Sports
WNBA Finals Game 2 live tracker: Can Mercury even series vs. Aces?
LAS VEGAS — Game 1 of the WNBA Finals delivered another thriller. Trailing by nine points with 3:36 left in the third quarter, the Las Vegas Aces used a heavy dose of zone defense to slow down the Phoenix Mercury in the final period and got timely scoring from reserve guard Dana Evans to win Friday.
Phoenix forward Alyssa Thomas fell an assist shy of her third triple-double in a WNBA Finals game — something no other player has done — but missed two critical free throws with the Mercury down one in the final 30 seconds.
Still, a win Sunday in Game 2 (3 p.m. ET, ABC) would give Phoenix a split on the road and allow the Mercury to claim home-court advantage in the first best-of-seven Finals in WNBA history. How might Phoenix adjust in Game 2? And what can Las Vegas improve after the team’s third win in as many playoff rounds that went down to the buzzer of regulation?
ESPN is tracking all the action right here, as it happens.
WNBA Finals Game 2 preview
Big bench performances made up for quiet offensive nights from some Aces starters. Who needs to step up in Game 2?
Kendra Andrews: The Aces need more offensive production from Jackie Young, who finished with eight points on 3-of-13 shooting, including 0-of-6 from 3. That’s about half her regular-season scoring average. Aces coach Becky Hammon told Young to help the bench get going, and she succeeded there. But Hammon also noted that Young, as well as A’ja Wilson, appeared a bit fatigue, which makes sense after they carried Las Vegas to victory in the decisive game of its semifinal series with Indiana. I’m watching to see if Young looks fresher despite a quick turnaround between games.
Alexa Philippou: Building on Kendra’s point, Young was the only player not in uniform at the Aces’ optional shootaround Saturday. Hammon said she thought her star guard had heavy legs in Game 1 but would be good to go Sunday. “I think her back was tired. She kind of carried us that Game [5],” the coach said jokingly. Young doesn’t need to carry Las Vegas, but the Aces need her to be more like herself to keep up with the high-octane Mercury the rest of the series.
Kevin Pelton: I’m curious whether NaLyssa Smith is more involved in Game 2. She scored a combined 34 points in Games 2 and 3 against the Fever in the semifinals, both Aces wins, but played just 16 minutes Friday after sitting out the stretch run of the final win over Indiana. Las Vegas is 3-0 (all lopsided wins) this postseason when Smith scores in double digits.
What adjustments do the Mercury need to make?
Philippou: Phoenix thought it was a promising sign that the Aces went away from their zone so early in the series, an indication Hammon thought her team’s man-to-man defense wasn’t working. “I think their zone will evolve. I think our offense will evolve,” Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said Saturday, reiterating that the film session focused on identifying weaknesses in the Aces’ zone. Tibbetts also said Phoenix’s defensive energy needs to improve; giving up 89 points to the Aces won’t cut it.
Pelton: Phoenix didn’t totally capitalize on the offensive glass Friday night. The Aces came into the Finals last in defensive rebound percentage during the playoffs, then played smaller than usual in Game 1 with the 5-foot-6 Evans replacing the 6-4 Smith in their closing lineup. Yet, the Mercury had fewer offensive rebounds than Las Vegas. If the Aces go zone again, Phoenix players who have a size advantage should focus on crashing the glass.
Andrews: The Mercury have to figure out how to pick apart the Aces’ zone defense, a strategy Phoenix had not faced much in the playoffs. Heading into Game 1, the Mercury had faced just two possessions of zone — both against New York in the first round. On Friday, the Aces used a zone defense on 21 plays, 20 of which came in the second half, according to ESPN Insights. Phoenix shot 27% from the field on those possessions, compared with 53% shooting against Las Vegas’ one-on-one defense (72 possessions). The Mercury still finished with 14 3-pointers, but they have to figure out a successful game plan against a zone.
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Dana Evans reacts to being called ‘the engine’ of Aces after clutch 3
Dana Evans reacts to A’ja Wilson calling her the Aces’ “engine” after Evans’ big game off the bench lifts Las Vegas in Game 1.
What are you watching for in Game 2? If it’s another close game, what could be the difference?
Philippou: Throughout the playoffs, Hammon has harped on the importance of the Aces handling success. “I want to not be able to tell whether we’re coming off a win or a loss. The mindset is the mindset,” Hammon said Saturday. “I want to see a mature approach, a veteran approach, a veteran mindset.” She thinks they’ve done only “OK” in this regard this postseason. And in a long series against a team as good as Phoenix, which was so close to beating them in Game 1, such an outlook will be as important as ever if the Aces want to win their third championship.
Pelton: The focus on the Las Vegas bench obscured that it was a relatively down night for the Mercury’s reserves. Although DeWanna Bonner and Sami Whitcomb combined for 16 points, they took 21 shots, going a combined 4-of-15 from 3-point range. Getting Whitcomb going would make the Aces think twice about going to the zone.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday Washington had no objections to Iranian players participating in the 2026 Fifa World Cup but he added the players will not be allowed to bring with them people with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“Nothing from the US has told them they can’t come,” Rubio told reporters.
