Welcome to the jam
Leveling The Playing Field
Monday morning, leaves are falling.
And our jaws? They’re on the floor too after yet another wild sports weekend. Buckle up and scroll on — the postseason awaits.
🏀 WNBA Finals Game 2: Atlanta Dream vs. Golden State Valkyries (up 1-0) — Tonight at 8 p.m. ET
- The Valkyries’ 68–64 Game 1 win was exactly as advertised: a gritty battle between two of the W’s staunchest defenses. The difference maker? Golden State linchpin Gabby Williams, who continued her stellar playoff form to help the Valks overcome a sluggish shooting night.
- It wasn’t all bad news for the Dream though: Allisha Gray’s return from injury is a silver lining as this series rages on. Gray struggled from long range (she was one-for-eight), but her 19-point performance confirms the impact the four-time All-Star could have with a title on the line.
⚾ MLB American League Championship Series (ALCS) Game 6: Cleveland Guardians vs. Tampa Bay Rays (up 3-2) — Tonight at 8:08 p.m. ET
- An early bases-loaded walk opened the scoring for the Rays and seven lights-out innings from hurler Drew Rasmussen pushed Tampa Bay to a 3–1 victory yesterday, with a World Series date against the Milwaukee Brewers now just one win away.
- Rays fans will be happy to see ace pitcher Freddy Peralta back on the mound for tonight’s pivotal Game 6, while the Guardians have yet to name a starter and are considering a bullpen game, something that didn’t work out for them in their 7–3 Game 4 loss. October baseball, the gift that keeps on giving.
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NBA
🏀 Come on and slam
The GIST: The NBA returns with tomorrow’s juicy tripleheader — but the best part of men’s basketball is the drama. The tea is always piping hot on the hardwood, and this season’s scorching storylines hinge on the whereabouts of the league’s superstars. Let’s pour a cuppa.
🚁 LeBron James and Jaylen Brown team up in Philadelphia: In his record-extending 24th campaign, James will aim to end the Sixers’ 43-year championship drought, and he’s gung-ho on elevating the title-starved franchise. Adding former Boston Celtics leading scorer (and harp enthusiast) Brown to a star-powered starting lineup helps, too.
- And that’s not all: The Giannis Antetokounmpo trade saga ended when the two-time MVP was dealt from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Miami Heat, while former LA Clipper Kawhi Leonard (probes notwithstanding) is a Toronto Raptor again.
❤️🩹 A trio of top-tier hoopers return from injury: The Achilles tendons of Indiana Pacer Tyrese Haliburton and Portland Trailblazer Damian Lillard are repaired and ready for action after yearlong recoveries, but it’s a mixed bag for ACLs: Dallas Maverick Kyrie Irving is healthy after tearing his, while Golden State will have to wait until 2027 for the bedazzled Jimmy Butler to hoop again.
🐣 Star-studded rookie class debuts: This year’s draft was one of the most loaded player pools in recent memory, so expect the 2026 lottery picks — led by BYU Cougar turned Washington Wizard AJ Dybantsa — to make an immediate impact in their inaugural seasons. Buckets, loading.
TOGETHER WITH Atlantis Paradise Island
🌴Away game vacay or tropical getaway? Take 20% off both. Battle 4 Atlantis is back, celebrating its 15th year of bringing college basketball to paradise for a one-of-a-kind tournament.
- 🏀 From November 24th to 27th, rep your school at both the women’s and men’s tourneys, all under one roof.
- 🏖️ After the final buzzer, hit up your home away from home, Atlantis Paradise Island, to soak up the (many, many) amenities the 154-acre resort has to offer.
🏉 Canada women’s rugby ends England’s four-year unbeaten streak
A record-setting crowd witnessed Canada’s 24–21 come-from-behind Friday victory over England in a WXV Global Series match. Centre Shoshanah Seumanutafa’s try in the waning minutes put Canada ahead and snapped the Red Roses’ 41-game unbeaten streak. Magic. The rematch isn’t until Friday, which gives everyone plenty of time to binge the squad’s new docuseries.
⚽ NWSL postseason picture shapes up as regular season winds down
On Saturday, forward Trinity Rodman helped her Washington Spirit clinch a playoff berth via a 1–0 dub over Gotham FC before trading her cleats for wings yesterday to walk in the 2026 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. What can’t she do? The Kansas City Current are also soaring after their 2–0 W against the Utah Royals, which launched them into the top-four and a potential first-round home game.
🎓🏈 Five of the top seven programs lose in a chaotic day of college football
Long story short, unranked Auburn stunned No. 1 Georgia 27–24, No. 8 BYU — with an assist from some questionable timekeeping — upset No. 2 Notre Dame 28–24, No. 4 Ohio State’s 19–15 W snapped No. 5 Indiana’s 22-game win streak, No. 14 Tennessee demolished No. 6 Alabama 26 –10 and No. 7 Texas quarterback (QB) Arch Manning fumbled late to lose 27–24 to unranked Florida.
- The newest AP top-25 poll reflects the wild weekend with now–No. 2 BYU moving up six places and then–No. 3 Miami rising into the top spot. Meanwhile, Texas plummeted to No. 19 after back-to-back losses and Manning’s future draft stock took a major hit.
NFL Highlights of the Week
Here are our favorite highlights from a wildly entertaining Week 6 — a selection that should tide you over until The GIST’s Weekly Blitz hits inboxes tomorrow.
- ICYMI, we have an extra-special NFL newsletter that breaks down the top gridiron stories every single week. Opt in to receive your new favorite football read.
🙌 Jacksonville Jaguars two-way star Travis Hunter became the first player since 2002 to catch a touchdown and interception in the same game, albeit a 34–31 loss to the Houston Texans.
👀 The Tennesee Titans logged their first win of the season, an unexpected 26–20 dub over the Indianapolis Colts.
😱 The preseason Super Bowl favorite LA Rams fell to 2-4 on the season after Arizona Cardinals kicker Chad Ryland banged a walk-off field goal to seal an 18–16 win.
🔥 Las Vegas Raiders quarterback (QB) Kirk Cousins tossed an absolute dot in the Raiders 33–30 L to the Buffalo Bills, a game that also featured this jaw-dropping play from Buffalo QB Josh Allen.
Today’s email was brought to you by Lisa Minutillo, Rachel Fuenzalida, Grace DePaull, and Charlotte Mackenzie. Fact-checking by Elisha Gunaratnam and Mikaela Perez. Ops by Elisha Gunaratnam and Briana Ekanem. Managing edits by Alessandra Puccio and Lisa Minutillo. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.