The final day of the 2023-24 NHL regular season is Thursday, but the Eastern Conference teams will close things out by Wednesday. And it may take that long before we know the identity of all eight playoff teams in that conference.

Monday is a big night in the race for the second wild card, with the Washington Capitals (the team currently in that spot), Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins all playing game No. 81 on their schedule. The New York Islanders -- No. 3 in the Metro Division -- are also playing their penultimate game.

As it stands, the Isles have 90 points and 27 regulation wins, three points clear of the field, but behind the Caps, Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers in regulation wins (the first tiebreaker); the Flyers cannot catch New York, but the other two clubs can. Adding to the chaos, all four games involving these teams are slated for 7 p.m. ET puck drop:

• A win for the Isles against the New Jersey Devils (7 p.m. ET, NHL Power Play on ESPN+) ends any threat. That's the easiest path to the playoffs for New York, setting up a first-round matchup with the Metro's No. 2 seed (either the New York Rangers or Carolina Hurricanes).

• The Capitals (87 points, 30 RW) are hosting the Boston Bruins (7 p.m. ET, NHL Network). A win of any kind puts them at 89 points, making the margin of error quite thin for the other teams.

• Detroit (87 points, 27 RW) is squaring off against the Montreal Canadiens (7 p.m. ET, NHL Power Play on ESPN+). Given the shortage of regulation wins, they need every W they can get.

• A loss to those same Bruins on Saturday put a dent in the Penguins' chances (86 points, 31 RW), and they'll look to rebound against the Nashville Predators (7 p.m. ET, NHL Power Play on ESPN+).

An incredibly important game sits on the Tuesday schedule, with the Capitals visiting the Flyers; that same evening, the Red Wings visit Montreal for the second half of a back-to-back, home-and-away set. And on Wednesday, the Penguins and Islanders play game No. 82 -- against one another!

This race has been one of the closest in recent memory, and it appears it's going right down to the wire.

Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.

Jump ahead:
Current playoff matchups
Clinching scenarios
Monday's schedule
Sunday's scores
Expanded standings
Race for No. 1 pick

Current playoff matchups

Eastern Conference

A1 Boston Bruins vs. WC1 Tampa Bay Lightning
A2 Florida Panthers vs. A3 Toronto Maple Leafs
M1 New York Rangers vs. WC2 Washington Capitals
M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. M3 New York Islanders

Western Conference

C1 Dallas Stars vs. WC2 Vegas Golden Knights
C2 Winnipeg Jets vs. C3 Colorado Avalanche
P1 Vancouver Canucks vs. WC1 Nashville Predators
P2 Edmonton Oilers vs. P3 Los Angeles Kings

Clinching scenarios

1. The New York Islanders will clinch a playoff berth if they win against the New Jersey Devils in any fashion.

They will also clinch if they lose in overtime or shootout to the Devils AND one or both of the following occur:

• The Detroit Red Wings lose to the Montreal Canadiens in any fashion

• The Washington Capitals lose to the Boston Bruins in any fashion

They will also clinch if ANY of these three outcomes transpire:

• The Red Wings lose to the Canadiens in regulation AND the Caps lose to the Bruins in regulation

• The Red Wings lose to the Canadiens in regulation AND the Pittsburgh Penguins lose to the Nashville Predators in any fashion

• The Caps lose to the Bruins in regulation AND the Penguins lose to the Preds in any fashion

2. The New York Rangers will clinch the Metro Division, Eastern Conference and Presidents' Trophy if they defeat the Ottawa Senators in any method.

3. The Bruins will clinch the Atlantic Division if they win against the Caps in any fashion.

4. The idle Vancouver Canucks will clinch the Pacific Division if the Edmonton Oilers lose to the San Jose Sharks in any fashion.

5. The Predators will clinch Western wild card No. 1 if they win or lose in OT/shootout to the Penguins.

Monday's games

Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available via NHL Power Play, which is included in an ESPN+ subscription (local blackout restrictions apply).

