Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith threw an interception to squander his team’s solid first offensive drive, and things continued to go (mostly) downhill from there for Seattle.

The San Francisco 49ers took down the Seahawks, 36-24, in the Week 6 edition of ‘Thursday Night Football’ on Amazon Prime Video. Two San Francisco rookie defenders snagged their first career interceptions in a couple of key moments, and the 49ers’ offense had an apparent return to form with their highest-scoring performance of the season.

Outside of the two rookie defensive backs – Malik Mustapha and Renardo Green – it was the 49ers’ run game and dominant pass-catching weapons that were the stars.

Running backs Jordan Mason and Isaac Guerendo combined for 172 yards on 19 carries. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel had his second 100-yard game of the season with a three-catch, 102-yard performance that also included a touchdown. Tight end George Kittle caught five passes for 58 yards and two touchdowns.

For the Seahawks, a kickoff return touchdown by Laviska Shenault and nice games from Tyler Lockett, Noah Fant and Jaxon Smith-Njigba were not enough to overcome what was a bad night from Smith and more than a few costly penalties.

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Along with his two picks, Seattle’s quarterback often missed his targets with overthrows throughout the game, and the Seahawks ended the game with nine penalties for 69 yards.

The 49ers (3-3) take over first place in the NFC West with the win.

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USA TODAY Sports provided highlights, analysis and more from Week 6’s ‘Thursday Night Football’ matchup between the Seahawks and 49ers.

49ers vs. Seahawks highlights

49ers 36, Seahawks 24: San Francisco ices game with big run, TD

On the first play of San Francisco’s next possession, rookie running back Isaac Guerendo broke off a 76-yard run to get the 49ers inside the Seahawks’ 5-yard line. Two plays later, fullback Kyle Juszczyk ran between the tackles for a touchdown run that gave his team a 36-24 lead with just over a minute left to play.

49ers 29, Seahawks 24: Seattle closes gap again

The Seahawks have life after Geno Smith hit Tyler Lockett for a 9-yard touchdown pass on fourth down. With just under two minutes remaining, Seattle has cut its deficit down to five points and is electing to kick the ball off normally rather than attempting an onside kick.

It’s 29-24 49ers with 1:44 remaining in the game.

49ers 29, Seahawks 17: George Kittle scores his second TD

Three plays after Renardo Green’s interception, Brock Purdy found Kittle over the middle for a nine-yard touchdown throw. He threaded his pass between two Seattle defenders for his third touchdown pass — and George Kittle’s second touchdown reception — of the game. The touchdown (and failed two-point conversion) added six points to the 49ers’ lead. It’s 29-17 San Francisco with six and a half minutes left.

Renardo Green secures his first career interception

Renardo Green becomes the second rookie in this game to snag his first career interception, following in the footsteps of fellow San Francisco defensive back Malik Mustapha, who picked off Geno Smith in the first quarter.

Deebo Samuel, George Kittle banged up

Both Deebo Samuel and George Kittle are on the sideline early in the fourth quarter after seemingly suffering injuries. Samuel appeared to hurt his hand on a play that was blown dead, but returned to the field after missing just one play. Kittle remained on the sideline for one extra play but also has returned to the field.

Stay tuned to USA TODAY Sports for potential injury updates on the 49ers’ two offensive stars.

49ers hold six-point lead after three quarters

Seattle is primed to get the ball back to start the fourth quarter after forcing a three-and-out from the 49ers following the Kenneth Walker touchdown. The Seahawks are one touchdown and 15 minutes away from extending their lead atop the NFC West.

49ers 23, Seahawks 17: Kenneth Walker powers into the end zone

The Seahawks strung together a 13-play, 94-yard drive to score their first offensive touchdown of the game. Kenneth Walker capped it all off with a couple of rushes up the middle inside the 49ers’ 15-yard line before finally hammering the ball home on a 1-yard touchdown run. The 49ers’ lead is down to 23-17 after Jason Myers’ PAT attempt was good.

Geno Smith connects with Tyler Lockett on deep ball

Smith had been struggling on pass attempts for much of the evening before his fortune started to shift. He found Lockett on a 37-yard deep pass with just over five minutes left in the third quarter and brought the Seahawks from their own 21-yard line into 49ers territory.

Jordan Mason back in the medical tent

Jordan Mason’s return to the game after his initial shoulder injury was short-lived. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the running back went to the medical tent after just one carry in the second half.

