{"id":603291,"date":"2026-04-14T11:38:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T11:38:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/603291\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T11:38:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T11:38:10","slug":"a-sports-blitz-starts-tonight-plus-a-wnba-draft-surprise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/603291\/","title":{"rendered":"A sports blitz starts tonight, plus a WNBA Draft surprise"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pulse Newsletter \ud83d\udce3 | This is The Athletic\u2019s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here<\/a> to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n

Good morning! I hope your TV is in working order. Coming up:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Up First: The NBA leads off a brilliant spring<\/p>\n

One of the busiest stretches of important pro sporting events begins tonight, and I mean that in quite a positive way. The NBA playoffs tip off in a few hours, with two Play-In games. This weekend, the NHL playoffs will join. Both sports will crown winners by the third week of June \u2026 which is when the World Cup will be fully underway. Oh, and the WNBA season starts in three weeks. More on that in a second.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s both dizzying and exciting. Let\u2019s attack the mountain of important sports with what\u2019s happening first: the NBA.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Play-In Tournament starts tonight, and it\u2019s interesting to have such a new-feeling concept settle into the calendar (format refresher here<\/a>). This year\u2019s group is arguably the best since the Play-In\u2019s inception in 2020-21. Just one team with a losing record \u2014 the Warriors \u2014 is playing, which is the fewest in the Play-In\u2019s short history. Is that a good thing? If you look at the standings<\/a>, you\u2019ll notice that basically every other team tanked. Hm.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Anyway, I asked Bounce writer Zach Harper if any Play-In team could possibly make a Heat-like run (the No. 8 seed in 2022-23 that lost in the finals):\u00a0<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcac \u201cIf anybody is going to do it, it\u2019s going to be the team that ends up in the No. 8 seed in the East. That\u2019s wildly disrespectful to the Pistons. The second-round opponent of either Toronto or Cleveland is what actually makes this feel possible. I could see a healthy Sixers team or this plucky Hornets team do it. Definitely not the Magic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Give me the Hornets of that crew, and I will direct all Detroit angst to Zach\u2019s inbox.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Mitchell Leff \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

The actual first-round matchups are great, too. Overall, there\u2019s a real Thunder-versus-the-field vibe, but I discount that. There are too many big names and great teams throughout each conference. Examples:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Outside of the defending champs, eight teams won 50 or more games. LeBron James\u2019 Lakers (West No. 4) play Kevin Durant\u2019s Rockets (West No. 5) in the first round. The Knicks (East No. 3) and Cavaliers (East No. 4) are still stacked with talent and elite scoring. Nikola Joki\u0107 still exists for the 54-win Nuggets (West No. 3).
The newcomers here \u2014 Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs (West No. 2, 62 wins), Cade Cunningham and the Pistons (East No. 1, 60 wins) \u2014 are even better. The storylines are rich.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I also asked Zach which first-round matchup he is most excited to watch:\u00a0<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcac \u201cIt has to be the Nuggets and Wolves. These two teams had an epic battle in 2024 when the Wolves shocked the world. Both teams are deeper and better than they were then. Both teams are also dealing with key injuries, making them susceptible to losing the series. This should be at least six epic games.\u201d<\/p>\n

Make sure you\u2019re subscribed to The Bounce<\/a> for this playoff run, as Zach will be on-site for multiple series. And you can see how 146 NBA players anonymously voted on the eventual title winner<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s switch to the basketball league starting anew:<\/p>\n

Eras: A new generation and a draft surprise\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Brad Penner \/ Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Of all the sports we talked about above, none are experiencing a more important moment than the WNBA. Titles are not being decided in the coming days, but after agreeing to a new collective bargaining agreement, the DNA of this league is changed. So last night\u2019s draft felt like another new beginning.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And it started with a mild surprise at the top:\u00a0<\/p>\n

UConn\u2019s Azzi Fudd went No. 1<\/a> to the Dallas Wings, making it the second straight year Dallas has drafted a Huskies guard with the top pick. Fudd, a capable scorer who should fit in well alongside Paige Bueckers, hit 45 percent of her 3-point attempts for a UConn team that finished the regular season undefeated. It also doesn\u2019t hurt for chemistry that Fudd and Bueckers are dating.
Big names followed: TCU\u2019s Olivia Miles at No. 2 to Minnesota, Spain\u2019s Awa Fam Thiam to Seattle at No. 3 and UCLA\u2019s Lauren Betts to Washington at No. 4. We also saw a trade in which Seattle nabbed LSU\u2019s Flau\u2019jae Johnson, originally picked by Golden State. The experts say this is a deep draft class. See the grades for every first-round pick<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I want to pause for another second on this new era, which Chantel Jennings highlighted well yesterday:\u00a0<\/p>\n

