of the season, said he will need “two to three weeks to get back in shape” but feels “physically and mentally ready for this new challenge.”

Costa collected 35 yellow cards and one red card during his time at Chelsea.