49ers 23, Seahawks 10: Laviska Shenault returns the kickoff for a touchdown

Laviska Shenault, the Seattle kick returner who fumbled a kickoff return in the second quarter, redeemed himself early in the third quarter. He broke through the 49ers’ kickoff coverage team for a 97-yard kickoff return touchdown, and cut Seattle’s deficit back down to 13 points. It’s 23-10 49ers with 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Shenault’s kickoff return touchdown is the second in the NFL this season after the league changed its kickoff rules in the offseason. DeeJay Dallas of the Arizona Cardinals had the first one in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills.

49ers 23, Seahawks 3: Brock Purdy hits George Kittle for a touchdown

Brock Purdy placed a perfect pass to his tight end to cap the 49ers’ 70-yard drive with a touchdown. The 10-yard pass to George Kittle was Purdy’s second touchdown throw of the game, and it extended the San Francisco lead to 23-3.

The third-year quarterback is 11-of-17 on pass attempts for 178 yards and two touchdown passes. He holds a 138.8 passer rating five minutes into the second half. Kittle is leading 49ers pass-catchers with his four catches and is second on the team with 49 receiving yards on the night.

Jordan Mason back from locker room

Jordan Mason, who missed the final minutes of the second quarter dealing with a shoulder injury, returned to the field to start the second half. He ran for nine yards on the 49ers’ first play of the third quarter but went back to the sideline after the run.

The Amazon Prime Video broadcast showed the running back working his sore shoulder as he watched the action on the field.

49ers 16, Seahawks 3: Seattle finally gets on the board before halftime

DK Metcalf was unable to get both feet inbounds on a potential touchdown catch in the penultimate play of the first half. As a result, the Seahawks were forced to settle for a 20-yard field goal to end the first 30 minutes of play. Kicker Jason Myers knocked it through to cut Seattle’s deficit to 13 points.

San Francisco is set to receive the second-half kickoff.

49ers 16, Seahawks 0: Matthew Wright remains perfect on field goal attempts

Matthew Wright, the last-minute 49ers signee, is the team’s leading scorer with two and a half minutes left in the first half. Wright’s third field goal of the game gets him up to 10 points on the night (including his converted PAT). The latest kick further extended the San Francisco lead to 16-0.

Jordan Mason slow to get up, heads to locker room after run

49ers running back Jordan Mason took a run up the middle for 14 yards on the second play of the 49ers’ third drive in the second quarter. After the play, Mason remained down on the field for a few extra moments, grabbing at his shoulder. Mason was able to get up and walk off the field on his own power, but he went to the locker room with medical personnel.

Amazon Prime Video sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung confirmed that the issue was with Mason’s shoulder and that he is questionable to return to the game.

Rookie Isaac Guerendo takes over in the backfield.

49ers 13, Seahawks 0: Matthew Wright knocks through another field goal

San Francisco couldn’t take full advantage of their good field position following the fumble on the kickoff. The Seahawks’ defense held the 49ers to just six yards, and the offense had to settle for a 41-yard field goal attempt.

Matthew Wright split the uprights for his second field goal of the game, and San Francisco extended their lead to 13-0. Seattle’s offense will take the field with just under 12 minutes left in the half.

Laviska Shenault fumbles the ensuing kickoff

The 49ers have the ball at the Seahawks’ 30-yard line one play later after kick returner Laviska Shenault lost the football. Wright’s kick went into the end zone, but Shenault tried to get some extra yardage on a return rather than taking the touchback to the 30-yard line.

Second-year cornerback Darrell Luter Jr. was the player who forced the fumble, and defensive lineman Robert Beal recovered it.

49ers 10, Seahawks 0: Deebo Samuel extends the 49ers’ lead

Samuel took full advantage of blown coverage on a delayed fade route outside the numbers near the left sideline. A Seahawks defender dove past the wide-open receiver as he made the catch, and the speedy Samuel took care of the rest. He won his footrace to the end zone for a 76-yard catch-and-run.

Wright’s PAT was good, and San Francisco now leads 10-0 one and a half minutes into the second quarter.

49ers lead after first quarter

Wright’s short field goal is the difference in this game through one quarter of play. Outside of the 49ers’ 90-yard field goal drive, the two teams have combined for two punts and an interception to kill their other three drives.