Montreal Canadiens at Detroit Red Wings, 7 p.m.
Buffalo Sabres at Tampa Bay Lightning, 7 p.m.
New York Islanders at New Jersey Devils, 7 p.m.
Nashville Predators at Pittsburgh Penguins, 7 p.m.
Boston Bruins at Washington Capitals, 7 p.m. (NHLN)
Ottawa Senators at New York Rangers, 7:30 p.m.
San Jose Sharks at Edmonton Oilers, 9:30 p.m.
Minnesota Wild at Los Angeles Kings, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Sunday's scoreboard

St. Louis Blues 4, Seattle Kraken 1
Vegas Golden Knights 4, Colorado Avalanche 3 (OT)
Carolina Hurricanes 4, Chicago Blackhawks 2
Calgary Flames 6, Arizona Coyotes 5

Expanded standings

Atlantic Division

x - Boston Bruins

Points: 109
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 2
Points pace: 112
Next game: @ WSH (Monday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - Florida Panthers

Points: 108
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 1
Points pace: 109
Next game: vs. TOR (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - Toronto Maple Leafs

Points: 102
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 2
Points pace: 105
Next game: @ FLA (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - Tampa Bay Lightning

Points: 96
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 2
Points pace: 98
Next game: vs. BUF (Monday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Detroit Red Wings

Points: 87
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 2
Points pace: 89
Next game: vs. MTL (Monday)
Playoff chances: 65.7%
Tragic number: 4

e - Buffalo Sabres

Points: 82
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 1
Points pace: 83
Next game: @ TB (Monday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - Ottawa Senators

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 2
Points pace: 78
Next game: @ NYR (Monday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - Montreal Canadiens

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 2
Points pace: 76
Next game: @ DET (Monday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Metropolitan Division

x - New York Rangers

Points: 112
Regulation wins: 42
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 1
Points pace: 113
Next game: vs. OTT (Monday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - Carolina Hurricanes

Points: 111
Regulation wins: 44
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 1
Points pace: 112
Next game: @ CBJ (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

New York Islanders

Points: 90
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 2
Points pace: 92
Next game: @ NJ (Monday)
Playoff chances: 94.5%
Tragic number: N/A

Washington Capitals

Points: 87
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 2
Points pace: 89
Next game: vs. BOS (Monday)
Playoff chances: 21.6%
Tragic number: N/A

Philadelphia Flyers

Points: 87
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 1
Points pace: 88
Next game: vs. WSH (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 6.4%
Tragic number: 3

Pittsburgh Penguins

Points: 86
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 2
Points pace: 88
Next game: vs. NSH (Monday)
Playoff chances: 11.7%
Tragic number: 3

e - New Jersey Devils

Points: 81
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 1
Points pace: 82
Next game: vs. NYI (Monday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - Columbus Blue Jackets

Points: 64
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 1
Points pace: 65
Next game: vs. CAR (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Central Division

y - Dallas Stars

Points: 111
Regulation wins: 40
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 1
Points pace: 112
Next game: vs. STL (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - Winnipeg Jets

Points: 106
Regulation wins: 44
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 2
Points pace: 109
Next game: vs. SEA (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - Colorado Avalanche

Points: 105
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 1
Points pace: 106
Next game: vs. EDM (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - Nashville Predators

Points: 99
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 1
Points pace: 100
Next game: @ PIT (Monday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

e - St. Louis Blues

Points: 91
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 1
Points pace: 92
Next game: @ DAL (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - Minnesota Wild

Points: 85
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 2
Points pace: 87
Next game: @ LA (Monday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - Arizona Coyotes

Points: 75
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 1
Points pace: 76
Next game: vs. EDM (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - Chicago Blackhawks

Points: 51
Regulation wins: 17
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 2
Points pace: 52
Next game: @ VGK (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Pacific Division

x - Vancouver Canucks

Points: 107
Regulation wins: 43
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 2
Points pace: 110
Next game: vs. CGY (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - Edmonton Oilers

Points: 102
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 3
Points pace: 106
Next game: vs. SJ (Monday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - Los Angeles Kings

Points: 97
Regulation wins: 37
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 2
Points pace: 99
Next game: vs. MIN (Monday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - Vegas Golden Knights

Points: 96
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 2
Points pace: 98
Next game: vs. CHI (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

e - Calgary Flames

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 2
Points pace: 81
Next game: @ VAN (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - Seattle Kraken

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 2
Points pace: 81
Next game: @ WPG (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - Anaheim Ducks

Points: 57
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 1
Points pace: 58
Next game: @ VGK (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - San Jose Sharks

Points: 47
Regulation wins: 14
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 2
Points pace: 48
Next game: @ EDM (Monday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

p -- clinched Presidents' Trophy
y -- clinched division
x -- clinched playoff berth
e -- eliminated from playoff contention

Race for the No. 1 pick

The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the draw for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process can be found here. Sitting No. 1 on the draft board for this summer is Macklin Celebrini, a freshman at Boston University.

