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⚽ Five things to know Friday
- Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal survived a 2-1 thriller to reach the Round of 16. Offside calls waved off three second-half goals, including a potential Croatian equalizer in the 102nd minute of regulation, in what was a dizzying battle in the first knockout round. Ivan Perišić put Croatia on the board first, but 15 minutes later, VAR awarded a penalty to Portugal and Ronaldo leveled the score from the spot. Gonçalo Ramos netted the decisive goal in stoppage time to send Portugal back to the Round of 16 for the third consecutive World Cup. They are set to square off against neighbor Spain, who rolled past Austria earlier in the day with a comfortable 3-0 result. In the nightcap, Switzerland beat Algeria 2-0.
- The WNBA unveiled its 10 All-Star Game starters. The vote tallies were perhaps more surprising than the names on the rosters. While everyone could have guessed A'ja Wilson, Paige Bueckers and Breanna Stewart would make the cut, it comes as quite the shock to see Caitlin Clark finish just 11th among guards in the player vote. In contrast, the Fever star grabbed the second-most votes from fans and third-most from the media. Meanwhile, congratulations are in order for Olivia Miles, who is the only rookie to make the starting lineup this year.
- Billy Donovan will take on an assistant role with the Spurs. After he stepped down as the Bulls' head coach in April, Donovan emerged as a candidate to watch for multiple jobs at both the NBA and college levels. Instead, he is reportedly set to become Mitch Johnson's lead assistant in San Antonio. This marks the first time the Hall of Famer has held an assistant role since 1994.
- Cade Cavalli and Willson Contreras face seven-game suspensions. MLB handed out punishment for the benches-clearing brawl that ensued Tuesday in the Nationals' 8-1 win over the Red Sox. Cavalli and Contreras face the longest suspensions as the two instigators of the clash, while Nationals pitcher Miles Mikolas received a five-game ban and Red Sox outfielder Nate Eaton must sit three games. All four players must also pay fines, and their suspensions are subject to appeal.
- Alex Ovechkin is back for another year in Washington. One of the NHL's biggest offseason questions was whether the league's all-time goals leader would re-sign with the Capitals or call it a career. Retirement will have to wait after he inked a one-year, $4.25 million deal (worth up to $9 million) to run it back for his 22nd season. Even at 40, Ovechkin remains a premier scorer and has a real chance to win a second Stanley Cup.
🏀 Do not miss this: Top five moves of NBA offseason (so far)
Getty Images It was less than three weeks ago (20 days, to be exact) that the Knicks hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy, and the NBA already looks vastly different. Blockbuster trades and free agency moves flew in from every direction starting shortly after New York secured its championship. There are many more to come, but it's not too early to stack them up against each other and determine who came out the furthest ahead.
The most seismic transaction came when the Heat won the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes. But while the Greek Freak is the biggest name to land on a new team thus far, our Brad Botkin says three moves are even better than the splash Miami made.
- Botkin: "This guts Miami's depth and leaves them with minimal shooting to properly space the floor around this non-shooting Antetokounmpo-Adebayo frontcourt. … So, as it stands, while getting Antetokounmpo is great in itself, I don't think the Heat can compete with this roster. And that's if Antetokounmpo stays healthy in the first place."
Meanwhile, Jaylen Brown broke his silence on the Celtics-76ers trade, and just like everyone else, he can't believe it actually happened.
The next domino that everyone is waiting to fall, of course, is LeBron James. Where he lands and which situation he falls into will determine where his free agency move ranks among the best. Some teams are far better equipped than others to make the most of his talents, but just about all of them should at least inquire. We constructed pitches for all of the other 29 teams after James' departure from the Lakers.
⚾ MLB trade deadline buyers and sellers guide
Getty Images We are one month out from the MLB trade deadline, which arrives Aug. 3. Because so many perceived contenders are in the midst of underwhelming campaigns and because the gaps between the division leaders and bottom-dwellers are, in many cases, very slim, this trade deadline carries more uncertainty than others in recent years.
Look at the Red Sox, for instance. As one of the biggest disappointments in baseball, Boston slipped to 14 games under .500 last week. But all of a sudden, they are merely six games back of the American League's final wild card spot. Their status in an extremely poor AL has them trending toward "buyer" status at the deadline, according to our Mike Axisa.
- Axisa: "They're still facing a steep enough uphill climb that selling feels more likely than buying, but if this recent hot streak continues for another few weeks, sure, the Red Sox could buy. They're a candidate to buy and sell at the same time, too. Boston could move out rentals (Aroldis Chapman, Sonny Gray, etc.) while importing players with control beyond 2026."
The Red Sox are far from the only complicated team. In constructing the buyers and sellers guide, Axisa was not fully sold on where these clubs stand on the market:
- Angels: Seller, I think?
- Marlins: Buyer (with some selling?)
- Cardinals: Seller (and buyer?)
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
Getty Images - Most of the top-seeded competitors cruised at Wimbledon on Day 4, including Americans Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe. The third round is underway this morning, and here are all the matchups.
