Cut a girl some slack

The GIST: We’re not US Weekly, but we are about to spill the tea on what’s hot and what’s not in the WNBA. On-court action and off-court chatter? You came to the right place.

🔥 Golden State Valkyries win back-to-back games: Don’t look now, but the expansion squad is absolutely balling. The Valkyries had dropped four straight heading into Saturday’s game against A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces, but they’ve been scorching since, crushing the Aces by 27 points on Saturday before beating the LA Sparks 89–81 in overtime on Monday.

• Speaking of LA, Kelsey Plum also falls into the “hot” category, but it’s not because of her on-court performance (though she did net 24 points against Golden State). The Sparks star was incensed after Monday’s game, ripping the officiating during the physical affair.

❄️ Injuries take center stage: No squad has escaped unscathed — just ask any WNBA fantasy manager. And while Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers is back, 20 players are sidelined with injuries, including Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark, reigning finals MVP and NY Liberty juggernaut Jonquel Jones, and Chicago Sky legend Courtney Vandersloot, who’ll miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.

• A potential culprit? Scheduling — and the Phoenix Mercury’s Satou Sabally isn’t happy about it. The Mercury recently had nine games in 18 days, while some squads, like the Washington Mystics and Connecticut Sun, are off all week. The math just isn’t mathing.

The GIST: Even championship contenders need a break. Both the NBA and NHL playoff action took last night to reset, but the quest to hoist the hardware continues tonight. Let’s discuss.

🏀 Indiana Pacers hoop to defend homecourt: With the seven-game series even at one apiece, Indiana is hoping for a heaping helping of déjà vu when they host their first Finals game in 25 years tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET. But if Indy wants to take a 2-1 series lead, they’ll need more from Tyrese Haliburton, who scored a measly five points through the first three quarters in Game 2.

• Unlike Haliburton, the Oklahoma City Thunder are hoping for a repeat performance of the second game, when five players scored in double figures, led by a game-high 34 points and eight assists from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

🏒 Florida Panthers embarrass Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 shellacking: After a pair of hotly contested games in Edmonton, the only thing remotely close about Monday’s Game 3 was the third-period line brawl. The Cats exploded for six goals from six different skaters, routing the Oil 6–1 at home to take a 2-1 series lead.

• And while Oilers fans might want to blame the penalty discrepancy (Edmonton was whistled for 21 penalties compared to the Panthers’ 14), the reality is that the Oil were simply outplayed, outhustled, and outworked.

• But can they bounce back? Find out in Game 4 from Florida tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET.

New name, same game. The United Soccer League (aka the USL, a brand new pro women’s soccer league) just got a makeover and will be known as the Gainbridge Super League starting with the 2025-26 season. Woah.

• It’s no surprise Gainbridge® capitalized on this opportunity to invest — after all, more than 40% of their sports sponsorship dollars support women’s sports.

Gainbridge® understands that where you grow your money matters — so when it comes to your hard-earned cash, choose Gainbridge®, a financial institution that supports women on and off the field. She shoots, she saves, she scores.

The GIST: The 125th U.S. Open — the third PGA Tour major of the year — begins at Pittsburgh’s notoriously difficult Oakmont Country Club tomorrow, teeing up a tremendous test for the best golfers in the game.

• Before the fellas hit the fairway, here are the top storylines to watch.

🌎 It’s Scottie Scheffler’s world — everyone else is just putting in it: The world No. 1 men’s golfer (and dad extraordinaire) is the heavy favorite, with three wins in his last four starts, including the PGA Championship in May. If Scheffler prevails at the Open, he’ll be three-quarters of the way to golf’s career Grand Slam, aka winning all four majors.

👀 What’s up with No. 2 Rory McIlroy?: In stark comparison to Scheffler, 2025 Masters winner McIlroy has struggled recently, notably missing the cut at last week’s RBC Canadian Open, aka finishing outside the top 68 after two days. Oof.

• ICYMI, earlier this year, the Northern Irishman became the sixth golfer to ever achieve the career Grand Slam, and reclaiming his Masters mojo could be the secret to his success in the Steel City.

• One last thing to watch: The U.S. Open allows amateurs to compete, so 15 dudes with regular day jobs will be hitting the greens (after qualifying, of course), including dentist and hometown hero Matt Vogt, who was once a caddie on the course. Talk about full-circle.

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