1. San Jose Sharks

Points: 47
Regulation wins: 14

2. Chicago Blackhawks

Points: 51
Regulation wins: 17

3. Anaheim Ducks

Points: 57
Regulation wins: 20

4. Columbus Blue Jackets

Points: 64
Regulation wins: 20

5. Montreal Canadiens

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 20

6. Arizona Coyotes

Points: 75
Regulation wins: 27

7. Ottawa Senators

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 24

8. Seattle Kraken

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 27

9. Calgary Flames

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 31

10. New Jersey Devils

Points: 81
Regulation wins: 33

11. Buffalo Sabres

Points: 82
Regulation wins: 32

12. Minnesota Wild

Points: 85
Regulation wins: 31

13. Pittsburgh Penguins*

Points: 86
Regulation wins: 31

14. Detroit Red Wings

Points: 87
Regulation wins: 27

15. Philadelphia Flyers

Points: 87
Regulation wins: 30

16. St. Louis Blues

Points: 91
Regulation wins: 31

* The Penguins' first-round pick was traded to the Sharks as part of the Erik Karlsson trade. However, it is top-10 protected.

A 6-0 win -- including a four-goal night by one of his star players in Cole Palmer -- should have left Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino with no issues following the game.

But that was far from the case, as the Argentine coach took his team to task for an incident regarding who would take a penalty kick in the second half with Chelsea already up 4-0 on Everton on Monday night at Stamford Bridge.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Captain Conor Gallagher had to intervene to shove away Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke as they squabbled for the ball after the latter was brought down in the box. Gallagher secured the ball then handed it to Palmer, the team's designated penalty taker.

"The players and staff know that Cole Palmer is the penalty taker," said a furious Pochettino after the game. "I am so, so upset about the situation. Discipline is the most important thing in our team.

"We all agree they [Jackson and Madueke] were wrong. They are not experienced players. They are young. It was very good the reaction by Conor Gallagher [to diffuse things]."

"We can't show that type of behaviour," he continued. "It's like we are in a school, and our job is to show them they were wrong so they can learn. There will be no punishment, but this can't happen again. If Palmer is on the pitch, he is the penalty taker."

Pochettino went on to apologize for the incident and the "bad image" of the club that it presented.

Palmer calmly slotted home the penalty -- bringing his tally to a perfect 9-for-9 from the spot this season -- to make it 5-0 and move alongside Manchester City's Erling Haaland at the top of the Premier League scoring charts with 20. The goal also brought Palmer's tally in all competitions to 23 as he became the first Chelsea player to reach 20 since Eden Hazard in 2018-19.

"He was a player always with the capacity to score when at Manchester City, but I think the way he has adapted himself is fantastic," Pochettino said of Palmer. "He is amazing for the team, for him, and he is showing that the club made the right decision in signing him.

"Overall, I am happy with the performance. We showed a different approach than against Sheffield United [a 2-2 draw last Sunday]. We improved in different areas, and today was the perfect game."

With Chelsea, who have struggled all season in Pochettino's return to England, finally rounding into form and chasing the European places in the Premier League, the former Tottenham Hotspur coach said it was time for his team to grow up and learn from its mistakes.

"It's impossible after a performance like this to have this type of behavior that shows that we are in a process, and we will learn a lot," Pochettino added. "We are a great team fighting for big things. We need to change and think more in a collective way.

"I thought we behaved like kids today. When this happens, we need to learn and learn quick. Perform like today but behave much better."

The result keeps Chelsea in ninth place on 47 points but only trailing the teams in front of them by three and with games in hand as they look to move up the table before the season finale on May 19.

Information from Reuters was used in this story.

It's Monday, another week of MLS action is in the books, which means it's time for ESPN's Power Rankings.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Our Power Rankings are derived from a combination of key season statistics (points per game, goal differential, expected goal (xG) differential), recent performance, the Opta computer ratings and the observations of our writers.

