A perfect 10
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Leveling The Playing Field
Happy Wednesday!
And happy Jackie Robinson Day, MLB’s annual celebration honoring the trailblazer who broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947. Don’t be alarmed if you see your favorite player wearing No. 42 today — it’s all part of the festivities to honor the legendary Robinson.
- With that, let’s step up to the plate with the rest of today’s sports news.
— Newest Dallas Wing Azzi Fudd, who is reuniting with Bueckers, her 2025 NCAA national champ teammate and girlfriend, after being selected No. 1 overall in Monday’s WNBA Draft. Pazzi forever and ever.
NBA
🏀 It’s time to jam now
The GIST: Two games in, and the NBA Play-In Tournament is already doing what it does best — stirring up chaos. Official playoff berths are on the line, and the high-stakes hoopla has only just begun.
- A quick reminder: The winner of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 game snags their conference’s No. 7 seed. The loser then battles the winner of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 tilt for the No. 8 seed, while the loser of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 game is eliminated. It’s admittedly a little confusing, so let’s discuss…
💥 No. 9 Charlotte Hornets outlast No. 10 Miami Heat in overtime to keep season alive: Last night’s tilt was a bona fide thriller — a LaMelo Ball layup with four seconds left clinched the 127–126 dub, eliminating the Heat in the process. An Eastern Conference playoff berth doesn’t come that easy though: Winners of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 games need two wins to secure their spot.
- That means the Hornets will be watching tonight’s 7:30 p.m. ET game between the No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers and No. 8 Orlando Magic closely: They’ll battle the loser of that showdown for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. No pressure.
🎟️ Portland Trail Blazers lock in Western Conference No. 7 seed: As mentioned, finishing the regular season in the No. 7 or No. 8 spot is a tourney advantage — one win, and you’re in. And Deni Avdija took that to heart, dropping 41 points in last night’s gritty 114–110 upset win over the Phoenix Suns.
- That said, the postseason isn’t over for the Suns just yet: The West’s No. 8 seed is still up for grabs, meaning Phoenix will have another, ahem, shot to punch a playoff ticket.
⭐ Tonight’s must-watch star-powered showdown: It’s not that the Sixers and Magic game won’t be thrilling, but the other game has really caught our attention — a finally-healthy Steph Curry and the No. 10 Golden State Warriors against Kawhi Leonard’s No. 9 LA Clippers at 10 p.m. ET. Two of the best hoopers to ever lace ’em up in a do-or-die Play-In game? Pure (millenial) magic.
NCAA women’s gymnastics
🤸 She’s a perfect 10
The GIST: A positively stacked eight-team field has touched down in Fort Worth, Texas, for the NCAA women’s gymnastics national championships. Join the party and giddy on up — these women are flippin’ fantastic.
⚙️ How it works: The fun begins with tomorrow’s semis, where the top two teams from each four-team meet will earn spots in Saturday’s final. What’s more, the national championships feature both the team competition and gymnasts competing for individual titles in the sport’s four events: vault, uneven bars, beam, and floor.
- There’s also the all-around title, awarded to the gymnast with the highest combined score across all four events during the semis. Every moment counts..
👀 No. 3 LSU sophomore Kailin Chio headlines the 4:30 p.m. ET semi: No. 2 Florida and LSU are the favorites in the first meet, which also features No. 5 Georgia and No. 7 Stanford. Keep an eye on perfect 10 queen Chio, who excels on vault and is regarded as the best all-around college gymnast in the country…yes, even including Olympian and No. 4 UCLA senior Jordan Chiles.
⭐ Chiles begins one last run in the 9 p.m. ET semi: The two-time Olympic medalist has already won three NCAA titles, but never the all-around — and this is her last chance. Chiles is also one perfect 10 on beam away from completing the Gym Slam (a flawless score in all four events) in a single season.
- A major Chiles moment could clinch UCLA’s spot in the team final, but the Bruins have stiff competition: No. 1 Oklahoma, who’s seeking their fourth title in five years, as well as No. 6 Arkansas and No. 8 Minnesota. Time to stick it.
🏀 Record-breaking UCLA seniors take WNBA Draft by storm
The Bruins had a WNBA–record five players taken in the first round on Monday and six selected before the night was over. In fact, three UCLA standouts — Lauren Betts, Gabriela Jaquez, and Kiki Rice — were picked back-to-back-to-back at Nos. 4 through 6. Bru-win, indeed.
- Monday night also featured a hefty dose of international flair, with 10 players selected from overseas, including the Seattle Storm’s No. 3 pick Awa Fam. The 19-year-old phenom was one of two hoopers taken from Spain in the first round. Fantástica.
🇨🇦 Toronto Tempo ink Ontario’s own Kia Nurse in free agency
The WNBA’s first Canadian team officially has its first Canadian player after the Tempo signed the 30-year-old Hamilton product on Monday. A three-time Olympian and league mainstay, Nurse brings even more experience to a Toronto backcourt that already includes savvy veterans Marina Mabrey and Brittney Sykes. Dreams really do come true.
🏒 NHL playoff teams locked in as Buffalo Sabres earn first division title since 2010
All 16 Stanley Cup contenders have officially qualified for the postseason, but all-important seeding is still up for grabs ahead of the final two days of regular-season action. That said, the majority of the divisional crowns have been claimed after the Sabres clinched the Atlantic on Monday. The only outlier? The Pacific Division, where the pillow fight rages on.
🇨🇦⚽ No. 9 CanWNT defeat No. 19 Korea Republic with just 10 women on the field
Canada is still undefeated in FIFA Series play, topping Korea Republic 3–1 yesterday in Brazil. Forward Evelyne Viens opened the scoring before defender Jade Rose was sent off with a red card for an unsavory tackle. Despite playing down a woman for the majority of the match, CanWNT was undeterred as a second-half brace from defender Vanessa Gilles sealed the deal.
Today’s email was brought to you by Alessandra Puccio, Lisa Minutillo, Lauren Tuiskula, Grace DePaull, and Charlotte Mackenzie. Fact-checking by Elisha Gunaratnam and Mikaela Perez. Ops by Elisha Gunaratnam and Briana Ekanem. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula and Alessandra Puccio. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.