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The GIST: And they’re off! The dramatic NBA play-in tournament more than delivered with last night’s tip-off, giving way to tonight’s win-or-go-home showdowns. Nothing like high stakes hoops.

How it works: First, a quick refresher on the play-in format. While the top six teams in each conference — Eastern Conference (EC) and Western Conference (WC) — already punched their playoff tickets, the tourney gives the seventh- through tenth-placed squads a chance to earn a spot.

• The winners of last night’s No. 7 vs. No. 8 games clinched the No. 7 seed in their conference, but the losers will face the winners of tonight’s No. 9 vs. No. 10 matchups to decide the No. 8 spot. Living for the chaos.
  

Last night’s No. 7 vs. No. 8 games: The early game was a stunner, as Trae Young and the EC No. 8 Atlanta Hawks scorched the No. 7 Miami Heat 116–105, stealing the No. 7 seed and setting up a first-round date with the No. 2 Boston Celtics. Did not see that one coming, TBH.

• Then out West, the No. 7 LA Lakers took care of business against the shorthanded No. 8 Minnesota Timberwolves 108–102 in overtime. LeBron James and Co. get some much-needed rest while the TWolves will need to sort through their differences ahead of Friday’s must-win game.

Tonight’s No. 9 vs. No. 10 games: First up in this single-elimination doubleheader, the EC No. 9 Toronto Raptors host old friend DeMar DeRozan and the No. 10 Chicago Bulls at 7 p.m. ET. Chicago boasts the best road record in the league this season, but they’ll need to keep it squeaky clean against the Raps, who lead the NBA in steals. Expect a nail-biter.

• And schedule in a deep breath before the 9:30 p.m. ET meeting between the WC No. 9 New Orleans Pelicans and No. 10 Oklahoma City Thunder, because three of their four regular-season meetings were decided by four points or less.

The GIST: In their first game without injured star forward Mal Swanson, the No. 1 USWNT beat No. 22 Ireland 1–0 last night to sweep the two-game friendly series. With 99 days to go until the Women’s World Cup (WWC), here’s who stood out and who’s on the bubble ahead of the upcoming roster drop. *gulps*

The standouts: After a two-year absence, defensive midfielder Julie Ertz made the most of her surprise call up, shifting the energy in Saturday’s friendly and helping create offensive pressure that ultimately resulted in a U.S. goal. Impressive, but it’s still TBD if she’s fit enough for a full 90 minutes.

• That said, it was the team’s back line that wreaked havoc these last two matches, highlighted by defenders Emily Fox and Alana Cook both scoring their first-ever international goals. Maybe the best offense really is a good defense?

The question marks: Forward Alyssa Thompson was tasked with filling the cleats of the aforementioned Swanson, who’ll miss the WWC after sustaining a knee injury in that first friendly. While 18-year-old Thompson, the youngest player to start a national team match since 2016, played with maturity last night, inexperience may keep her home this summer.

• And then there’s Catarina Macario. The young midfielder is a generational talent, but she’s still recovering from an ACL injury. She didn’t compete in these friendlies, so she’ll have to show out with her club team, Lyon, to earn a spot on the roster.

• One thing is for sure, no one envies head coach Vlatko Andonovski’s job right now. Can’t we just send everyone Down Under?

🏀 To no one’s surprise, the Indiana Fever selected South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston with the No. 1 overall pick in Monday’s WNBA Draft, with Maryland’s Diamond Miller (Minnesota Lynx) and Villanova’s Maddy Siegrist (Dallas Wings) following at No. 2 and No. 3.

👋 NY Red Bulls forward Dante Vanzeir stepped away from the team indefinitely after using a racist slur during Saturday’s match. Buh-bye.

📚 WNBA star Brittney Griner is writing a memoir about her detainment in Russia. Is it too early to pre-order?

📣 USWNT legends Megan Rapinoe and Becky Sauerbrunn joined over forty Olympic and Paralympic athletes in signing a letter opposing a proposed transgender sports ban that’s being considered in the U.S. House of Representatives.

⚽ Following Manchester City’s 3–0 thumping of Bayern Munich yesterday, the second set of UEFA men’s Champions League quarter-final leg one matches continues today.

♟️ In the most shocking chess story since The Queen’s Gambit, world No. 1 chess star and reigning five-time champion, Magnus Carlsen, opted out of this year’s world championship. Check mate.

⛳ LPGA: Lotte Championship — Today through Saturday — Golf Channel

• Let’s go to the links, links, where several American underdogs are hitting the green in hopes of securing even more green, aka a slice of the tourney’s $2M purse. Fore!

🏒 IIHF Women’s World Championship quarter-finals: Team USA vs. Team Germany — Tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. ET — NHL Network

• The new-look Americans finished second in Group A after Monday’s 4–3 shootout loss to rivals Team Canada, so they’ll be ready for redemption as knockout action begins.

🎓🤸 NCAA gymnastics: National championship semifinals — Tomorrow at 3 p.m. ET and 9 p.m. ET — ESPN2

• Eight squads are flipping into action with a chance to beam their way into Saturday’s four-team final.

On the hunt for tips and tricks to grow your career? Start listening to Started from the Bottom, a podcast dedicated to understanding how those outside of the old boys' club found success.

• Not sure which episode to start with? This one with Cynt Marshall, the first Black woman CEO in the NBA, is so inspiring.

Another day, another stellar batch of picks from GIST HQ.