Who's climbing the table? Who's in free fall? We've ranked all 29 clubs in the league after Matchday 7. Let's dive in.

1. New York Red Bulls

Previous ranking: 1

A reckless foul from Andres Reyes diminished New York to 10 men from the 42nd minute on. The league's assist leader, Dante Vanzeir, made way for another defender in the process. Despite that, and with just 23% of the ball in the second half, they produced more quality chances than Chicago overall and came away with a 0-0 draw.

2. Philadelphia Union

Previous ranking: 2

Philadelphia goes to Atlanta, plays before 42k+ fans, falls behind 2-0 and finds a way to scrape back to a draw. Philly's two goals -- in the 73th and 77th minutes -- ensure it's still the only unbeaten team in MLS.

3. Vancouver Whitecaps

Previous ranking: 3

Vancouver picked up their second loss of the season in a clash of the west's top-ranked teams. After falling 3-1 to the LA Galaxy at home thanks to two late goals from the Californians and a failure to finish their chances, they'll test their mettle with a few interesting upcoming road games (Seattle, Red Bulls).

4. Columbus Crew

Previous ranking: 4

Crew were held RSL to a 0-0 draw in Utah following a historic win in Mexico last week. It wasn't their most notable performance of the year, but absent a few players (Cucho Hernandez was suspended because of a red card) and resting others, a point on the road against a strong team is solid for Week 9.

5. LAFC

Previous ranking: 6

In the first meeting of a clash recurring in two weeks, LAFC and Portland tied 2-2 in Portland with the Timbers down to 10 men. Tim Tillman had a late match winner called off in a test that had LA looking extra threatening at the end.

6. Inter Miami CF

Previous ranking: 7

Limping back to league play after falling to Monterrey midweek in the Concacaf Champions Cup, Miami reasserted itself as Supporters Shield leaders before 72,610 fans at Arrowhead Stadium. Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Diego Gomez all registered memorable goals and elite performances in the Herons' first win since March 16.

7. Real Salt Lake

Previous ranking: 8

With home field advantage and a date with a Crew team that was rotating its squad, RSL may regret not making more of their eight shots on target. That said, a 0-0 draw with the reigning Champions is no reason to fret.

8. LA Galaxy

Previous ranking: 9

Galaxy recovered from their El Trafico defeat to LAFC by taking points on the road from Vancouver, the west's second-ranked team. After taking the initial lead, they let the Whitecaps equalize on a set piece -- their seventh goal conceded from a set piece this season -- but recovered minutes later to claim two more goals before the end. Their attack is ever-threatening: only Miami have scored more goals this season. But they desperately need to straighten out their defending of the set piece.

9. Atlanta United FC

Previous ranking: 10

Still without forward Giorgos Giakoumakis, Atlanta let a 2-0 advantage slip for just the fifth time in club history. The Union are pesky visitors, but the hosts will rue letting this end 2-2. The Union's first goal also came directly off the back of an egregious mistake.

NEW YORK -- WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert is "pretty confident" the league will expand to 16 teams by 2028 and that the goal is to bring in a 14th team for 2026, she told reporters Monday.

With women's basketball booming in popularity, players and fans alike have called for expansion, as the WNBA's current footprint of 12 teams, each with 12 roster spots, means the league can accommodate a maximum of 144 players.

The WNBA announced late last year it is adding a 13th team that will be owned and operated by the Golden State Warriors. It is the league's first new franchise since the Atlanta Dream in 2008.

"It's complex because you need the arena and practice facility and player housing and all the things you need, committed long-term ownership groups," Engelbert said before Friday's WNBA draft. "And so, the nice thing is we're getting a lot of calls, we're continuing to engage with cities."

Engelbert mentioned cities such as Philadelphia, Toronto, Portland, Denver and Nashville as well as South Florida as places the league is in discussions with for potential expansion franchises.

"These can either take a very long time to negotiate or it can happen pretty quickly if you find the right ownership group with the right arena situation," Engelbert added.

Among other topics, Engelbert said the WNBA will once again pay for charter flights during the upcoming season for the entire playoffs and for back-to-back games that require air travel. There will be more back-to-back sets in the 2024 campaign with the WNBA taking a long break for the Olympics in late July and early August. The league spent $4 million on charters in 2023, and it will do the same this year.

