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🚨 Main Stories
🏒 Action in the NHL: The Panthers edged the Blackhawks, 3-2, after celebrating their latest Stanley Cup win; Nathan MacKinnon became the Avalanche’s all-time leading scorer during their 4-1 victory against the Kings; the Penguins defeated the Rangers, 3-0, spoiling coach Mike Sullivan’s debut in New York.
🏈 Bengals Get Flacco: With Joe Burrow sidelined until at least December and Jake Browning not performing adequately, the Bengals (2-3) acquired Browns QB Joe Flacco aiming to salvage their season.
🏀 James’ Big Announcement: LeBron James’ hint about a significant “decision” (believed to be about retirement) turned out to promote a liquor brand. A strange move on his part.
👊 McGregor’s Suspension: Connor McGregor received an 18-month ban from the UFC for breaching the anti-doping policy’s whereabouts rules. Since the ban counts back to his last missed test, the 37-year-old can compete again in March 2026.
🏀 Tatum’s New Gig: As Jayson Tatum recovers from an Achilles injury this season, he will also become Duke’s Chief Basketball Officer, consulting for his former school in a new position.
⚾️ Big Games Today
Aaron Judge. 3-run shot. Don’t count out the Yanks just yet. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Enjoy the day, baseball lovers. After a long season, it’s the final day with multiple games. All four division series happen one after another in the afternoon — and each one is an elimination game.
Mariners vs. Tigers | 3pm ET, FS1
Seattle put Detroit in a tough spot with their 8-4 win, leading the series 2-1. A win here sends them to the ALCS for the first time since 2001. Detroit’s Casey Mize, known for his 14 wins this year, pitches to save their season.
Great timing: Cal Raleigh, a strong MVP contender, hit his first postseason homer to a fan wearing a special shirt with Raleigh’s nickname.
(X)
Brewers vs. Cubs | 5pm, TBS
Milwaukee is playing great, with a 2-0 series lead over Chicago, scoring 16 runs to Chicago’s 6. Can the Cubs win at home, or will their first playoff appearance in five years end quickly?
Young player: Is Jackson Chourio starting his playoff career well? In five games, he’s hitting .556 with more homers (3) than strikeouts (2). Against the Cubs, he’s 5-for-7 with a double, a homer, and six RBIs.
Blue Jays vs. Yankees | 7pm, FS1
New York avoided getting knocked out with a comeback win, 9-6, but needs another win tonight to go back to Toronto. Can Cam Schlittler repeat his performance from last week?
Judge’s Hit: Aaron Judge, batting .500 in the playoffs, hit a game-tying 3-run homer. He has six career postseason home runs in elimination games, tied with David Ortiz.
Phillies vs. Dodgers | 9pm, TBS
The Dodgers are undefeated this postseason, winning twice against the Phillies, despite Shohei Ohtani struggling. A win tonight gets them to their seventh NLCS in 10 years.
Pitching Matchups: Yoshinobu Yamamoto starts for the Dodgers, with a postseason ERA of 2.84. Aaron Nola pitches for the Phillies, who struggled this season (6.01 ERA) and has a playoff ERA of 4.02.
🏈 NFL Rankings
(Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports)
The Lions are on top with a four-game win streak. Following closely are the Buccaneers and Colts.
Movers:
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Top Climbers: Buccaneers (up 5 to No. 4), Colts (up 5 to No. 5), Broncos (up 5 to No. 6), Patriots (up 5 to No. 16)
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Big Drops: Chargers (down 8 to No. 13), Rams (down 7 to No. 11), Seahawks (down 6 to No. 14), Ravens (down 5 to No. 19), Cardinals (down 5 to No. 23)
Explore the latest rankings.
🏀 WNBA Finals Stats
A’ja Wilson guards Alyssa Thomas in Game 2. (Jeff Bottari/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Aces lead 2-0 as they head to Phoenix for Game 3 (8pm ET, ESPN). The Mercury need to win to stay in the series.
20 and 10 Club
A’ja Wilson scored 21 points with 10 rebounds in Game 1, then 28 points with 14 rebounds in Game 2. She is the second Aces player to reach this in the WNBA Finals. No other player has done it once.
1.9 million viewers
Game 1 had 1.9 million viewers, the most for a Game 1 since the league started. Only the 1997 championship had more viewers.
3-1 at home
The Mercury are in a tough spot, having lost five of six games to the Aces this year. They can feel good that they’re 3-1 at home this postseason.
57 bench points
The Aces’ bench is better, scoring 57 points to the Mercury’s 24. Jewell Loyd has 27 points in the Finals.
391 assists
Alyssa Thomas made history on Sunday with her 391st postseason assist. Chelsea Gray is close behind with 380.
🏈 UFL’s Teams, Stadiums
(UFL)
Spring football is making changes to get better.
From Jay Busbee at The Sports Rundown:
For over 40 years, people have tried to make spring football work. But all have struggled to get fans and prove they belong.
The main question for spring football is whether the problem is the product or how it’s presented. Is spring football a bad idea, or are the problems in how it’s branded and marketed?
The United Football League thinks they have a solution and are using strategies to make spring football better.
In 2026, three teams — the Orlando Storm, Louisville Kings, and Columbus Aviators — will join the league. They replace the Memphis Showboats, Michigan Panthers, and San Antonio Brahmas.
The Dallas Renegades and Houston Gamblers have moved to smaller stadiums. Now, most UFL teams will play in stadiums with fewer than 20,000 seats.
Read the full article.
🏒 NHL Fun Fact
(NHL)
During the 2024-25 season, the most purchased NHL jersey belonged to Alex Ovechkin.
Question: Who was second?
Hint: His initials mirror his team.
Answer below.
🏀 NBA’s Return to NBC
(Peacock)
After a hiatus since 2002, the NBA is once again airing on NBC. During Tuesday’s game, the new score graphic was unveiled. What do you think?
(Peacock)
Here are some throwback looks at old NBA on NBC scores from the 90s and early 2000s.
Trivia Answer: Connor Bedard (Chicago Blackhawks)
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