The Seahawks have the ball and will continue their drive to begin the second quarter.

49ers 3, Seahawks 0: Newcomer Matthew Wright scores his first points as a 49er

The 49ers signed journeyman kicker Matthew Wright on Tuesday after kicker Jake Moody suffered a high ankle sprain against the Cardinals last week. When San Francisco’s drive stalled inside the Seahawks’ 10-yard line with a couple of incomplete passes, the 28-year-old Wright got his newest team on the board with a 25-yard field goal.

Wright was briefly a member of the 49ers’ practice squad in September 2023, but he didn’t enter a game for the team until Thursday night. His last appearance in a regular-season game was for the Carolina Panthers during their Week 18 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year. He missed his sole kick, a 52-yard field goal attempt, in the game.

Jordan Mason breaks off a big run

Mason, who has taken over the primary back duties in San Francisco with Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve, has continued his strong third season as a pro. Mason took an inside handoff and broke a few tackles with his run up the middle. Seattle safety Julian Love eventually tracked him down, but not before the running back picked up 38 yards to get the 49ers to the Seahawks’ 28-yard line and knocking on the door of the red zone.

Malik Mustapha picks off Geno Smith to end game’s opening drive

On the sixth play of the Seahawks’ opening drive, Geno Smith tried to get a pass to Tyler Lockett deep downfield on third down. The pass was overthrown, and 49ers rookie safety Malik Mustapha was the benefactor in his second career start. He picked off Smith’s pass at his own 2-yard line before his momentum took him out of bounds. It was the first interception of his NFL career.

The 49ers take over from their own 3-yard line for their first offensive drive of the evening.

Seahawks vs. 49ers start time 

Date: Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024 
Time: 8:15 p.m. ET 

The Seahawks and 49ers game will kick off Week 6 of the 2024 NFL season with ‘Thursday Night Football’ at 8:15 p.m. ET. 

RANKING NFL’S STADIUMS: Why Seattle’s Lumen Field is the league’s top venue

Seahawks vs. 49ers TV channel 

Live stream: Amazon Prime Video 

‘Thursday Night Football’ will exclusively stream on Amazon Prime Video. 

Al Michaels (play-by-play) and Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) will be in the broadcast booth for Prime Video, with Kaylee Hartung (sideline) and Terry McAulay (rules analyst) providing additional coverage.

The Prime Video pregame, halftime and postgame shows feature Charissa Thompson as host, as well as former NFL players Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tony Gonzalez, Richard Sherman and Andrew Whitworth as analysts. Taylor Rooks is the feature reporter for Prime Video’s ‘Thursday Night Football’ coverage.

Watch’Thursday Night Football’with a Prime Video subscription

Seahawks vs. 49ers predictions, picks 

Here are the USA TODAY Sports staff’s predictions for the ‘Thursday Night Football’ Week 6 matchup: 

Lorenzo Reyes: 49ers 25, Seahawks 17 
Tyler Dragon: 49ers 25, Seahawks 20 
Jordan Mendoza: 49ers 26, Seahawks 20 

49ers vs. Seahawks inactive players: Charvarius Ward out

49ers’ inactive players:

QB Joshua Dobbs
TE Brayden Willis
CB Charvarius Ward
LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
OL Ben Bartch
K Jake Moody
DT Jordan Elliott

Seahawks’ inactive players:

CB Riq Woolen
LB Trevis Gipson
C Olu Oluwatimi
OG Sataoa Laumea
WR Dareke Young
DT Byron Murphy II
DE Myles Adams

Seahawks vs. 49ers odds, moneyline, over/under 

The 49ers are favorites to defeat the Seahawks in Week 6, according to the BetMGM NFL odds. Looking to wager? Check out the best mobile sports betting apps offering NFL betting promos in 2024, including the ESPN BET app and Fanatics Sportsbook promo code. 

Spread: 49ers (-3.5) 
Moneyline: 49ers (-190); Seahawks (+155) 
Over/under: 49

Not interested in this game? Our guide to NFL betting odds, picks, and spreads has you covered with ‘Sunday Night Football’ odds and ‘Monday Night Football’ odds. 

New to sports betting? USA TODAY readers can claim exclusive promos and bonus codes with the best online sportsbooks and sports betting sites.  