- Top-15 transfer Donnie Freeman will not play for St. John's this year due to a torn Achilles. That's a big enough loss to move the Red Storm down a handful of spots in the Top 25 And 1.
- Lucas Glover and Zac Blair are co-leaders through one round at the John Deere Classic. You can catch the third and final rounds on CBS and Paramount+ this weekend.
- Three teams have already shown interest in signing Terrion Arnold, according to his lawyer.
- NFL teams have begun soft-recruiting LeBron James on social media. While he almost certainly will not switch to football, these squads could use his services.
- MLB All-Star Game starters will be revealed on Saturday, so we projected the lineups.
- The summer college football recruiting season has gone well for these schools, which boast the top 10 classes in America. Keep an eye on a handful of five-star prospects who could flip before Signing Day, though.
- The NFL trade market will heat back up as the summer progresses, and these eight players could be on the move.
- While Arch Manning fell short of expectations last year, the pieces are aligned for him to deliver on his potential in 2026.
📺 What we're watching this weekend
Friday
🎾 Wimbledon, third round, 6 a.m. on ESPN
⚽ World Cup: Australia vs. Egypt, 2 p.m. on Fox
⛳ John Deere Classic, second round, 4 p.m. on Golf Channel
⚾ Cardinals at Cubs, 4:05 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ World Cup: Argentina vs. Cabo Verde, 6 p.m. on Fox
⚾ Twins at Yankees or White Sox at Guardians, 7:05 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Mets at Braves, 7:15 p.m. on Peacock
🏀 Lynx at Liberty, 7:30 p.m. on Ion
🏀 Summer League: Heat vs. Spurs, 8 p.m. on ESPN
⚽ Dash at Spirit, 8 p.m. on Victory+
🤼 WWE SmackDown, 8 p.m. on USA Network
⚾ Rays at Astros, 8:10 p.m. on Apple TV
⚽ World Cup: Colombia vs. Ghana, 9:30 p.m. on Fox
⚽ Current at Summit, 9:30 p.m. on Victory+
⚾ Red Sox at Angels, 9:38 p.m. on Peacock
⚾ Brewers at Diamondbacks, 9:40 p.m. on Apple TV
⚾ Marlins at Athletics or Blue Jays at Mariners, 9:40 p.m. on MLB Network
🏀 Sky at Aces, 10 p.m. on Ion
⚽ Pride at Angel City, 10 p.m. on Prime Video
⚾ Padres at Dodgers, 10:10 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
🏀 Summer League: Lakers vs. Warriors Gold, 10:30 p.m. on Prime Video
Saturday
🎾 Wimbledon, third round, 6 a.m. on ESPN
⚾ Pirates at Nationals, 11:05 a.m. on MLB Network
🌭 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, noon on ESPN2
🏀 Valkyries at Dream, 1 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
⚽ World Cup: Canada vs. Morocco, 1 p.m. on Fox
⚾ Twins at Yankees, 1:35 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⛳ John Deere Classic, third round, 3 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏀 Summer League: Grizzlies vs. Thunder, 3 p.m. on Prime Video
🏀 Summer League: Bucks vs. Warriors Blue, 3 p.m. on Prime Video
⚾ Tigers at Rangers or Blue Jays at Mariners, 4:05 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ World Cup: Paraguay vs. France, 5 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Summer League, Hawks vs. Jazz, 5 p.m. on Prime Video
🏀 Summer League: Nets vs. Kings, 5 p.m. on Prime Video
⚽ Reign at Courage, 6:30 p.m. on Ion
🥊 WBO lightweight title: Mason vs. Bell, 8 p.m. on TNT
⚾ Mets at Braves or Cardinals at Cubs, 8:08 p.m. on Fox
⚽ Gotham at Wave, 8:45 p.m. on Ion
⚾ Red Sox at Angels or Brewers at Diamondbacks, 9:38 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Padres at Dodgers, 10:10 p.m. on Peacock
Sunday
⚾ MLB Star Spangled Sunday, all day on Peacock
🎾 Wimbledon, round of 16, 6 a.m. on ESPN and noon on ABC
⚽ Bay at Legacy, noon on ESPN
⚾ Mets at Braves, 12:30 p.m. on NBC
🏀 Big3: Ball Hogs vs. Riot, 1 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏀 Big3: Triplets vs. 305, 2 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
⛳ John Deere Classic, final round, 3 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏀 Summer League: Nets vs. Bucks, 3 p.m. on Prime Video
⚽ World Cup: Brazil vs. Norway, 4 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Summer League: Heat vs. Lakers, 4:30 p.m. on ESPN
⚽ Royals at Stars, 5 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏀 Summer League: Warriors Blue vs. Kings, 5 p.m. on Prime Video
🏁 NASCAR at Chicagoland, 6 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Summer League: Spurs vs. Warriors Gold, 7 p.m. on Prime Video
🏀 Fever at Aces, 7 p.m. on ESPN
⚽ Louisville at Thorns, 7 p.m. on Victory+
⚾ Padres at Dodgers, 7:20 p.m. on NBC
⚽ World Cup: Mexico vs. England, 8 p.m. on Fox
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