Editor's note: until our picks model ships, only the marquee game carries a Vegas line. The rest of the slate is here to help you find the game, not to hand you a bet. Every matchup below links straight to its tile on watch.uristocrat.com.
It is a World Cup day, which means everything else waits its turn. Three knockout matches run across the afternoon and evening, headlined by reigning champion Argentina in Miami. Once the soccer clears, the domestic slate is loaded: the WNBA's best team walks into Brooklyn to face the defending champions, and Major League Baseball serves up a thirteen-game board on the eve of the Fourth.
World Cup today
- Egypt vs Australia (2:00 PM ET, FOX). The afternoon opener at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Two sides that have to win the physical battle to advance, with the roof closed and the heat outside irrelevant.
- Cape Verde vs Argentina (6:00 PM ET, FOX). The match of the day. Argentina, the reigning world champion, faces first-time World Cup nation Cape Verde at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The islands' run has been the story of the tournament; Argentina is the wall in front of it.
- Ghana vs Colombia (9:30 PM ET, FOX). The nightcap at Arrowhead in Kansas City. Colombia has been one of the more watchable teams in the field, and Ghana brings the kind of tempo that can drag a favorite into a track meet.
Marquee: Minnesota Lynx at New York Liberty, the league's top two teams collide (7:30 PM ET, ION)
The Lynx own the best record in the WNBA at 15-4, and they have done it with Napheesa Collier out the entire season after surgery on both ankles. Collier returned to practice this week, but there is no date for her to play, so this is still a test of Minnesota's depth against a real opponent. The Liberty (12-8) are the defending champions and just won the Commissioner's Cup, with Finals MVP Breanna Stewart playing her best basketball of the year. This is Minnesota's chance to prove the record is not a mirage, and New York's chance to remind the league who is still holding the trophy. National TV, top two teams, on the road for the favorite.
Vegas line: Lynx -2.5, total 173.5, moneyline MIN -142 / NY +120 (DraftKings via ESPN).
Also tonight
- Cardinals at Cubs (4:05 PM ET). The day game at Wrigley and the pick of the MLB board on stakes. Chicago (49-38) leads the NL Central, St. Louis (45-39) is chasing, and these two never need a reason to make it mean something.
- Twins at Yankees (7:05 PM ET). New York (48-38) is right in the AL East race and gets a Minnesota club hovering around .500. A Bronx Friday night with the Yankees needing every game in a tight division.
- Rays at Astros (8:15 PM ET). Tampa Bay (51-33) has quietly built one of the best records in baseball. Houston is scuffling at 43-46, so this is a chance to see whether the Rays are for real against a name-brand opponent. On Apple TV.
- Brewers at Diamondbacks (9:45 PM ET). Milwaukee (53-32) has the best record in the National League and the least fanfare to go with it. A late window out in the desert, also on Apple TV.
- Padres at Dodgers (10:10 PM ET). The nightcap and the rivalry. Los Angeles (57-31) has the best record in baseball; San Diego (43-43) plays them tougher than the standings suggest. On ESPN.
- Sky at Aces (10:00 PM ET). The WNBA late game on ION. Las Vegas (14-5) is a title contender again and gets a struggling Chicago side, so this is more about watching the Aces than a close finish.
Watch the soccer while it is on, because the World Cup does not come back around for four years. Then pick your late window: the Lynx-Liberty measuring stick early, or one of two division leaders closing the night out West. Enjoy the holiday weekend.
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