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Seahawks vs. 49ers weather update 

It’s going to be a slightly chilly but clear night in Seattle with a high of 58 degrees at kickoff and a low of 51 at midnight. According to the Weather Channel, winds will max out at eight mph while chances of precipitation are at less than 10% for the game. 

NFC West standings 

The Seahawks enter the Week 6 “TNF” showdown in sole possession of first place in the NFC West. However, with a win tonight, San Francisco can move into a tie. 

Seattle Seahawks: 3-2 
Arizona Cardinals: 2-3 
San Francisco 49ers: 2-3 
Los Angeles Rams: 1-4 

NFL Week 6 picks, predictions and odds

Chicago Bears vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Baltimore Ravens vs. Washington Commanders
Green Bay Packers vs. Arizona Cardinals
New England Patriots vs. Houston Texans
New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Cleveland Browns
Tennessee Titans vs. Indianapolis Colts
Denver Broncos vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Las Vegas Raiders vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Carolina Panthers vs. Atlanta Falcons
Dallas Cowboys vs. Detroit Lions
New York Giants vs. Cincinnati Bengals 
New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills

Who is the highest-paid NFL player? 

The NFL’s top 18 players in average annual salary are all quarterbacks, according to OverTheCap.com. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott became the league’s highest-paid player on the season’s opening Sunday, agreeing to a four-year, $240 million deal. Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is the first non-quarterback on the highest-paid list after striking a four-year, $140 million contract extension this offseason. 

Complete list of the league’s highest-paid players

Who are the highest paid NFL players at each position?

We have a complete list at every position: 

Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
Offensive tackles
Offensive guards
Centers
Edge rushers
Interior defensive linemen
Linebackers
Cornerbacks
Safeties
Kickers
Punters

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BROOKLYN, N.Y. — There was a moment in the frenetic and fantastic final minute of regulation in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals when the extremely energetic head coach of the Minnesota Lynx, Cheryl Reeve, looked like she was about to stop prowling the sidelines and jump onto the court to play defense.

When it was over, after a stunning four-point play by Courtney Williams and a crucial missed second free throw by Breanna Stewart that almost certainly would have won the game and the general back and forth of a heavyweight fight going the distance and then some, Reeve was happy to note it was the first time in WNBA postseason history that a team had been down by 15 points in the final five minutes of regulation and come back to win. 

If she hadn’t mentioned it, the silence and shock of the New York Liberty crowd would have aptly told the story. What had looked like a certain victory on their home court evaporated with a furious rally by a team that had just played a Game 5 in its previous series two days earlier halfway across the country. 

Sometimes the team on a roll stays on a roll, and that was Minnesota Thursday night. They were the ones who had no rest after their victory over Connecticut in Minneapolis Tuesday, they were the ones saddled with the quick turnaround, they were the ones who had to fly in one day and play the next — and they made it all work to their advantage. 

“I think it defines our team in terms of being able to get through difficult times,” Reeve said after she had jumped for joy and dashed off the court into the locker room in triumph. “You have to be mentally tough, resilient. You have to look inward and not blame other people and give each other confidence and we were that team.”

They sure were, Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said after having to witness it all from her front-row seat on the opposing bench. 

“They lifted up the energy, they out-hustled us, we missed a lot of shots,” she said of how the Lynx took over as the game wound down. “They executed better than us, they found a way to win. They made plays down at the other end. They were blowing us up, they were being very physical. They went to another level.”

Much of this would have seemed impossible two hours earlier, when the Lynx were trailing, 32-19, after the first quarter. But Reeve, who coached the U.S. Olympic team to a gold medal in Paris two months ago, was not concerned. 

“We know it’s a long series,” she said. “Nothing is won in the first quarter. It was not the first quarter that we were hoping for. What our narrative was in the time outs was we have to just find our footing, find our footing defensively, and we did in the second quarter. We held them to 12 after giving up 32. We went into halftime in good shape (down by eight).”

As the Lynx pulled themselves back into the game, Reeve and the players on the bench became more animated, sensing something big was brewing.

“Defensively we knew what we had to get done,” Reeve said. “We had to overcome a lot. … We got big stops when we needed ‘em. Repeatedly, whether balls going out of bounds, 50-50 balls, referees, whatever happens, jump balls, fouls, all that stuff, we just had to be gritty at the end, we had to get stops to win and that’s what I’m proud of.”

When Reeve and the Lynx arrived in New York Wednesday, she was asked what the turnaround had been like from Game 5 the previous evening in Minnesota.

