Aces’ Becky Hammon adresses turnovers, Buss family to sell Lakers, & UFC in Baku

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Courtney Williams scored 18 of her 20 points in the second half to rally the Minnesota Lynx to a spot in the Commissioner’s Cup final with a 76-62 win over the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday night despite losing Napheesa Collier to a bad back early in the third quarter.

Collier, runner-up in the MVP voting last year, scored her seventh point early in the second half but left at the 7:57 mark and didn’t return. Alanna Smith helped pick up the slack with 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Las Vegas finished with 21 turnovers that were turned into 27 points. The Aces went 6 for 18 between baskets as a four-point deficit ballooned to 16.

The Buss family has agreed to sell the controlling stake of the Los Angeles Lakers to TWG Global CEO Mark Walter, doing so with a franchise valuation of $10 billion — the highest ever for a professional sports franchise, a person with knowledge of the agreement said Wednesday.

As part of the deal, Jeanie Buss — whose family has had control of the Lakers since her father bought the team in 1979 — intends to remain as team governor, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither side immediately announced details.

It is not clear how much more of the Lakers that Walter is acquiring. He was part of a group that bought 27% of the Lakers in 2021. Jeanie Buss will still own at least 15% of the Lakers once this transaction is completed; by NBA rule, a governor must have at least that much of an ownership stake.