President Donald Trump also said his administration “would not want to affect the athletes” in comments he made at the White House.
The 2026 soccer World Cup is set to begin on June 11 across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Paolo Zampolli, a Trump envoy who has no official connection with the World Cup, had earlier suggested that Italy should replace Iran at the tournament.
“The problem with Iran would be not their athletes. It would be some of the other people they would want to bring with them, some of whom have ties to the IRGC. We may not be able to let them in but not the athletes themselves,” Rubio said.
“They can’t bring a bunch of IRGC terrorists into our country and pretend that they are journalists and athletic trainers,” Rubio added. Washington has designated the IRGC as a “foreign terrorist organisation.”
Currently there is no suggestion Iran will withdraw or be banned from the tournament that Italy missed out on.
After the start of the Iran war, Iran requested that Fifa move the team’s three group matches from the US to Mexico, which was rejected.
The US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28. Iran responded with its own strikes on Israel and Gulf states with US bases. US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed thousands and displaced millions. A fragile ceasefire in the Iran war began over two weeks ago.
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Cameras showed former New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch in the team’s draft room Thursday night during the first round.
At one point, Tisch was seen standing near Giants head coach John Harbaugh. Despite no longer holding a majority stake in the NFL franchise, Tisch remains the Giants’ chairman of the board.
ESPN obtained an NFL memo last month detailing plans by Steve Tisch and his siblings to transfer their stake in the Giants to trusts for their children.
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New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch warms up before the NFL game between the Washington Redskins and New York Giants at Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Oct. 28, 2018. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)
“Prior transfers to these Trusts were completed pursuant to 2023 and 2024 Finance Committee approvals,” the memo stated. “The Sellers now propose to transfer their entire remaining interests, totaling 23.1% of the Club, to the Trusts. … Following the transactions, the Sellers will no longer own any interest in the Club.”
It was not clear if the transfer requests were in any way related to Tisch’s name appearing in the Epstein files released by the U.S. Justice Department in January. Tisch’s name came up more than 400 times in the files. Tisch at the time said he knew Epstein but denied visiting Epstein’s island.
As for draft night, the Giants made what some viewed as an unconventional pick at No. 10, selecting offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa.
Francis Mauigoa of Miami celebrates after being selected as the tenth overall pick by the New York Giants during the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa., on April 23, 2026. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Before that, the Giants added another piece to their pass rush, selecting hybrid edge/off-ball linebacker Arvell Reese at No. 5.
Reese earned All-American honors at Ohio State and finished his first season as a full-time starter with 6.5 sacks.
Arvell Reese of Ohio State celebrates after being selected as the fifth overall pick by the New York Giants during the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa., on April 23, 2026. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
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Reese is set to join a pass rush that includes Brian Burns, Abdul Carter and, likely, Kayvon Thibodeaux.
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One of the most intriguing stories entering the first round of the NFL Draft was where Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson might land. Well, fans got their answer sooner than they expected.
The Los Angeles Rams surprisingly selected Simpson with the No. 13 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The selection isn’t completely out of left field and is arguably the best-case scenario for Simpson. The Rams have Matthew Stafford as their starter for 2026, but Stafford has flirted with the idea of retirement each of the past two offseasons. It’s clear the clock is ticking on his NFL career.
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The Los Angeles Rams pulled a stunner and drafted Alababam QB Ty Simpson with the No. 13 pick in the NFL Draft. (CFP/Getty Images)
Now, Simpson gets to sit behind one of the NFL’s best veteran quarterbacks, learn the position while adapting to life in the NFL, and not face immediate pressure to succeed. Additionally, the Rams are one of the most well-run franchises in the league right now. Sean McVay is an elite head coach who led the team to a Super Bowl victory to cap the 2021 season and just had the team within one win of another Super Bowl berth before falling to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship.
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The most surprising aspect is the Rams looking toward the future, quite frankly. This is a team that has had no problem trading away first-round picks to make its team the best it can be each season. It seemed most likely the team would use the No. 13 pick to improve its team for next season, which could be Stafford’s last. Instead, the team decided to put itself in position for Stafford’s retirement without skipping a beat.
Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford, now 38-years-old, has flirted with retirement after each of the past two seasons. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
There were several surprises in the first 13 picks of the 2026 NFL Draft: the Cardinals taking Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love at No. 3, the Titans selecting Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate at No. 4, the Kansas City Chiefs trading up to take LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane at No. 6 and even the Cowboys trading up one spot to make sure they drafted Ohio State safety Caleb Downs at No. 11.
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But the Rams completely abandoning their recent strategy (usually trading away first-round picks and loading up for now) to select Stafford’s heir apparent is easily the biggest early shock of the 2026 NFL Draft.
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