Parker leads Sky to win over Liberty
Candace Parker had 23 points, 12 rebounds and six assists to lead the Chicago Sky to a 92-72 win over the Liberty on Tuesday night at Barclays Center.
It was the sixth consecutive win for the Sky (8-7), matching the franchise record set in 2012 and equaled in 2013.
The Sky improved to 7-0 with Parker in the lineup this season. She missed seven games with an ankle injury before returning and steadying a struggling Chicago offense.
Chicago led 25-20 in the second quarter before Parker sparked a 2312 burst to close the half. She had nine points, six rebounds and three assists during the game-changing spurt. The former MVP, who is playing her first season in her hometown of Chicago, finished the half with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Betnijah Laney scored 18 points to lead New York (7-7), which returned home after splitting four games on a West Coast swing. Sabrina Ionescu added six points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
The teams will meet again on Thursday.
CANADIENS UP 3-2
Carey Price made 26 saves to lead Montreal to 4-1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights, putting the Canadiens one win away from the Stanley Cup Final.
The Canadiens lead Vegas 3-2 in the their best-of-seven series, with Game 6 scheduled for historic Bell Centre in Montreal on Thursday. Montreal’s 11th playoff victory is the franchise’s most in one postseason since the Canadiens won the Cup in 1993, also the last time a Canadian-based team won the title.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Eric Staal, Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki scored for the Canadiens, who have made an NHL-record 34 Stanley Cup Final appearances.
Max Pacioretty scored for Vegas. Marc-Andre Fleury made 22 stops.
SALE THROWS OFF MOUND
Boston Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale is ready to take the next step in his comeback from Tommy John surgery and throw to hitters on Saturday.
Sale threw off the mound with
Double-A Portland on Tuesday.
“So far, so good,” Boston manager Alex Cora said before the Red Sox played at Tampa Bay. “He’s in a good position. He feels great. I’ll talk to him tomorrow and we’ll keep moving forward.”
A seven-time All-Star, Sale was 103-62 with 2.89 ERA in his first nine major league seasons. He joined the Red Sox in 2017 and helped them to the World Series championship the next year.
But Sale had the worst year of his career in 2019, posting a 6-11 record with a 4.40 ERA, and then missed last season following March 2020 surgery to replace the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow.
The operation usually requires a minimum of 12 months of rehab, but can take as much as two years. In his absence during the pandemic-shortened season last year, the Red Sox went 24-36 and finished last in the AL East. Entering Tuesday’s game with Tampa Bay, the Red Sox held a half-game lead over the Rays in the division.
FULL HOUSE FOR HAWKS
The Seattle Seahawks intend to have full capacity crowds at Lumen Field for the upcoming season after the team received approval from the NFL and local and state health officials to completely reopen the stadium.
Fans won’t be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend games, per the state’s reopening guidelines for outdoor events, but those who are not vaccinated will be required to wear masks. The team said it will not require proof of vaccination for fans.
OLYMPIC GOLF FIELD SET
Four of the top 10 men in the world golf ranking are not going to Japan for the Olympics, only one of them by choice.
The 60-man field was set Tuesday based on the world ranking with a half-dozen late withdrawals, a list that included U.S. Open runner-up Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa, Tyrrell Hatton of England and Sergio Garcia of Spain.
Dustin Johnson, the No. 2 player in the world, had already said he would not be going because the Tokyo Olympics on July 29 through Aug. 1 are crammed into an already busy golf schedule.
Even so, it was a strong turnaround from Rio de Janeiro when golf returned to the Olympic program for the first time in a century and the world’s best stayed home.
Five years ago, with concerns over the Zika virus and security, men’s golf was missing the top four players in the world who had combined to win six of the past eight majors.
There are restrictions on athletes’ movement and where they can stay during the Tokyo Olympics because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The men’s field still has four of the top five in the world ranking, and five of the past six major champions. That includes Hideki Matsuyama, the first Japanese player to win the Masters.
Jon Rahm of Spain, who returned to No. 1 in the world with his U.S. Open victory, led the qualifiers. He was followed by four Americans Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele and Bryson DeChambeau.
Three other Americans — Patrick Cantlay, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed — are among the top 10 in the world and didn’t qualify. Countries can have up to four players provided they are among the top 15 in the world. Otherwise, the limit is two until the 60-man field is set.