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The GIST: With playoff viewership records being set left and right, here’s everything you need to know ahead of tonight’s must-see Game 3 semifinal clashes. Hooptastic.

No. 2 NY Liberty vs. No. 3 Connecticut Sun: Both squads boast impressive scorers — the Libs’ newly minted MVP Breanna Stewart and Sun superstar and MVP runner-up Alyssa Thomas — but defense will be the name of the game tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET.

• The physical Sun D earned them a Game 1 dub, but the Libs bounced back with a zone to snatch Game 2. Which strategy will reign supreme in the quest for the series lead?

No. 1 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 4 Dallas Wings: With their brooms at the ready and a 2-0 series lead, the defending champ Aces will be looking to clinch a return to the finals tonight at 9:30 p.m. ET. But don’t count out the Wings just yet, especially after Tuesday’s closely contested Game 2. Back in the heart of Texas, they just might have enough up their sleeves to force a Sunday Game 4.

The GIST: The race to October baseball is on, with just one weekend of regular-season action to go before the postseason begins next week. And the grand finale will be a big one, with one division title and plenty of Wild Card (WC) spots still up for grabs.

The context: Quick refresher: 12 teams will make the postseason this year — six from the National League (NL) and six from the American League (AL). Within each league, the three division winners (East, Central, and West) earn a spot, plus three WC teams, aka the squads who have the next best records in each league.

NL: All three division titles are accounted for with the MLB-best Atlanta Braves taking the East for the sixth straight year, Milwaukee Brewers reclaiming the Central, and the LA Dodgers set to finish as the best in the West for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons.

• But the NL WC is where things get, well, wild. The Philadelphia Phillies are the only NL squad to clinch, leaving five teams still in the hunt for the two remaining spots. Talk about down to the wire.

AL: The 2023 AL playoff picture will feature some unfamiliar faces — the Baltimore Orioles and Minnesota Twins are back for the first time since 2016 and 2020, respectively, after the Os clinched the East last night and the Twins nabbed the lowly Central last week. Meanwhile, the Texas Rangers, who last played October baseball in 2016, are on the cusp of nabbing the West.

• And with the Tampa Bay Rays guaranteed a WC berth, that leaves the Toronto Blue Jays, defending cheater champion Houston Astros, and Seattle Mariners jockeying for the final two spots. No pressure.

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The GIST: Rise and shine because The Ryder Cup — the men’s version of last weekend’s Solheim Cup — teed off from Rome this morning, with Team USA and Team Europe swinging for the trophy in this always thrilling team competition. Fore!

How it works: Each team consists of 12 golfers. The first six for Team USA are automatically selected based on their performance throughout the season while the top three players from the European Points List and the World Points List, respectively, snag a spot in Team Europe. The remaining six are chosen by each team’s captain.

• The three-day match-play competition begins with two days of foursome and four-ball matches and culminates with singles matches in which players compete one-on-one.

• Each match is worth one point and matches that end in a draw are worth half a point. Team USA will be looking to defend their title, but they’ll have to break a 30-year curse of losing on European soil. Spooky.

Players to watch: The biggest story might actually be who isn’t playing: the golfers who defected to LIV Golf. Team Europe is missing some key veterans, but they still boast a stacked roster including world No. 2 Rory McIlroy, No. 3 and 2023 Masters winner Jon Rahm, and No. 4 Viktor Hovland.

• As for the stars and stripes, No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will lead the charge, along with No. 5 Patrick Cantlay, and PGA Championship winner and LIV golfer, Brooks Koepka, who was one of Captain Zach Johnson’s final picks. Who said golf was boring?

🎓🏈 NCAA football: No. 11 Notre Dame vs. No. 17 Duke — Tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. ET — ABC

• After last week’s tough loss, the Fighting Irish will need all the luck they can get if they intend to hand the Blue Devils their first loss of the season.

⚽ NWSL: Portland Thorns vs. San Diego Wave — Tomorrow at 10:30 p.m. ET — Paramount+

• Portland can clinch a playoff berth with a win, but the Wave will certainly be hoping to crash that party. Saturday night plans, confirmed.

🏈 NFL: Kansas City Chiefs vs. NY Jets — Sunday at 8:20 p.m. ET — NBC

• Sunday Night Football? Nah, this game is giving Super Bowl with the news that Taylor Swift will seemingly make another appearance to watch her rumored beau, Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce, in action.

In honor of National Coffee Day, it’s time to settle a hotly contested debate, once and for all. What’s the best way to drink coffee? Make your voice heard, then pour yourself a cup ahead of this sports-filled weekend.

On Wednesday, we asked who you thought would win last night’s Thursday Night Football matchup between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers. 44% picked the Packers and 56% picked the Lions, who nabbed the 34–20 win.