"No one wants [charters] more than I do for these players. We need to be in the right financial position," Engelbert said. "Just a few years ago, we were surviving; now we're going from survive to thrive. We want to do it at the appropriate time."

The league also is planning to hold an expansion draft for the Golden State franchise, which has yet to announce an official name, in December. The team will play at San Francisco's Chase Center, home of the Warriors, and practice at the Warriors' old practice facility in Oakland.

"It will happen before the college draft, and we'll share more details when we get closer to that," Engelbert said. "Talking to general managers and coaches and teams and owners, there will be an expansion draft this year, and it will probably be in December."

Engelbert knows this year's draft has more household names, including Iowa's Caitlin Clark, who helped the NCAA reach its best viewership in history for women's basketball with nearly 19 million fans watching the national title game against South Carolina. Among the other well-known players being drafted are LSU's Angel Reese, South Carolina's Kamilla Cardoso and Stanford's Cameron Brink.

The commissioner noted that the WNBA bought ads that ran during NCAA tournament broadcasts, starting with the Sweet 16.

"I'm thrilled we have household names coming in," Engelbert said. "We need to market around that."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

NEW YORK -- Caitlin Clark is officially a pro.

Clark, the record-breaking face of women's college basketball, was selected No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA draft Monday night at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The draft was held in front of 1,000 fans, who bought all the tickets within 15 minutes of them going on sale a few months ago.

"I got a little anxious there before the pick," Clark said with a laugh during an interview with ESPN's Holly Rowe. "I dreamed of this moment since I was in second grade, and it's taken a lot of hard work, a lot of ups and downs, but more than anything, just trying to soak it in."

Los Angeles chose Stanford's Cameron Brink at No. 2. She'll get to stay in California and will give the Sparks a two-way player. The prolific scorer was also the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. The Sparks needed to replace franchise player Nneka Ogwumike, who left for Seattle in free agency.

Brink's godmother, Sonya Curry, is the mother of Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry.

"I FaceTimed Steph five minutes before the show started and he said have fun with it," Brink said. "He can share so much great advice since he's been through this. Make stuff like this fun as it can be stressed."

Brink is the third Stanford player selected in the top two of the WNBA draft, joining Chiney and Nneka Ogwumike. The only college with more is UConn.

Chicago had the third pick, which the Sky used to select South Carolina's Kamilla Cardoso, the 2024 Final Four Most Outstanding Player. Cardoso had a busy week, helping the Gamecocks win the national championship to complete an undefeated season. She took part in the team's championship parade on Sunday before traveling to New York.

The Sparks were back on the clock at No. 4 and chose Tennessee's Rickea Jackson, who was one of five SEC players to average at least 20 points and 5 rebounds in multiple seasons over the last 25 years. Jackson is one of two Tennessee players with 30 points and 10 rebounds in an NCAA tournament game, the other being Candace Parker, who began her career with the Sparks as well.

Ohio State guard Jacy Sheldon went fifth to the Dallas Wings, and the Washington Mystics took UConn's Aaliyah Edwards at No. 6. Edwards put up career highs in both scoring (17.6 PPG) and rebounding (9.2 PPG) in 2023-24.

The Sky then traded up to seventh to select LSU star Angel Reese, the Final Four Most Outstanding Player during LSU's national championship run in 2023. Reese had 61 double-doubles over the last two seasons, the most in Division I and second most in LSU history, trailing only Sylvia Fowles.

"I'm excited to play with Kamilla -- I've been playing against her since high school," said Reese, who is the highest pick LSU has had since Fowles in 2008 (second overall).

"She's a great player and I'm a great player. Nobody's going to get no rebounds on us," the 6-foot-7 Cardoso said, laughing.

Minnesota, which had swapped picks with Chicago, drafted Alissa Pili of Utah eighth. Pili averaged 21.1 points over the past two seasons, which ranked fourth in Division I behind only Clark (29.7), Ta'Niya Latson (21.3) and McKenna Hofschild (21.3).

The Wings took Carla Leite of France with the ninth pick. Leïla Lacan, also from France, is headed to the Connecticut Sun at No. 10. The New York Liberty, who made the WNBA Finals last year, selected Marquesha Davis with the 11th pick. Davis becomes just the fourth Ole Miss player to be selected in the first round.

