📰🏟️ Hotlanta
Plus: First-ever World Cup halftime show…
Good afternoon. The top-five sports stories of the day are at your fingertips. Let’s get right to it.
—Kyle
1) PGA Championship tees off this morning
Pro golf’s second major of the year kicked off earlier this morning at Aronimink Golf Club just outside of Philadelphia.
- World #1 Scottie Scheffler and #2 Rory McIlroy are the favorites heading in, having won 4 of the last 5 majors between them (including Scheffler at last year’s PGA Championship).
- #3 Cam Young is also a top contender after winning a pair of PGA events in the past 2 months.
- Meanwhile, Jordan Spieth is looking to complete his decade-long quest for a career Grand Slam, and Brooks Koepka is seeking his 4th PGA Championship win.
2) Playoff update (NBA & NHL)
The NBA’s Cavaliers took down the Detroit Pistons in OT behind 30 pts from James Harden, taking a 3-2 lead as the series heads back to Cleveland for Game 6.
- In the NHL, the Colorado Avalanche came back from a 3-0 1st-period deficit to beat the Minnesota Wild in OT and clinch the series in 5 games.
- It’s the Avalanche’s 1st Western Conference Final appearance since winning the Stanley Cup in 2022, and their 8th since the team relocated to Denver in 1995.
3) US to host first-ever World Cup halftime show
Madonna, Shakira, and BTS will headline the first-ever World Cup halftime show, which will be held at the midpoint of the final match on July 19 in New Jersey, FIFA announced.
- Shakira also recorded the World Cup’s official song, “Dai Dai,” with Nigerian singer Burna Boy.
- While halftimes in soccer always stick to the strict 15-minute break demanded by the universal “Laws of the Game,” FIFA will likely make an exception for this year’s final.
Inside the star-studded halftime lineup
4) Islanders' Matthew Schaefer is unanimous NHL RoY
New York Islanders star defenseman Matthew Schaefer, 18, was surprised with the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year during a “Good Morning America” interview yesterday.
- Schaefer received 1st-place votes from all 198 ballots, becoming the first unanimous choice for the award in 33 years.
- He finished with 23 goals, tied for most all-time by a rookie defenseman, and also added 36 assists to set a new NHL points record for a defenseman at his age.
Schaefer caps brilliant rookie season
5) Braves are first MLB team to 30 wins
Atlanta improved the MLB's top record to 30-13 with another thrilling win last night over the division-leading Chicago Cubs.
- Braves 1B Matt Olson is an early-season NL MVP favorite, while SPs Chris Sale and Bryce Elder are both in the running for Cy Young to start the year.
- Atlanta also has a stranglehold on the NL East. Their 9-game lead over 2nd-place Washington is larger than the gap between the #1 and #5 teams in all other MLB divisions—save the AL East (10 games).
Hotlanta lives up to its nickname
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