KEVIN DURANT HAS CALF STRAIN, USA BASKETBALL CONSIDERS HIM DAY-TO-DAY AT OLYMPIC CAMP
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Kevin Durant is dealing with calf soreness that has kept him from being a full participant in USA Basketball’s training camp for the Paris Olympics, though he has assured team officials that he does not expect the issue to be a major one.
“Day-to-day,” U.S. coach Steve Kerr said. “We’re just going to show an abundance of caution.”
Durant is the second forward who hasn’t been able to be a full participant in the U.S. camp that had its second day of on-floor workouts Sunday; Boston forward Jayson Tatum was excused from the first two days of camp workouts for personal reasons and is expected to be on the floor with his U.S. teammates for the first time on Monday.
It’s not known when Durant will be cleared to play or if he’s in Kerr’s thinking for the Americans’ first exhibition game of the pre-Olympic season against Canada on Wednesday. The U.S. has five exhibition games before getting to Paris and opening Olympic play against Serbia on July 28.
“I think he tweaked it a few days before he got here,” Kerr said. “It’s not bad. He’s assuring me that it’s not bad. We’re just going to be really careful and smart and take it day by day and go from there.”
Durant could become the first four-time gold medalist in men’s Olympic basketball history this summer, after helping the Americans win titles at London in 2012, Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and the rescheduled Tokyo Games that took place three summers ago. He’s scored 435 points in Olympic play, 99 more than fellow three-time gold medalist Carmelo Anthony for the most in U.S. men’s history.
BRONNY JAMES (KNEE) TO MISS LAKERS’ SUMMER LEAGUE GAME
Los Angeles Lakers rookie guard Bronny James will miss the team’s California Classic summer league game Sunday against the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco due to swelling in his left knee.
James, the son of Lakers star LeBron James, made his professional debut in the Lakers’ 108-94 summer league loss Saturday against the Sacramento Kings. He finished with four points on 2-of-9 shooting from the floor in 22 minutes. He added two assists, two rebounds and a steal.
“Every first game that I step into the next level, it’s always some butterflies in my stomach,” the 19-year-old told reporters, per ESPN. “But as soon as the ball tips and we go a couple times down, it all goes away and I’m just playing basketball. So it’s always going to be there, but I’ll get through it.”
Bronny James, who was selected in the second round with the No. 55 overall pick in the NBA Draft last month, is expected to play in the Lakers’ California Classic finale against the Miami Heat on Wednesday, according to Spectrum SportsNet. He played one season — 25 games (six starts) — of college ball at Southern California after suffering cardiac arrest during a summer workout last July.
James averaged 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds and shot 36.6 percent from the field for the Trojans.
WNBA NEWS
A’JA WILSON SETS FRANCHISE MARK AS ACES POUND HAPLESS WINGS
A’ja Wilson had 28 points and 10 rebounds and the Las Vegas Aces pulled away to a 104-85 victory against the Dallas Wings on Sunday afternoon.
Along the way Wilson surpassed Sophia Young-Malcolm’s 4,300 career points to become the franchise’s all-time leader. Kelsey Plum added 23 points, Jackie Young had 18 points and six rebounds, and Chelsea Gray scored 12 for the Aces (13-7), who took control by outscoring the Wings 26-17 in the third quarter and won for the seventh time in eight games.
Odyssey Sims scored 25 points, Natasha Howard had 14 points and eight rebounds and Arike Ogunbowale had 13 points and six rebounds for the Wings (5-17), who lost for the 15th time in 17 games.
Wilson scored the first five points of the third quarter to start a 9-0 run that gave the Aces a 60-48 lead.
Sims’ field goal produced the Wings’ first points 2 1/2 minutes into the period before Young made consecutive baskets to push the lead to 14 points.
Las Vegas led by as many as 16 points before holding a 77-65 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Sims made two baskets to help Dallas creep within 79-71 early in the fourth quarter. Wilson responded with a 3-pointer and Tiffany Hayes added two free throws to give the Aces a 13-point lead, and the Aces maintained control the rest of the way.
The lead changed hands seven times during a high-scoring first quarter. Ogunbowale led all scorers with nine points, and her second 3-pointer completed the Wings’ scoring and helped them hold a 27-25 lead at the end of the period.
The second quarter featured six ties and five lead changes before Las Vegas made a push. Plum made consecutive baskets during an 8-0 run that gave the Aces a 46-40 lead.
Howard’s jumper ended the run and Jacy Sheldon’s field goal pulled Dallas even at 48. Plum’s three-point play gave Las Vegas a 51-48 halftime lead.
DEWANNA BONNER, SUN DRAW AWAY FROM DREAM
DeWanna Bonner scored a game-high 23 points on 7-for-9 3-point shooting, leading the Connecticut Sun to an 80-67 victory over the Atlanta Dream on Sunday in Uncasville, Conn.
Tiffany Mitchell added 13 points off the bench for the Sun (17-4), which won their third consecutive game and tied the New York Liberty for the league’s best record. Brionna Jones chipped in 11 points, while Alyssa Thomas tallied seven points, seven rebounds and a game-high nine assists.
Allisha Gray led the Dream (7-13) with 19 points, followed by Tina Charles’ 13. Nia Coffey scored 11 for Atlanta, which fell for a fourth straight game. Laeticia Amihere pulled down a team-high eight rebounds off the bench.
