Never much love when they go OT

The GIST: The excitement never stops during the most-watched WNBA Playoffs of all time, and the hype continued as the No. 2 Minnesota Lynx took last night’s Game 1 vs. the No. 1 NY Liberty in dramatic overtime (OT) fashion.

Lynx claw back from 18-point deficit, tie record for largest comeback in Finals history: Though the Libs came out hot, the Lynx shook off any fatigue worries by the second half, making a tremendous fourth-quarter run and taking their first lead of the game with just five seconds to go, courtesy of a showstopping four-point play from Courtney Williams. Making dad proud.

• But the chaos had only just begun. NY’s Breanna Stewart was fouled (amid confusing officiating) but made only one of her two foul shots, tying it at 84 and sending the game to OT. That’s where Minnesota surged ahead, leaning on their signature defense to win Game 1 95–93 on the Libs’ home court.

• While Williams led the Lynx with 23 points, this season’s Defensive Player of the Year and MVP runner-up Napheesa Collier was undeniable on D, recording six blocks while guarding her college-teammate-turned-business-partner Breanna Stewart.

Up next — Game 2, Sunday 3 p.m. ET: Now with their backs unexpectedly against the wall, the Liberty will be determined to overcome their late-game mistakes and nab a home-court Game 2 win to keep their inaugural title hopes alive before the five-game series shifts to Minnesota for next week’s Game 3. The hoops fun has only just begun.

The GIST: Chaos also abounds in the best-of-five Division Series and it’ll only intensify with two decisive Game 5s on deck over the next 48 hours. Batter up.

NY Yankees clinch American League (AL) Championship Series showing, Cleveland Guardians extend series: One half of the ALCS is set after the Yanks eliminated the Kansas City Royals in last night’s benches-clearing 3–1 Game 4 win behind another dazzling outing from Pinstripers ace Gerrit Cole, giving the Bronx Bombers their third ALCS appearance in the last five seasons.

• Their opponent? Either the Guardians or Detroit Tigers, after Cleveland claimed Game 4 5–4 yesterday to send this AL Central series back to the Land for Game 5 tomorrow at 4:38 p.m. ET.

• The Guardians have home-field advantage and third baseman José Ramírez finding his swing, but the Tigers have their best player — top pitcher Tarik Skubal — on the mound. Shaping up to be another instant classic.

NY Mets advance to National League (NL) Championship Series, waiting on opponent: OMG is right — the scrappy Grimace–powered Mets used a shortstop Francisco Lindor grand slam to eliminate their NL East foe Philadelphia Phillies in a 4–1 Wednesday Game 4 win, punching a ticket to their first NLCS since 2015.

• The Kings of Queens now await the victor of tonight’s 8:08 p.m. ET winner-take-all Game 5 between the San Diego Padres and LA Dodgers, who’ve been trading statement games all series long.

• LA rolled 8–0 in Game 4 thanks to the explosive bats of superstars Shohei Ohtani and outfielder Mookie Betts, but the Padres will send ace Yu Darvish, who silenced the Dodgers in Game 2, to the hill tonight. Can’t-miss is an understatement.

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⛳ LPGA: Buick LPGA Shanghai — Ongoing through Sunday — Golf Channel

• World No. 47 South Korean Sei Young Kim carded nine birdies and one eagle to jump out to the lead after one day of play in China. See if the 12-time LPGA Tour winner can add to her trophy case by Sunday’s final round. Fore!

⚽ NWSL: Orlando Pride vs. Portland Thorns — Tonight at 10 p.m. ET — Prime Video

• On the heels of claiming the club’s first-ever NWSL Shield, Marta and the top-seeded Pride head to the City of Roses to face Christine Sinclair’s Thorns in this legendary showdown.

🎓🏈 NCAA football: No. 1 Texas vs. No. 18 Oklahoma — Tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. ET — ABC

• Paint the town river red because the No. 1 Longhorns and No. 18 Sooners renew their Red River Rivalry, the highlight of a packed Week 7 slate. Texas will welcome back previously injured quarterback (QB) Quinn Ewers, while Oklahoma sends true freshman QB Michael Hawkins Jr. for his second career start. Here goes nothing.

🏈 NFL: Buffalo Bills vs. NY Jets — Monday at 8:15 p.m. ET — ESPN

• After the Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears battle it out in London amid other Week 6 action on Sunday, all eyes will shift to this AFC East clash between QB Josh Allen’s Bills and Aaron Rodgers’ beleaguered Jets. Buckle up.