No time for crying at the gym
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
The pick is in!
As expected, the Chicago Bears selected quarterback (QB) Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in last night’s NFL Draft, the first of a record-setting six QBs to be taken in the top 12. As the party continues from Detroit today and tomorrow, let’s hut, hut, head right into today’s news.
— Brazilian soccer star Marta, announcing her plans to retire from the international game at the end of the 2024 season. The forward is her country’s top goalscorer and holds the record for most goals scored in a World Cup (women’s or men’s), among countless other accolades. Just GOAT things.
NHL Playoffs
🏒 Another fortnight lost
The GIST: The Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes are just one win away from advancing to the next round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, so let’s see how the rest of the field is stacking up heading into a crucial weekend of games.
Eastern Conference: The President’s Trophy–winning NY Rangers have had the upper hand on the Washington Capitals all series long and will aim to rewrite history as they attempt to go up 3-0 when the puck drops in DC tonight at 7 p.m. ET, but don’t count out captain Alex Ovechkin — despite his struggles, he can turn it on at a moment’s notice.
- Out in Toronto, frustrations are mounting for the Maple Leafs after Wednesday’s 4–2 Game 3 loss to the Boston Bruins, who now lead the series 2-1 thanks to captain Brad Marchand’s outstanding offensive efforts. The rivals meet again for Game 4 tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET.
Western Conference: The West remains as wild as ever with some high-scoring series evened at one game apiece. After dropping their Game 2s on Tuesday, the Winnipeg Jets and Vancouver Canucks will look to get back on track when they head out on the road for tonight’s Game 3s against the Colorado Avalanche (7:30 p.m. ET) and Nashville Predators (10 p.m. ET), respectively.
- The Edmonton Oilers slipped on their own ice in Wednesday’s 5–4 overtime Game 2 loss to the LA Kings — tune in to see if Connor McDavid and Co. can shine under the Hollywood lights in tomorrow’s 10:30 p.m. ET Game 3.
- The defending champion Vegas Golden Knights (up 2-0) are the only squad bucking the trend and will aim to stay in the driver’s seat against the Dallas Stars tomorrow at 10:30 p.m. ET. All in.
🏀 Shoot your shot
The GIST: April is for spring cleaning, and while one NBA squad is readying their brooms for an impending weekend sweep, others are preparing for battle (or being banned from American landmarks). That’s showbiz the postseason, baby.
Who can sweep: After a big Game 3 win last night, the Denver Nuggets are on the brink of securing a conference semifinal berth, showing their championship pedigree by topping the LA Lakers 112–105. No NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win the series, and with a roster as stacked as Denver’s, the writing might be on the wall for LA ahead of tomorrow’s 8:30 p.m. ET Game 4.
Eastern Conference: The four Eastern Conference series are anyone’s for the taking. The Miami Heat’s Tyler Herro lived up to his name on Wednesday, draining six of the team’s three-pointers as his Jimmy Butler–less squad upset the top-seeded Boston Celtics, evening that series before tomorrow’s 6 p.m. ET Game 3 in the 305.
- And the chaos continued in Orlando and Philadelphia last night. The Magic dominated the Cleveland Cavaliers 121–83, behind 31 points from second-year superstar Paolo Banchero, while the 76ers secured a much-needed 125–114 win in their feisty faceoff with the NY Knicks, setting up two nail-biting Game 4s on Sunday.
- As for the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers, who are knotted at one game apiece, their Game 3 is slated for tonight at 5:30 p.m. ET.
Western Conference: Out on the West Coast, the most intriguing series features the LA Clippers and Dallas Mavericks. With one win each and superstars (Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and Paul George for LA, Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving for Dallas) headlining both rosters, this hotly contested series shifts to the Big D for tonight’s 8 p.m. ET Game 3.
- The rest of the series have been pretty snoozy. Both the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves have dominated their first-round opponents, the New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns, respectively, and look poised to make it 3-0 this weekend.
🏒 PWHL Montréal clinched a playoff berth by beating NY 5–2 on Wednesday, joining Toronto as the first two squads to lock in a postseason appearance. Just two spots to go.
🥅 Speaking of, PWHL Minnesota can join them if they beat fifth-place Boston or take things to overtime tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET.
⛳ World No. 83 Australian Grace Kim sits atop the leaderboard after yesterday ’s opening round of the LA Championship, with last week’s Chevron Championship runner-up Swede Maja Stark just one stroke behind.
⚾ When it rains, it pours. The Toronto Blue Jays suffered a rain-shortened 2–1 loss to the Kansas City Royals yesterday, their fourth loss in their last five. See if they can, ahem, fly to a dub against Shohei Ohtani and the LA Dodgers tonight at 7:07 p.m. ET.
⚽ Before they face Ryan Reynolds’ Wrexham squad this summer, the Vancouver Whitecaps will host the NY Red Bulls tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. ET, in a battle of both conferences’ second-place squads.
🏀 Who says you can’t go home? After suiting up with the Seattle Storm for 20 illustrious seasons, legendary hooper Sue Bird joined the franchise’s ownership group yesterday. Truly ballin’.
🏎️ Red Bull design chief Adrian Newey (who is regarded as the best-ever F1 designer) reportedly wants to leave the team after last month’s sexual harassment allegations against team principal Christian Horner.
🇨🇦 Defending champs Team Canada basketball won the first leg of the FIBA Women’s 3x3 Series on Wednesday. Picking up right where they left off.
Together With Air Canada
ICYMI: Air Canada is making dreams come true for one PWHL superfan by booking them (and their plus-one) on their famous Fan Flight to a finals game.
Know a future PWHLer who'd love to see their heroes in-person? Nominate them for the trip of a lifetime and two free tickets to attend a game in the best-of-five finals. Hey now.
- Air Canada is a Canadian company through and through, so they know how important this moment is for the nation’s favorite sport. That’s why they’re going above and beyond to ensure young fans can watch history unfold — because when they soar, we all fly.
Here’s what passed The GIST squad’s vibe check this week:
👟 What to check out
San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatís Jr.’s cleats. The outfielder has 50 (!!!) custom cleats planned for this year, including odes to baseball Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, Stephen Curry, and more.
🌚 Who’s after the moon
Nikola Jokić. The Denver Nuggets hooper sported a very despicable outfit before a playoff game last week, and the internet had a field day.
📖 Where to meet
In your inbox for The GIST Book Club’s discussion of April’s book of the month, Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey. Subscribe to The GIST Book Club’s newsletters to keep the conversation going.
Question of the Day
As NWSL action continues into the sixth weekend of play, the top-of-the-table Kansas City Current are scoring goals at a record rate. How many goals do you think they’ll score against Angel City FC tonight at 10 p.m. ET?
Today ’s email was brought to you by Lauren Tuiskula, Marga Sison, Lisa Minutillo, Karissa Dzurik, and Briana Ekanem. Editing by Laura Pastore, Janine Kiefer, Emma Leishman, Rachel Fuenzalida, and Lindsay Jost. Fact-checking by Parul Kanwar. Ops by Briana Ekanem and Marga Sison. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Alexis Allison, and Dee Lab. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.