BASKETBALL
For an opening statement, USA Basketball’s World Cup team made an emphatic one.
Anthony Edwards and Cam Johnson each scored 15 points, and the U.S. used a 20-0 run in the second half on the way to rolling past Puerto Rico 117-74 on Monday night in the first World Cup tune-up for the Americans at Las Vegas.
Mikal Bridges scored 14 for the U.S., which finished with seven players in double figures and outscored Puerto Rico 67-31 in the second half.
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 12, Jalen Brunson scored 11 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, and Bobby Portis and Brandon Ingram each scored 11 for the Americans. Tyrese Haliburton finished with 12 assists for the U.S., which held some huge stat edges — 53-27 in rebounding, 31-9 in points off turnovers, 10-2 in blocked shots and shot 56% compared to Puerto Rico’s 37%.
Tremont Waters scored 17 for Puerto Rico, which got 12 from George Conditt IV and 10 from Jordan Howard.
It was the first of five exhibitions before the World Cup for the Americans, and the only one that will be played in the U.S. The team flies to Malaga, Spain for games this weekend against Slovenia and Spain, then heads to the United Arab Emirates for games in Abu Dhabi against Greece (Aug. 18) and Germany (Aug. 20).
The World Cup will be held in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia; the U.S. will be in Manila for the entirety of the tournament, and opens against New Zealand on Aug. 26, followed by Greece on Aug. 28 and Jordan on Aug. 30.
WNBA: DeWanna Bonner scored 21 points, Alyssa Thomas had 16 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists and four steals and the visiting Connecticut Sun beat the Seattle Storm, 81-69.
Rebecca Allen added 13 points and Tiffany Hayes scored 10 for Connecticut (21-7), which has won three straight. .
Jewell Loyd and Sami Whitcomb each scored 11 points for Seattle (7-21).
• Nneka Ogwumike had 20 points and 11 rebounds, Layshia Clarendon added 17 points and the visiting Los Angeles Sparks beat the Indiana Fever 87-80.
Karlie Samuelson scored 13 points for Los Angeles (11-18), which won its fourth road game of the season.
Kelsey Mitchell scored 21 points and Aliyah Boston had 18 points and nine rebounds for Indiana (7-22).
• Napheesa Collier scored 29 points, Jessica Shepard added 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists and the visiting Minnesota Lynx beat the Chicago Sky, 88-79.
• A’ja Wilson scored 28 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, Kelsey Plum added 20 points and the visiting Las Vegas Aces eased past the Dallas Wings, 104-84.
TENNIS
NATIONAL BANK OPEN: Britain’s Andy Murray started his journey for a fourth title by defeating Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego in two sets, winning 7-6 (3), 6-0, in Toronto.
Murray, who secured titles in 2009, 2010 and 2015, saved two set points and clinched the first set against Sonego in a 90-minute battle. The three-time Grand Slam champion then swiftly dominated the second set against the Italian.
• Caroline Wozniacki made a triumphant return to tennis, defeating Kimberly Birrell in straight sets at Montreal.
Wozniacki dominated from the start, securing a 6-2, 6-2 victory while pushing her Australian opponent across the court during rallies. .
The former World No. 1 and 2018 Australian Open champion received a wild-card entry into the National Bank Open main draw after retiring in 2020 to start a family.
SPORTS BETTING
ESPN: Disney-owned ESPN has licensed its brand for use in a sports betting app, striking a deal in which it will receive $1.5 billion and other considerations from Penn Entertainment.
In return, Penn will rebrand its existing sports betting app as ESPN Bet, which ESPN has agreed to promote across its online and broadcast platforms in order to generate “maximum fan awareness” of the app.
The companies said ESPN Bet will also have unspecified “access” to ESPN talent. The hands-off arrangement appears designed to insulate Disney’s family-friendly image from any potential risk that might arise from ESPN’s involvement in sports betting.
AUTO RACING
NASCAR: Mike Rockenfeller, a two-time Le Mans winner, has been chosen to replace suspended driver Noah Gragson in the next two NASCAR Cup Series races.
Legacy Motor Club CEO Cal Wells announced that Rockenfeller will be in the No. 42 Chevrolet this week at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and in the following race at Watkins Glen.
Gragson has not been released, according to Wells.
Gragson was suspended indefinitely by NASCAR on Saturday after liking an insensitive meme with a photo of George Floyd’s face. Floyd, who was Black, died in 2020 after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for 9 1/2 minutes.
NASCAR said Gragson violated the member conduct of its rule book, without providing details.
INDYCAR: Driver Linus Lundqvist will replace the injured Simon Pagenaud in Saturday’s Indy Grand Prix, Meyer Shank Racing announced.
Lundqvist will again be driving the No. 60 Honda as a teammate of four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves.
Lundqvist was among the 12 fastest in qualifying for his series debut last weekend at Nashville but was knocked out of the race by an early crash.
Pagenaud suffered concussion-like symptoms after a brake failure sent his car barrel-rolling in a scary crash at Mid-Ohio in early July. He has not yet been cleared by series officials to return. The French driver won the 2016 IndyCar title and the 500 in 2019.
SOCCER
CHELSEA: Forward Christopher Nkunku had knee surgery and will be sidelined for “an extended period,” the Premier League club said.
The 25-year-old France international joined Chelsea this summer from Leipzig for a reported transfer fee of $66 million.
Nkunku sustained the injury during Chelsea’s preseason match against Borussia Dortmund in Chicago.
CYCLING
OBIT: Federico Martín Bahamontes, the first Spaniard to win the Tour de France, died on Tuesday. He was 95.
Known as one of the pioneers of Spanish cycling, Bahamontes won the Tour de France in 1959. The expert climber also won several stages of the main Grand Tour race.
The Spanish cycling federation announced Bahamontes’ death. The cause of death was not immediately given.
BOXING
HEAVYWEIGHT: Anthony Joshua will fight 39-year-old Robert Helenius at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday night after the Finnish boxer was confirmed as Dillian Whyte’s replacement.
Joshua was set to face fellow British heavyweight Whyte, but the bout had to be canceled last weekend after Whyte returned “adverse analytical findings” on a doping test. Whyte said he was “shocked and devastated” to learn of the VADA findings.
It left Matchroom in a race against time to find a new opponent but, 72 hours after Whyte’s failed test was made public, Helenius has answered the call from the promotion company despite having fought in Finland last weekend.
COLLEGES
MEN’S BASKETBALL: Clemson and Memphis will play a home-and-home men’s basketball series starting in December.
The matchup of Tigers will start on Dec. 16 at Memphis. The teams will play again the next season at Clemson.
The two schools have never met in men’s basketball.
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