“Quick,” she said. 

“It is what it is, as we all know: TV. We just gotta make the best of it.”

That they most certainly did. 

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers spent $325 million and won the bidding war last winter for Yoshinobu Yamamoto and will trust him in their biggest game of the season on Friday.

Manager Dave Roberts wasn’t ready to show his hand early Thursday evening – saying only that Yamamoto would be part of their plan in the winner-take-all Game 5 against the San Diego Padres – but the Dodgers made it official hours later.

“Obviously, I’m sure Yoshinobu will be a part of it,’ Roberts said before the team made the announcement. “How we will deploy the relievers around it, if that’s the case, I just don’t know. … We have six or seven relievers available. So, I feel good about the relief kind of coverage.

“How Yoshinobu is a part of it, we’re still talking through it.’

The Dodgers, so buoyed with confidence after watching their bullpen shut down the Padres the Games 3 and 4 of the National League Division Series – with San Diego scoring in just one of 17 innings – they were tempted to run back the same strategy in Game 5.

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If the Dodgers bullpen wasn’t so powerfully effective in this series, it wouldn’t be so enticing. In the Dodgers’ two victories, the bullpen pitched 15 consecutive scoreless innings.

“Our bullpen is special,’ left-handed reliever Alex Vesia said. “We’ve got eight, nine, 10 guys that can all come in in very high-leverage situations, and I think it shows. The script for us can be written in many different ways, and we use that in our favor, big time.”

Hey, if it’s not broken, why fix it?

“It’s definitely working, that’s for sure,’ said Dodgers reliever Ryan Brasier, who started Game 4 and retired the only four batters he faced. “We have a really close-knit group and have a really good game plan relaying to the staff what that game plan is going to be.’

The only aspect of a bullpen game that Brasier hates, he said, is that once he’s done pitching early in the game, he’s relegated to the bench instead of sitting with his buddies in the bullpen.

“That part sucks because I get so bored after I throw and come in and sit down,’ Brasier said, laughing. “I don’t get to hang out with my guys in the bullpen when I start.’

The Dodgers employed eight different pitchers in Game 4, one shy of the major-league record in a playoff shutout. The only intrigue is who Roberts calls upon to pitch to which batters, and when.

The Dodgers implemented a different twist to the normal bullpen game Wednesday by having their high-leverage relievers pitching early, instead of saving them until late in the game.

“I’ve shown that there’s not a guy I don’t trust in big spots,’ Roberts said. “So, you have a lot of neutrality with our guys. I think that when you have to go to the same well for every big hotspot, it has a tendency in the postseason to catch up to you.

“Where this year, I feel that we have a lot of different guys that we can kind of deploy in certain lanes or certain spots.’

The Padres, on the other hand, don’t bother with any secrecy or gamesmanship.

They announced they are starting Yu Darvish. No trickery involved.

“Everybody operates their own club the way they operate it,’ Padres manager Shildt said. “We’re more like Vince Lombardi; power sweep, ‘here it is.”

It’s the same lineup that was throttled in all but one inning in their two games in San Diego – but also one of the best in baseball.

“This is who we are,’’ Shildt said. “We’re going to compete and execute. If we do that, we’ll shake hands and pop champagne.’

They’ll be leaning heavily on Darvish, who dominated the Dodgers in their 10-2 victory in Game 2, yielding three hits and one run in seven innings.

He may be 0-4 in elimination games but in his last six postseason starts since the 2017 World Series (0-2, 21.60 ERA) with the Dodgers, he has gone 3-2 with a 2.56 ERA, permitting 28 hits and striking out 32 batters.

Darvish also has quite the glossy record against the Dodgers, yielding a 2.35 ERA in 17 career starts, and has won the two postseason games he has started against them.

“Maybe it is the experience that I have accumulated up until today,’ Darvish said, “that’s making me feel calm right now.’

Really, the only nerves may be wondering how the baseball fans back home in Japan will react when they see two of their greatest pitchers face one another.

“I think it’s a great thing that we’re able to go at it with each other in Game 5 of an NLDS game,’ Darvish said. “At a personal level, really good friends with him as well. Just for us to be able to go out there and pitch on the same day, a playoff game, I think it means a lot.’

