Lionel Messi has goal and assist for Inter Miami in 3-1 MLS win over Seattle Sounders
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi had a goal and an assist as Inter Miami beat Seattle 3-1 just over two weeks after losing to the Sounders in the Leagues Cup final. Messi assisted a wide open Jordi Alba with an outside-of-the-foot pass in the 12th minute to give the Herons early command. Alba assisted a darting Messi who got just enough of a touch to make it 2-0 in the 41st minute. Ian Fray headed home Rodrigo De Paul’s corner in the opening minutes of the second half to extended the Herons’ lead to 3-0. Obed Vargas found the back of the net for Seattle’s goal in the 69th minute.
Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston help Fever stay alive in playoffs with 77-60 Game 2 rout over Dream
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Kelsey Mitchell scored 19 points and Aliyah Boston added 15 points to lead the Indiana Fever past third-seeded Atlanta Dream 77-60 for its first home playoff win in nearly a decade. The victory tied the best-of-three series at 1. Game 3 will be played Thursday in Atlanta. Te-Hina Paopao scored 11 points off the bench to lead the Dream, and and Rhyne Howard added 10. Allisha Gray added nine points and seven rebounds despite playing through foul trouble. Indiana posted its first wire-to-wire postseason win since 2002 and will now try to win its first playoff series since 2015. The Dream has not won a playoff series since 2016.
Astros' Yordan Alvarez out indefinitely with ankle sprain
HOUSTON (AP) — Houston slugger Yordan Alvarez has a “pretty significant” ankle sprain that is going to keep him out indefinitely, manager Joe Espada said Tuesday. Alvarez was injured when he turned his left ankle at home plate after scoring in the first inning of Houston’s 6-3 win over the Texas Rangers on Monday night. He had imaging done Tuesday. “This is gonna keep him out for a while,” Espada said before the series continued.
Many sports fans are unhappy with how much it costs to watch their games, an AP-NORC poll finds
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new poll finds sports fans are likelier to use a combination of streaming services and traditional TV options to access their favorite teams. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll shows this complicated and often expensive patchwork is common for many sports fans and leaves them beholden to multiple platforms and subscriptions if they want to keep up with their teams. About 4 in 10 people who follow sports “extremely” or “very” closely use both cable and satellite TV and a sports streaming platform. That's compared with about 2 in 10 people who follow sports “somewhat” closely.
Raleigh breaks Mantle's switch-hitter record, ties Griffey's Mariners record with 55th and 56th HRs
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Cal Raleigh breaks Mickey Mantle's record for home runs by a switch-hitter. Raleigh hit his 55th and 56th homers of the season in consecutive at-bats against the Royals on Tuesday night. He tied the Mariners record set by Ken Griffey Jr. Raleigh hit his 55th homer in the third inning, batting left-handed. He then hit his 56th in the fourth, batting right-handed. Griffey set the Mariners record with 56 homers in 1997. Raleigh received a standing ovation from Mariners fans and applause from Royals fans. This marks Raleigh's 20th career multi-homer game.
Mbappe scores 2 as Real Madrid wins on opening night of Champions League; Arsenal subs deliver
Kylian Mbappé converted two penalties and 10-man Real Madrid came back to beat visiting Marseille 2-1 on the opening night of the Champions League. Arsenal substitutes Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard were decisive in a 2-0 win at Athletic Bilbao. Competition newcomer Union Saint-Gilloise made a memorable debut as the Belgian club won 3-1 across the border at PSV Eindhoven. An early own goal from goalkeeper Luiz Junior gave Tottenham a 1-0 win over visiting Villarreal. Borussia Dortmund and Juventus drew 4-4 in Turin and Qarabag came from two goals down to win 3-2 at Benfica.
Kapalua won't host PGA Tour's season opener as it copes with drought and Hawaii water dispute
The PGA Tour won't be starting the new year at Kapalua in Hawaii. The tour says the Plantation course is so baked and brown from a drought and a water dispute on the island of Maui that it can't be ready for The Sentry on Jan. 8-11. There's also the issue of staging a tournament in a remote location. Still to be determined is where or when to move. The Sentry is a $20 million signature event for 2025 winners and the top 50 in the FedEx Cup. The decision doesn't affect the Sony Open on Oahu the following week.
5 years later, Carson Wentz can throw to Justin Jefferson
Carson Wentz finally gets to throw to Justin Jefferson five years and five teams later. J.J. McCarthy’s ankle injury opens the door for the Wentz-to-Jefferson combination that Philadelphia Eagles fans desperately wanted to see in 2020. Now, it’ll happen for the Minnesota Vikings. Several other NFL teams could be turning to backup quarterbacks in Week 3. The Bengals won’t have Joe Burrow for a few months. The Commanders may not have Jayden Daniels. The Jets could be without Justin Fields. The 49ers already played a game without Brock Purdy.
Tom Brady's dual roles as Fox Sports NFL analyst, Raiders limited owner continue to raise questions
The questions about Tom Brady’s dual roles as a Fox Sports NFL analyst and partial owner of the Las Vegas Raiders have intensified after he was shown in the team’s coaching booth with a headset on during a 20-9 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks on Tuesday sidestepped any such questions about the perception of a possible conflict of interest. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in an email to The Associated Press that Brady was sitting in the booth Monday night in his capacity as a Raiders limited partner.
Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers is WNBA Rookie of the Year
Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers was a runaway choice for WNBA Rookie of the Year after one of the best debut seasons in league history. Bueckers received 70 of the 72 votes from sports writers and broadcasters in balloting announced by the league on Tuesday. The other two went to Washington Mystics guard Sonia Citron. Bueckers was a bright spot on a team that tied the Chicago Sky with a league-worst 10-34 record after being drafted with the No. 1 overall pick. The former UConn star averaged 19.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.6 steals. Her 692 points and 194 assists were the third most by a WNBA rookie. The highlight was when she scored 44 in a loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on Aug. 20.