The players who will be drafted on Monday night will never experience what it\u2019s like to fight for a 401K match or dental insurance. They\u2019ll travel on charter flights. The No. 1 pick will earn $500,000 in her first season \u2014 something it took (women\u2019s basketball legend Sue) Bird a decade to make from the WNBA (and seven times as much as the No. 1 pick a year ago, Paige Bueckers).<\/p>\n

Read that full story here<\/a>. Onward:<\/p>\n

News to Know\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Jason Clark \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

Bain involved in fatal 2024 collision
Top NFL Draft prospect Rueben Bain Jr. was the driver in a 2024 car crash that seriously injured a passenger, 22-year-old Destiny Betts, who later died from her injuries, according to court documents obtained by The Athletic. The crash report stated that Betts was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. Bain was cited for careless driving, but it was later dismissed. Read our full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

More news:<\/p>\n

Shaquille O\u2019Neal offered to buy an engagement ring for the couple that went viral at a Pacers game last week. Read more<\/a>.
\nESPN\u2019s Dick Vitale, 86, was diagnosed with melanoma. More details here<\/a>.
\nPacers star Tyrese Haliburton didn\u2019t play this season after tearing his Achilles tendon in last year\u2019s finals, but he said yesterday he also has a lingering shingles infection. It sounds painful<\/a>.
\nMichael Malone has landed his first recruit out of the transfer portal at North Carolina: Virginia Tech\u2019s Neoklis Avdalas<\/a>.
\nPhillies third baseman Alec Bohm filed an injunction to seek the return of over $500,000 from his parents in their ongoing dispute. Read our full story<\/a>.
\nRangers goalie Jonathan Quick announced this season will be his last. More here<\/a>.
\nGerman soccer club Union Berlin fought back against sexist comments after appointing Marie-Louise Eta as the team\u2019s head coach for its final five games. Read the full backstory<\/a>.
\nBoris Becker\u2019s 1989 U.S. Open tennis trophy sold for over $357,000 at auction. It\u2019s one of the rarest tennis sales ever<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcf0\u00a0Find more news here 24\/7<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Watch Guide<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa UCL: Two games
3 p.m. ET on Paramount+
I couldn\u2019t choose between the two quarterfinal matchups: Liverpool against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG up 2-0 on aggregate) and Atl\u00e9tico Madrid against FC Barcelona (Atl\u00e9tico up 2-0, too). An elite start to a good sports day.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa NHL: Capitals at Blue Jackets
7 p.m. ET on ESPN
Both of these teams are now eliminated from playoff contention, but it might be our last time<\/a> seeing Alex Ovechkin in an NHL game. Turn it on.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa NBA: Heat at Hornets
7:30 p.m. ET on Prime Video
The first of two Play-In games tonight, with Trail Blazers-Suns following directly after at 10 p.m. ET. Both of these are good games.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa Soccer: USWNT vs. Japan
10 p.m. ET on TNT\/HBO Max\/Peacock
The second of three friendlies in a week against the No. 5 team in FIFA\u2019s rankings (the Americans are No. 2). The USWNT prevailed 2-1 on Saturday, a promising start<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Get tickets to games like these here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pulse Picks\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Jared C. Tilton \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

One last Masters story, and it is a banger: Brendan Quinn wrote about how Rory McIlroy\u2019s first Masters win belonged to the world. This one, however, belonged to his family<\/a>. Make time for that today.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite earning a Play-In spot, Golden State\u2019s season is far from ideal for a franchise of its stature \u2026 which raises questions about Steve Kerr\u2019s future as coach<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A battle has emerged in the baseball world: collectors versus teams, over paper tickets<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The North Dakota men\u2019s hockey team didn\u2019t win a national title at the Frozen Four last week. But the takeaway for the Bison is much more important: The sleeping giant has awoken<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

More North Dakota! What a day. Grace Raynor has the story of a small town in the rural state with 1,000 people that has produced two blue-chip football recruits this year. Welcome to Kindred<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: The Jazz Chisholm Jr. forceout saga<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Most-read on the website yesterday: The froyo scam<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\ud83d\udceb That\u2019s all for now! Say hello at thepulse@theathletic.com<\/a>, and check out our other newsletters<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Pulse Newsletter \ud83d\udce3 | This is The Athletic\u2019s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":603292,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[629],"tags":[49,48,459,82,630],"class_list":{"0":"post-603291","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wnba","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-nba","11":"tag-sports","12":"tag-wnba"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/603291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=603291"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/603291\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/603292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=603291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=603291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=603291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}