The Atlanta Dream closed out the first round by drafting Nyadiew Puoch of Australia. It's the fourth time in draft history that three or more international players were selected in the first round (2021, 2001, 2000).

Clark, a 6-foot-0 guard and West Des Moines, Iowa, native enters the league on top of the world. A two-time national player of the year, Clark ended her collegiate career with 3,951 points, the most in men's and women's Division I history, while propelling the Iowa Hawkeyes to back-to-back national title game appearances, their first in program history.

Her logo 3-pointers, highlight-reel assists and offensive firepower (she averaged 31.6 points per game as a senior, and 28.4 points for her career) have drawn sellout crowds in Iowa City and on the road, while shattering television ratings across a multitude of television networks and streaming platforms along the way.

She has her own cereal box, State Farm commercials and just this past weekend appeared as herself on "Saturday Night Live." Now, her biggest challenge, and biggest opportunity, awaits.

"I earned it, that's why I'm so proud of it," Clark told Rowe.

The Fever haven't appeared in the playoffs since 2016, the legendary Tamika Catchings' final season. But with Clark joining forces with last year's No. 1 overall pick in Aliyah Boston, the pairing of generational powers seems destined to change the trajectory of the franchise -- and possibly the league -- for the years to come.

Winners of the 2012 WNBA title, Indiana has languished since Catchings' retirement, sporting the worst winning percentage in the league since the start of the 2017 season despite selecting lottery picks in each of the last seven drafts. Four of those seven picks are no longer with the team.

Signs of progress emerged this past season with Boston, the franchise's first-ever No. 1 pick, in tow, as they won 13 games, tied for the most since Catchings' retirement. With Clark now in the mix, it seems well within reach for the franchise to snap what is currently the league's longest active streak missing the playoffs.

Clark, the only Division I women's player with more than 3,000 points and 1,000 assists, will have two similarly young but elite post targets in Boston, the reigning rookie of the year, and NaLyssa Smith, a 2022 lottery pick. After Clark developed strong chemistry with Iowa posts Monika Czinano and Hannah Stuelke, the connections she, Boston and Smith can form in Indianapolis are tantalizing prospects for Fever fans.

"The organization has one of the best post players in the entire world. My point guard eyes light up with that," Clark said.

Clark will also share the backcourt with two veteran guards in Kelsey Mitchell, No. 4 on the NCAA Division I all-time scoring list and a top 3-point shooter in the league last season, as well as returning point guard Erica Wheeler.

ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Team USA is finalizing a 2024 Paris Olympics men's basketball roster that includes several of the generation's iconic players, including the Lakers' LeBron James, Warriors' Stephen Curry, Suns' Kevin Durant and 76ers' Joel Embiid, sources told ESPN on Monday.

Team USA managing director Grant Hill is keeping one roster slot open ahead of a July training camp and exhibition games in Las Vegas, sources said.

U.S. basketball is planning to formally announce this 11-man roster that also includes Lakers forward Anthony Davis, Suns guard Devin Booker, Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards, Boston forward Jayson Tatum, Boston guard Jrue Holiday, Miami center Bam Adebayo and Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton, sources said.

Team USA coach Steve Kerr will be coaching Curry -- his four-time championship and two-time MVP guard -- in his first Olympics appearance.

Kerr will also be reunited with Durant, who is one of only two players ever to win three men's basketball Olympic gold medals, along with Carmelo Anthony, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

James is playing in his fourth Olympics, a career that includes a bronze medal in 2004 and gold medals in 2008 and 2012.

Haliburton and Edwards are the only players from the non-medalist 2023 FIBA World Cup team who were selected for the Olympic Games.

CHICAGO -- Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez had an MRI on Monday that showed a mild groin strain.

It was a promising development for Kansas City after Perez left Sunday's 2-1 loss to the New York Mets following a fourth-inning collision at home plate with Starling Marte.

"It was the best result we could have hoped for," manager Matt Quatraro said before the opener of a three-game series at the Chicago White Sox. "Just a mild groin strain, nothing to do with his hip or any other body parts. So we were as happy as we could be with that."

The 33-year-old Perez was out of the starting lineup on Monday night. Freddy Fermin started at catcher against the White Sox.

