The GIST: From the young fans in the stands to the superstars on the court, last night’s highly anticipated WNBA season premiere didn’t disappoint. And with league parity on the rise, there’s never been a better time to jump on the bandwagon.

Caitlin Clark struggles in Indiana Fever debut: Playing in front of a sold-out crowd (the Connecticut Sun’s first sellout since their home opener in 2003), Clark, the NCAA all-time leading scorer, sat for most of the first quarter after getting into early foul trouble while squaring up with Sun superstar and 2023 MVP runner-up Alyssa Thomas.

• Clark grew more comfortable throughout the game, eventually reaching 20 points, but also recorded 10 turnovers. The WNBA learning curve is no joke.
• Thomas, meanwhile, recorded her ninth career triple-double in the 92–71 Sun win, while her fiancée DeWanna Bonner moved up to fifth on the W’s all-time scoring list with a 20-point performance. Now that’s a power couple.

Superteams surprised: Last season’s superteams, the defending champion Las Vegas Aces and runners-up NY Liberty, didn’t exactly dominate in their respective season openers. The revamped Phoenix Mercury’s 20-year veteran Diana Taurasi drained seven threes to challenge Vegas, but the Aces eventually pulled away for an 89–80 win.

• Elsewhere, the Libs eked out an 85–80 dub over the Washington Mystics, but reigning MVP Breanna Stewart only scored eight points for NY, far below her usual double-digit production.

Up next: College hoops fans, rejoice and clear your calendars — tonight is all about the rookies. First, LSU alum Angel Reese makes her pro debut when her rebuilding Chicago Sky take on the Dallas Wings at 8 p.m. ET.

• Then the LA Sparks’ Rickea Jackson (Tennessee) and friend of The GIST Cameron Brink (Stanford) hit the court against the Atlanta Dream at 10 p.m. ET. It’s all happening.

🏒 PWHL — No. 3 Boston sweeps No. 2 Montréal to reach the final: Down two goals heading into the third period, Boston turned up the heat and scored twice to force, you guessed it, overtime (OT). But, this time, Boston needed only one OT period as Finnish phenom Susanna Tapani put the icing on the cake to send Boston to the inaugural championship series.

🏀 NBA — NY Knicks take series lead: For the fifth time this postseason, Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson tallied more than 40 points, the key to NY’s dominant 121–91 dub over the Indiana Pacers. With the ’Bockers one win away from the conference finals, one thing’s for sure: Friday’s Game 6 is going to be a doozy.

• Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokić (40 points, 13 assists) was virtually unstoppable in last night’s 112–97 Game 5 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite losing the first two games of the series, the defending champs can eliminate Minnesota in tomorrow’s 8:30 p.m. ET Game 6.

🥅 NHL — Boston Bruins extend series without captain Brad Marchand: No captain, no problem for the Bruins, who outlasted the Florida Panthers in last night’s 2–1 Game 5 win behind goalie Jeremy Swayman’s heroic 28-save performance. Boston lives to fight another day and will look to force a Game 7 on Friday.

• After dominating last night’s game, the Edmonton Oilers survived some late Vancouver Canucks’ pressure with some heroics of their own to secure a 3–2 Game 4 win. With the series tied at two, expect a spicy Game 5 back in Vancouver tomorrow at 10 p.m. ET.

🏒 PWHL — Minnesota stays alive with Game 3 shutout: Minnesota goaltender Maddie Rooney’s 18 stops literally saved their season with Monday’s 2–0 Game 3 victory over top-seeded Toronto.

• And with Toronto’s leading scorer Natalie Spooner potentially out of the lineup for tonight’s 8 p.m. ET Game 4, the door is wide open for Minny to even the series at home and force a winner-take-all Game 5 in Toronto on Friday. *deep breaths*

🏀 NBA — No. 1 Boston Celtics can advance with one more win: The Celtics (up 3-1) are this close to a repeat trip to the Eastern Conference Finals and can clinch their spot with a Game 5 dub over the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight at 7 p.m. ET.

• Over in the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks are tied at two games apiece after OKC’s late-surge Game 4 win, guaranteeing at least two more battles in this hotly contested almost-MVP showdown. With the crowd chanting “more,” Game 5 tips off tonight at 9:30 p.m. ET.

🥅 NHL — Dallas Stars and NY Rangers can clinch conference finals berth: After losing Game 1, the Stars have asserted their dominance to take a 3-1 lead over their Central Division foes, the embattled Colorado Avalanche. The Big D can secure their return to the Western Conference Finals in front of their home crowd tonight at 8 p.m. ET. Giddy up.

• Over in the Metropolitan Division, the forecast is looking stormy as the NY Rangers (up 3-2) have yet to put away the Carolina Hurricanes, who scored four goals in Monday’s third period to push the series to a Game 6. Let’s see if the third time’s the charm for the regular season's best squad, tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET.

As mentioned, we won’t be sliding into your inbox on Friday. But to keep you in the know, here’s a list of some of the must-see events. All sports all the time.

⛳ Golf: PGA Championship — Tomorrow to Sunday (TSN+): The second major of the year tees off from the famous Valhalla Golf Club, where world No. 1 (and new dad) Scottie Scheffler will look to defend his title and win his third straight start.

🎓🥎 NCAA softball regional championship — Friday to Sunday (ESPN Networks): The road to the Women's College World Series begins this weekend as 64 schools fight for one of the 16 highly coveted Super Regional spots. No diamonds, no pressure.

🎓🥍 NCAA men’s and women’s lacrosse championship — Thursday to Sunday (ESPN Networks): No time to relax — the second round of the men’s and women’s national tournament resumes tomorrow. One match to watch? No. 1 Northwestern women — featuring record-setting attacker Izzy Scane — vs. No. 8 Penn in the quarter-final.

🏎️ F1: Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix — Sunday at 9 a.m. ET (TSN5): Grab your espresso as the season continues from Imola, Italy. With Ferrari and Mercedes expected to bring significant car upgrades this weekend, will Red Bull miss the top of the podium for the second straight race? Only time will tell.

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Aflac, by supporting The GIST of It. Tackling sports’ toughest topics takes teamwork, and with Aflac on our squad, we’re leveling the playing field with every pod.*

These WNBA Championship patches. The new collection from Lids comes just in time to rock your fave squad all season long.

Red Panda. The Chinese-born acrobat, known for her unicycle-riding and bowl-flipping feats, is an iconic NBA halftime performer. Now in her 50s, she’s dedicated her life to honing her craft, booking 50 gigs or more every year. Inspiring is an understatement.

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