The Padres can only hope that history repeats itself, having won the three previous three winner-take-all games in franchise history, while the Dodgers would love to celebrate their first postseason series clinch in front of their hometown fans since 2013 – though they did win the 2021 NL wild-card game at home.

“We have a bunch of grinders and a bunch of fighters,” Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts said. “They’re a tough team. We knew this wasn’t going to be easy. Nothing’s easy. So you just got to take whatever cards you’re dealt and play them.

“And that’s what we’ve been doing.”

Says Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill: “I don’t care if we’re down to our last life. They’re down to their last life, too.’’

Win or go home.

What more could you want?

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The Detroit Tigers clubhouse was dead silent.

The room felt empty, like all the air was left out of a balloon after the Cleveland Guardians beat the Tigers, 5-4, in Game 4 of the American League division series on Thursday night.

Now, these two teams will play once again in an elimination game Saturday at Progressive Field in Cleveland.

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BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — When Courtney Williams signed as a free agent with Minnesota in February, the ninth-year guard knew she’d have to tweak her game, and focus on passing more than scoring.  

After all, the Lynx feature one of the best players in the world in Napheesa Collier, a forward who can score inside and out and make all sorts of defensive plays. Collier will almost always be the go-to, especially when the Lynx need a bucket in a late-game situation. 

But it turns out the 5-foot-8 guard can still be a No. 1 offensive option — especially when her team needs it. 

Williams hit two crazy, how-did-that-happen? 3s, one with 5.5 seconds left in regulation and the other with 1:16 to play in overtime, helping the Lynx pull off a stunning, come-from-behind win in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, beating the New York Liberty 95-93 in Barclays Center. 

Minnesota now leads the best-of-five series 1-0. Game 2 is Sunday at Barclays before the series moves to Minneapolis for Game 3 and, if necessary, Game 4. Game 5 would be back in New York. 

Williams finished with a team-high 23 points, Kayla McBride added 22 and Collier chipped in 21. The Defensive Player of the Year, Collier also tallied eight rebounds, six blocks and three steals. 

Williams’ most crucial points came down the stretch, a result, Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said, of the veteran playmaker recognizing that “her team needed her to be more aggressive.”  

Down 3 with 18 seconds to go, Williams drained a 3 with 5.5 seconds on the clock — and drew a foul on Sabrina Ionescu for a potential four-point play. Her make came after her miss, and she got another shot (literally) because of an offensive board by Minnesota’s Alanna Smith. It was one of only five offensive rebounds the Lynx nabbed in the game, but it was huge. Williams drained the free throw, giving the Lynx a one-point edge — the first time they’d led all night. New York coach Sandy Brondello called it a “backbreaking” sequence. 

After a chaotic back-and-forth on the other end, Breanna Stewart stepped to the line for two shots with .8 seconds left in regulation. She hit the first but missed the second, and suddenly, despite the fact that New York had at one point held an 18-point lead, the game was headed to overtime. 

Williams’ second big 3 came with 1:16 in the extra period, with the Lynx rolling and the Liberty on their heels. Her 28-footer stretched Minnesota’s lead back to four, and on the following possession, she finished at the rim for two more points. Collier wound up hitting the game-winner, a tough, turnaround fadeaway 12-footer with 8.8 seconds to play. 

Williams and Collier combined to score 22 of Minnesota’s final 24 points. 

Stewart got a great look inside at the buzzer, but couldn’t finish. 

The comeback tied the largest-ever in WNBA Finals history; in 1999, the Liberty came back from 18 down to beat the Houston Comets (Houston went on to win the championship).

Williams, a Georgia native whose Southern drawl always makes her teammates and coaches smile, said her flurry of late-game points is “a testament to how we believe in each other. We have so many great 3-point shooters, and the fact that these girls are out here trying to get me the ball, I mean, I could cry. This is amazing. I love it.

‘These people I’m around, we believe in each other so much. It’s crazy, man. I’m happy to be here.’

The same cannot be said for the Liberty, who looked shell-shocked postgame. 

Stewart, who finished with 18 points and nine rebounds, said of New York, “we take it on the chin.”

“We were up a lot, then we had a wild kind of sequence to end the fourth, didn’t start overtime great, I had a great look at the end and I didn’t make it,” Stewart said. “But this is a series. We wanted to win, obviously, but the beauty is, we have another game on Sunday and we’ll be ready.” 

Asked afterward where her four-point play ranks of her favorite shots, she laughed. 