Trailing by 11 points early in the third, Atlanta cut its deficit to 37-30 after a pair of free throws from Gray and Charles’ layup at the 8:24 mark of the third quarter.
After Connecticut extended its lead back to 12 on two free throws from DiJonai Carrington, Charles knocked down a triple, cutting the Dream’s deficit to 48-39 with 5:05 remaining in the third.
The Sun pulled ahead 57-45 before using an 8-0 run, including Bonner’s two triples, to take a 65-45 lead and force an Atlanta timeout with 58.1 seconds left in the quarter.
With seven minutes remaining in the fourth, Bonner knocked down her seventh 3-pointer of the game, giving the Sun a 72-52 advantage — their largest lead of the game.
Laten the first quarter, the Sun led 14-11 before Bonner and Nia Coffey traded 3-pointers. Bonner then connected on another triple, but Gray’s layup cut Atlanta’s deficit to 20-16 after one.
Neither team scored again until Brionna Jones’ layup at the 6:24 mark of the second quarter.
Leading by four with 4:54 left, the Sun went on an 8-0 scoring run, capped with Bonner’s 3-pointer to put Connecticut ahead 32-20.
Brionna Jones and Haley Jones traded mid-range jumpers on the last possessions of the first half, and the Sun led 34-24 at the break. The Dream managed just eight points in the second quarter. Bonner led the way with 11 first-half points for the Sun, while Gray and Coffey each scored nine for Atlanta.
NATASHA CLOUD (31 PTS) GUIDES SHORT-HANDED MERCURY PAST SPARKS
Natasha Cloud scored 31 points, including four in the last minute, to help the injury-riddled Phoenix Mercury pull away from the Los Angeles Sparks in an 84-78 road victory on Sunday.
Phoenix guard Diana Taurasi (lower left leg) did not make the trip to Los Angeles, while Rebecca Allen warmed up with the Mercury but did not play because of a lower back injury.
Cloud made a jumper with 1:54 left to pull Phoenix within 76-75. After a Sparks shot-clock violation, Mikiah Herbert Harrigan made a 3-pointer to slide the Mercury ahead 78-76 with 1:10 remaining.
Harrigan, in her third year in the WNBA, made her first career start, replacing Allen in the lineup.
Los Angeles rookie Rickea Jackson scored a season-high 22 points and tied the game at 78 with 41.1 seconds left following an offensive rebound.
Cloud answered by driving to the basket to put Phoenix ahead 80-78 with 35.1 seconds remaining.
Following a missed 3-pointer by Aari McDonald, Cloud was fouled with 23 seconds left. She made both free throws to help seal the victory.
Cloud also finished with nine rebounds and five assists as the Mercury (11-10) won consecutive games on the road for the first time this season.
The Sparks (5-16), meanwhile, could not build on their home win over the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces on Friday night. They have lost nine of their last 10 games.
Kahleah Copper was the only other Phoenix player to score in double figures with 25 points. She also contributed 10 rebounds and five assists.
Dearica Hamby had 25 points and nine rebounds for Los Angeles, outplaying Brittney Griner at the post. Griner finished with nine points and seven rebounds.
The Mercury did not score in the fourth quarter until Cloud made a jump shot to put Phoenix ahead 67-65 with 6:40 left. Azura Stevens then made a jumper to tie the game.
After a Mercury turnover, Hamby drilled a 3-pointer with 5:39 remaining to put the Sparks ahead 70-67 — their first lead since a 9-8 advantage with 6:18 remaining in the first quarter.
STORM RALLY PAST SKY; ANGEL REESE SETS DOUBLE-DOUBLE MARK
A third-quarter rally saw Seattle wipe away an eight-point halftime deficit before holding off a late Chicago surge as the Storm beat the visiting Sky 84-71 on Sunday.
Nneka Ogwumike led Seattle (14-7) with 24 points and 13 rebounds and had nine points in the third-quarter rally. Jewell Loyd scored a dozen points in the third and finished with 20. Skylar Diggins-Smith chipped in 15 points and eight assists. Ezi Magbegor added a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Sky rookie Angel Reese bundled 17 points with 14 rebounds to set a WNBA record with her 13th straight double-double. Reese had tied Candace Parker for the mark in Friday’s 88-84 win over the Storm.
Chennedy Carter paced Chicago (8-12) with 21 points, albeit on 7-for-22 shooting. Marina Mabrey chipped in 14 points and six assists, while reserve Isabelle Harrison tallied 11 points.
The Sky held a 39-31 halftime lead after holding Seattle to just 29.4 percent shooting. But while Chicago used a 30-point third quarter to sink the Storm on Friday, this time Seattle turned the tables with a 29-14 edge in the third to take control.
The Storm’s 24-5 run over the first 7 1/2 minutes of the second half proved decisive. Loyd and Ogwumike accounted for 18 of those points as Seattle shot 11-for-17 (64.7 percent) for the quarter.
The hosts stretched the lead to 14 points on a Diggins-Smith jumper with 7:13 to play before the Sky crept back. Chicago pulled within 72-69 on a pair of Carter free throws with 2:49 left before the Storm scored the next 12 points to seal the win.
Seattle won the teams’ season series 2-1.