INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caitlin Clark sat at the dais Thursday night, staring at the stat sheet and reliving the eight turnovers and her two missed free throws with seven seconds left in regulation.
Then she took the blame for the Indiana Fever's stinging 86-84 overtime loss to defending champion Las Vegas.
“Obviously, it just can't happen,” the three-time All-Star said just hours after she was one of 12 players named to the FIBA Women's World Cup team. “Those are free throws I usually make and certainly frustrating. Obviously, one of them gives us a two-possession lead and kind of caused my pain there, for sure, so that's on me.”
It wasn't a great night for Clark by any measure. While she scored 20 points, had eight assists and made two go-ahead 3-pointers in the final 4 1/2 minutes of regulation, it was the miscues she rued after first watching a 20-point first-half lead slip away and then failing to protect a three-point lead in the final seconds of the fourth quarter and a two-point lead at the end of overtime.
Jackie Young took advantage of the first opening by scoring a franchise-record 15 consecutive points to finish the second quarter and start the third. Chelsea Gray then made the Fever pay for their late miscues — making a buzzer-beating 3 to tie it at 75 following the missed free throws and then making another buzzer beater to win it following Clark's final turnover, forced by A'ja Wilson.
Clark went 7 of 20 from the field, 2 of 10 on 3s and had more fouls (four) than rebounds (three). Still, she didn't make any excuses.
“I didn't know we scored nine points in the third quarter, but you know we still battled, still fought, we put ourselves in position to win the game,” Clark said. “And then, honestly, it was me that made the costly errors for us. So that's on me to helps us win. That's my job. That's what I get paid to do.”
As usual, though, it wasn't just Clark.
Kelsey Mitchell, July's WNBA Player of the Month, missed one of two free throws with 9.2 seconds to go in the fourth quarter. And then, instead of fouling to prevent the tying 3-point attempt, or corralling the loose ball, Gray got her chance to tie the score.
“Aliyah Boston read it perfectly, her timing was perfect,” coach Stephanie White said, noting they gave up 18 points on turnovers, too.. “It's a loose ball and it bounced their way. We've got to come up with that play.”
White also acknowledged making her own mistake — not calling timeout at the end of overtime when they were struggling to get a shot, which led to Clark's turnover.
And, though, that seemed of little solace to Clark, White saw it another way.
“Players already hate that they miss free throws, right? They hate that they miss plays,” White said. “You've just got to keep them positive in those moments."
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark reacts during the second half of a WNBA basketball game against the Minnesota Lynx, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
CANTON, Ohio (AP) — Maybe a team should’ve drafted Haynes King.
The rookie quarterback ran in from the 5 on the final play to give the Carolina Panthers a 33-30 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in the Hall of Fame game that kicked off the NFL preseason on Thursday night.
King, who was the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year last season at Georgia Tech, was 21 of 34 for 180 yards and two touchdowns. He ran for 39 yards and the winning score.
“Well, that was a lot of fun. Just the back and forth of it. Just a really good game,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said. “The guys were resilient and finish is what we preach as a team. We practice for these situations, end of half, end of game. ... Haynes did a fantastic job, just keeping the play alive, doing whatever he had to do, run it, throw it. Really proud of the group.”
Carson Beck also had an impressive debut for Arizona.
After Beck left, Kedon Slovis tossed a 1-yard TD pass to Bryson Green with 1:55 remaining to give the Cardinals a 30-27 lead.
But King rallied the Panthers on a night when both teams didn’t play their starters. Bryce Young was King’s biggest cheerleader on the sideline.
King’s 4-yard TD pass to Anthony Tyus III in the opening minute of the fourth quarter put Carolina ahead 24-20. King threw a 15-yard TD pass Ja’seem Reed in the second quarter. He had a 26-yard run on third-and-14 to keep the final drive going.
“These are things that he did throughout his career,” Canales said of King. “The bottom line is move the chains.”
Both teams gave their backups and reserves opportunities to shine.
Beck, Slovis and King took advantage.
Beck, a third-round pick from Miami, completed 15 of 19 passes for 188 yards and one touchdown. After leading the Hurricanes to the national championship game — a loss to Fernando Mendoza and Indiana — Beck wasn't overwhelmed by the national stage.
“It was a cool environment and for him to just kind of, it’s just another game and that’s the way he took it and he’s been in big ones and that’s how his mindset works,” rookie Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur said.
Slovis was 9 of 10 for 106 yards.
Veteran Jacoby Brissett is the Cardinals' starter and their backup is journeyman Gardner Minshew. But expectations are low for Arizona in a division that includes the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks, Rams and 49ers.
So Beck may get a chance to play at some point if he develops under LaFleur. Canales raved about what he saw from the opposing sideline.
“He operated like a professional. He looked fantastic,” Canales said. “He was accurate. He was on time. Our rush was decent. He got the ball out, threw some really beautiful passes down the field, up the sideline on some double moves, over the middle, to keep the drive alive in some third-down situations, so tip my hat to him.”
King is expected to be Carolina’s No. 3 QB behind Young and veteran Kenny Pickett.
The Panthers won the NFC South last season at 8-9 and lost to the Rams in a wild-card game.
Pickett started and was 8 of 11 for 62 yards before King replaced him.
Beck completed all six of his passes on a 98-yard touchdown drive that included a 35-yard strike to Jalen Brooks on third-and-7 from Arizona’s 7.
He threw a perfect deep ball to Brooks for a 49-yard gain and finished that drive with a 5-yard TD pass to Simi Fehoko.
Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love, the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, sat out even though he hoped to persuade LaFleur to let him play.
Quarterback Drew Brees, running back Roger Craig, kicker Adam Vinatieri, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and linebacker Luke Kuechly make up the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026.
Former Steelers coach Mike Tomlin made his first appearance with the NBC broadcast crew. Tomlin left Pittsburgh after 19 seasons and became the lead studio analyst for “Football Night in America.”
Brissett and All-Pro tight end Trey McBride stopped by the Pro Football Hall of Fame Museum to see their jerseys displayed for breaking records last season. McBride set an NFL record for receptions by a tight end in a season with 126. Brissett set a record for completions in a game with 47 against San Francisco last Nov. 16.
Cardinals players wore red T-shirts with Larry Fitzgerald's No. 11 in warmups and on the sideline.
“It's a great feeling to know your organization stands behind you,” Fitzgerald said. “I'm really happy they would honor me like this.”
Panthers: At Buffalo on Aug. 15.
Cardinals: At Las Vegas on Aug. 13.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. (15) reaches for but can't hold onto a pass in the first half of the Pro Football Hall of Fame NFL preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals in Canton, Ohio, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Carolina Panthers running back Anthony Tyus III runs to the end zone in front of Arizona Cardinals linebacker Karson Sharar (43) after a catch in the second half of the Pro Football Hall of Fame NFL preseason game in Canton, Ohio, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Beck (19) celebrates the rushing touchdown of teammate Corey Kiner in the first half of the Pro Football Hall of Fame NFL preseason game against the Carolina Panthers in Canton, Ohio, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Beck (19) and wide receiver Simi Fehoko, right, celebrate after Beck threw a touchdown pass to Fehoko in the first half of the Pro Football Hall of Fame NFL preseason game in Canton, Ohio, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Carolina Panthers quarterback Haynes King (16) passes in the second half of the Pro Football Hall of Fame NFL preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals in Canton, Ohio, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/David Richard)
