Let’s groove tonight

The GIST: Time flies when you’re having fun…and when the first round is only a best-of-three series. Just a few short days after the WNBA playoffs tipped off, all four series could be decided before our next newsletter with tickets to the best-of-five semifinals on the line. Let’s hoop to it.

🥵 No. 6 Indiana Fever force series-deciding Game 3: If your back’s against the wall, find yourself a Kelsey Mitchell. The dynamic Fever guard dropped 19 points to lead Indy to a convincing 77–60 win over the No. 3 Atlanta Dream and stave off elimination last night. The dub sets up what should be a spicy decisive Game 3, tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. ET.

⛈️ There’s a (Seattle) Storm coming after the No. 7 squad kept their season alive with last night’s 86–83 upset win over the No. 2 Las Vegas Aces. Skylar Diggins made it rain for Seattle, who forced a winner-take-all Game 3 back in Vegas tomorrow at 9:30 p.m. ET.

🗽 No. 5 NY Liberty’s success could hinge on Breanna Stewart’s left knee: The reigning champs (up 1-0) dodged a bullet when Stewie’s MRI came back “relatively clean” yesterday, but the three-time champ is still a game-time decision for tonight’s 8 p.m. ET Game 2 tilt against perennial MVP candidate Alyssa Thomas and the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury.

🐱 No. 1 Minnesota Lynx look poised to sweep: Fresh off Sunday’s dominant 29-point Game 1 win over the No. 8 Golden State Valkyries, Minny looks virtually unstoppably ahead of tonight’s 10 p.m. ET Game 2. That said, the Lynx will have to silence a displaced Ballhalla crowd, not to mention the league’s Most Improved Player, Veronica Burton.

The GIST: The World Athletics Championships (aka, track & field’s most prestigious biennial international event) is underway in Tokyo — and American sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is on the precipice of history.

• Yesterday, McLaughlin-Levrone broke the 400m American record in the semis, all the more impressive considering she’s competing in this event at Worlds for the very first time. Here’s what to know about the decorated vet before the 400m final tomorrow at 9:24 a.m. ET.

💨 The McLaughlin-Levrone lore: Just 26 years old, McLaughlin-Levrone’s career is already beyond impressive. She’s a two-time Olympic champ in the 400m hurdles, an event she’s broken the world record in six times. “Dominant” doesn’t do it justice.

• But the sprinter is stepping out of her comfort zone this season, opting out of the 400m hurdles to focus on the 400m flat. Yesterday, she finished the quarter-mile race in 48.29 seconds, breaking a 19-year American record held by the legendary Sanya Richards-Ross.

📝 History’s on the line in Tokyo: Only two women have ever broken 48 seconds in the 400m. But here’s the thing: With a finals berth clearly secured, McLaughlin-Levrone appeared to ease up a bit at the end of her semis race, and it was still the fastest 400m time run by a woman this year. All to say, the longstanding world record (47.60 seconds) could be within reach. On your mark, get set…

😅 Struggling to find motivation for that workout? Same — but that’s why we’re staying cool with an at-home solution: Simple App, the easiest way to explore the strong, flexible, and powerful world of wall pilates.

• You don’t need a reformer machine to get your burn on — just try Simple App’s wall pilates. Here’s a three-month free trial on us. You’re welcome.

🎉 Three cheers for Emily, the Week 2 winner of our free-to-play NFL Pick’em Challenge. Emily will receive $100 of GIST swag for choosing all 16 games correctly in Week 2. Talk about a touchdown.

• So, what is Pick’ems? Glad you asked. It’s a weekly challenge where you (yes, you) choose which team will win each of the 16 NFL matchups that week. Pick with your head, your heart, or using jargon-free NFL insights from yours truly.

💌 Didn’t play last week? No problem. There’s always an open seat at The GIST’s NFL table. Just pull up a chair and make this week’s picks before tomorrow’s 8:15 p.m. ET Thursday Night Football kick off. It’s really that easy.