"He did want to play today, but we're going to use discretion there and give him a full day of treatment," Quatraro said.

Perez is batting .339 with four homers and 15 RBIs in 16 games this season. He hit his 250th career homer Saturday.

Plans to reintroduce a women's tournament at The Queen's Club rest on convincing the ATP Tour the grass courts will remain in good enough condition for the men's event the following week.

The LTA and the All England Club want to stage a WTA tournament at Queen's in the first week of the grass court season from 2025.

If the ATP can be persuaded then the top women's players would be gracing the courts of the west London club for the first time since 1973.

"We have got high confidence, and we have got significant evidence from the All England Club as to how grass courts wear over a two-week period," the LTA chief executive Scott Lloyd said.

"The grass courts at Queen's are perfectly capable of delivering two weeks of professional level tennis. We've got the data.

"We think it would be great for that swing of tournaments and for the women's events, particularly from a visibility and profile perspective."

The LTA says it has studied weather conditions, the density of the soil and potential wear to areas of the court, such as the baseline.

But male players are understood to be unhappy about the prospect of starting their week on used courts.

"The ATP are important partners of ours and we are working with them to try to ensure that the players are happy and comfortable that the surface can sustain use," he continued.

"Typically players are pretty delighted to make it to the second week of Wimbledon and you don't hear them argue too much about the court surface in that scenario. We are very hopeful that there won't be any issues, but we are working through the logistics."

Logistics include the availability of courts for men who arrive early to practise and the impact on the ATP qualifying event which is held the weekend beforehand.

The ATP has been open to the idea of more combined events in recent years but will have to balance that with the wishes of its members. Whether it has the legal cover to block the LTA's plans remains to be seen.

A women's event at Queen's would replace Eastbourne as the sole WTA 500 event staged in the UK in the run-up to Wimbledon.

Eastbourne would still host a combined event but, once the WTA event is downgraded to 250 status, there will be greater restrictions on who can enter.

As a WTA 500 event is staged in Germany in the same week, no top-10 player would be allowed to enter Eastbourne - unless they are British, or the defending champion.

No more than three top-30 players would be permitted in total, and this at an event which in 2023 played host to half of the world's top 10.

"Eastbourne sells out and we've enjoyed it over a very, very long period of time as a major tournament venue, but the reality of that location is that it is commercially limited to some degree," said Lloyd.

"We just think that having a WTA 500 in week one, straight after Roland Garros, will raise the profile of top-level tennis in that period.

"It's not about looking to concentrate our tournaments in London. We will still absolutely support our other venues throughout that calendar, and indeed as you see us doing with Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup - whether that's Glasgow, Manchester, Coventry. We want to have that geographical diversity."

There is no scope for an extra WTA grass-court event in the UK, and, as the LTA now owns the Nottingham Tennis Centre, it is the tournament in Birmingham which is likely to make way for Queen's.

The Edgbaston Priory Club first staged a WTA event in 1982, when Billie Jean King won the title.

These discussions are taking place as the sport investigates the viability of a 'Premium Tour', which could create a series of more exclusive tournaments. But as that is a long way from becoming reality, other ideas continue to be advanced.

Spaniard Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam singles champion, has been plagued by injuries in recent years.

After pulling out of last year's French Open he said he planned to retire after the 2024 season but on his return in Brisbane suggested he may continue if fit.

His match against Italian 21-year-old Flavio Cobolli on Tuesday in Barcelona, where he has won the title a record 12 times, will be his first on clay since winning the final of the 2022 French Open.

His return this week does raise hope of him competing next month at Roland Garros, where he has won 14 of his major titles.

"It means a lot to me to be able to play one more time here in Barcelona, a place that I have amazing success and a lot of unforgettable memories," he said.

"So, I am just trying to enjoy every moment and I am excited about being on court in a professional tournament again, especially here at home.

"I was not able to spend a lot of days on tour over the last two years, so I just want to enjoy every day I am able to play with the guys on a professional level. That means a lot for me."

Elsewhere in the draw Britain's Dan Evans was beaten 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 by American 22-year-old Brandon Nakashima.

But British number two Jack Draper, ranked three places above Evans, beat Czech world number 119 Vit Kopriva in the first round of the Bavarian International in Munich.