“Where does that rank, I don’t know. It’s No. 1 right now, cause we are here, 1-0,” Williams said. 

Then Reeve quipped, “I”m just happy she made a clutch free throw.” 

The two ribbed each other back and forth, more proof of what Reeve said after Minnesota’s series-clinching win over Connecticut in the semifinals, when she admitted, “I didn’t really know what we were getting (with Courtney). The basketball, sure, I watched her play for years. But I don’t know if I knew exactly what we were getting in terms of the person or the coachability. You can say anything to her and I love that.” 

It’s true. When they studied the stat sheet together Thursday during the postgame news conference, Reeve happily pointed out Williams’ five assists — then wondered aloud, “Does that one you threw to Sabrina count?” 

Everyone laughed, Williams the sharpshooter hardest of all. 

DETROIT — Back to Cleveland they go.

For one more game.

Winner takes all.

The Cleveland Guardians beat the Detroit Tigers, 5-4, on Thursday night in Game 4 of the ALDS, tying the series and setting up a clench-your-teeth, hold-your-breath series finale. These two teams will play in Game 5 Saturday at Progressive Field in Cleveland.

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In many ways, this was a wasted opportunity for the Tigers. They were playing at home, in front of a packed house of 44,923, with no pressure. Cleveland had its back to the wall, in a must-win game.

And the Tigers looked like they were in a great position, taking a 3-2 lead into the seventh.

But with two outs in the seventh inning, David Fry hit a two-run homer off Beau Brieske, giving the Guardians a 4-3 lead.

Then, in the ninth, Fry put down a perfect bunt on a safety squeeze, as Cleveland added another run.

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BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — The WNBA is more popular and in demand than ever, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Thursday before Game 1 of the Finals between the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx — and she says the league is prepared to meet that demand. 

Starting in 2025, the WNBA Finals will switch to a best-of-seven game series, increasing from the best-of-five game format. The home-away format will follow the NBA, with 2-2-1-1-1, with the higher-seeded team maintaining home-court advantage. 

“This will give our fans a championship format that they are accustomed to seeing in other sports,” Engelbert said. 

Additionally, the first round, which is a best-of-three game series, will switch to a 1-1-1 format, guaranteeing all playoff teams will host at least one game. This will be a financial boon to teams like Indiana, which sold out numerous games this season behind excitement around Caitlin Clark but had to go on the road to Connecticut for its only two playoff games. 

The WNBA will play 44 regular-season games next season, the most for the 28-year-old league. The 2025 season does not have international competition next year with neither Olympic nor World Cup events scheduled. Engelbert said “we all want to grow the game globally … which is why most of what we’re doing is expanding our season on the backend,’ a nod to the increased playoff games.

The WNBA is set to expand starting next season: Golden State will begin play in 2025 and Toronto and Portland in 2026. Engelbert said the plan is still to get to 16 teams total, which means there’s one more expansion team to come. Engelbert said the goal is to have that team playing by no later than 2028. 

Related to expansion, the league announced that Golden State will pick fifth in each of three rounds of the 2025 draft. The draft lottery will take place Nov. 17 to determine the order of the first four picks (Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago and Washington are the teams in the mix for the lottery). 

Engelbert rattled off numbers at the beginning of her news conference to demonstrate the growth of the league. She mentioned significant spikes in viewership, attendance, digital engagement and merchandise sales, and specifically called out the league reaching a record 54 million viewers this season, hitting 1 million WNBA app downloads and experiencing nearly a 300% jump in social engagement, among other metrics. 

“Younger, more diverse audiences are imperative to the growth of the sports industry, and they flocked to the WNBA this season. Viewership by fans under 35 increased by 211%, led by a 259% increase by Gen Z and Millennial women,” Engelbert said.

But she also acknowledged that “the growth has not come without growing pains,” a nod to the troubling trend of numerous players across the league suffering online harassment.

Asked if anything can be done to quell the online harassment, Engelbert said the league is exploring some potential “technology solutions,” and plans to talk more with players and the Players’ Association about a game plan for dealing with online hate. 

Engelbert has also been in conversations with players and the Players’ Association about the looming Nov. 1 deadline for players to opt out of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement. If players decide to opt out, negotiations would start at the end of next season. 

Whether or not they opt out, Engelbert said, everyone has the same goal: “Take this league to the next level for generations to come.”