A pint-sized secret weapon

The GIST: Love it or hate it, the NBA Play-In Tournament delivered with last night’s thrilling Western Conference (WC) tip-off, giving way to tonight’s Eastern Conference (EC) double-header. Nothing like high-stakes hoops.

How it works: The top six teams in each conference already punched their playoff tickets, but the Play-In tourney gives the seventh- through 10th-placed squads a chance to earn a spot.

• The winners of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 games clinch the No. 7 seed in their conference, but the losers face the winners of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 matchups to decide the No. 8 spots. Living for the chaos.

Last night’s WC recap: LeBron James and the No. 8 LA Lakers topped the No. 7 New Orleans Pelicans 110–106, earning the No. 7 seed and a first-round showdown with the No. 2 Denver Nuggets…who swept them in the 2023 Western Conference Finals. *gulp*

• And come Friday, the Pels will face the No. 9 Sacramento Kings for the WC No. 8 spot after the Kings topped the Golden State Warriors 118–94. Revenge is best served in the play-in.

EC Preview — No. 8 Miami Heat vs. No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers — Tonight at 7 p.m. ET: The Sixers’ success hinges on one man’s knee health, but if reigning MVP Joel Embiid (pronounced jo-ELL em-BEAD) plays at full strength, Philly could dominate.

• That said, no one loves to defy the odds as much as the Heat, who fought their way from the 2023 Play-In to the Finals behind Playoff Jimmy Butler.

EC Preview — No. 10 Atlanta Hawks vs. No. 9 Chicago Bulls — Tonight at 9:30 p.m. ET: Chicago’s seen this film before, winning their first 2023 play-in game, but experience aside, the Bulls have struggled with consistency all season, much like…the Hawks.

So despite Chicago’s three regular season wins over Atlanta, this match feels like a toss up, especially with the Hawks’ Trae Young back on the floor. Will Chicago break out their pint-sized secret weapon? Only time will tell.

The GIST: With the men’s first of four majors done and dusted, it’s time for the women to take center stage with The Chevron Championship — the first of five women’s majors — teeing off from The Club at Carlton Woods in Texas tomorrow morning.

The purse: This year’s prize pool is a whopping $7.9M, an increase of $4.8M over the last three years thanks to Chevron’s title sponsorship. Golfers who miss the cut will receive $10K, the highest missed-cut stipend on tour.

• These increases have helped the total season’s prize pool reach a record $118M. Women’s sports is a good investment after all.

Players to watch: All eyes will be on American and world No. 1 Nelly Korda. After winning the Drive On Championship in January, Korda took a seven-week break before winning the last four events.

• Defending champion and fellow American world No. 2 Lilia Vu (who will tee off in a group with Korda) has yet to win an event this season. A two-time major winner last year, Vu can raise the par when it matters most.

• World No. 8 Lydia Ko is never out of the mix. The Kiwi won the opening event of the year and a win would give her Hall of Fame status. As for Ko’s flight mate, Canadian and world No. 12 Brooke Henderson has been a consistent force on the links.

Those heartwarming handmade posters at PWHL games prove there’s nothing like seeing your dreams become reality live and in person. That’s why Air Canada, the league’s Inaugural Premier Partner and Official Airline, wants to send one young fan and a guest to a game in the first-ever PWHL championship final via the Air Canada Fan Flight.

• That’s right, Air Canada wants to whisk away the PWHL’s biggest fan (and their plus-one) on a trip of a lifetime including round-trip flights, accommodation, and two tickets to a game in the best-of-five finals.

Know a superfan with PWHL ice in their veins? Nominate them (or yourself!) for the Air Canada Fan Flight, then bust out the art supplies for your poster and start dreaming.