Moments before Sunday’s pregame introductions, Kaitlyn Chen took matters into her own hands. She raised her arms, turned to all four sides of the arena and implored Golden State Valkyries fans to crank up the noise.

And so launched the first WNBA playoff game at Chase Center.

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Less than two hours later, after the Valkyries earned their first postseason win – any arena, any city, ever – the value of their boisterous homecourt advantage seemed abundantly clear. Golden State buried Dallas, ruthlessly rolling to a 104-80 victory in Game 1 of their first-round, best-of-three series.

The outcome and exuberant atmosphere offered a reminder to the other seven teams in the WNBA playoffs. The Valkyries no longer are a novelty, a charming expansion team surpassing expectations in its inaugural season.

Now, in Year Two, the Valkyries are a legitimate championship contender – and one big reason is their loud crowd and decided homecourt advantage.

Golden State sported a league-best 17-5 home record this season, one game better than Dallas (16-6). This matters because the Valkyries, as the No. 2 seed, are assured of homecourt advantage in this round and in the semifinals if they advance – potentially against ever-imposing Las Vegas.

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“Ballhalla is part of us. They’re our sixth man,” head coach Natalie Nakase said before Sunday’s game. “They roar when they’re supposed to roar, they’re hostile when they’re supposed to be hostile – almost to a point where we know we’re not going to be able to hear. That’s why we have signals.

“But playing here is literally my dream come true, to have this type of energy. That’s how we play: We fight, we punch, we’re physical. So they’re a part of us, and they help us with our energy.”

They clearly helped in Golden State’s maiden playoff game at Chase. Last year, when the Valkyries surprisingly reached the playoffs in their debut season, a scheduling conflict with the Laver Cup tennis tournament forced them to move their one home playoff game to SAP Center in San Jose. Minnesota won, eliminating the Valkyries.

This time, in their own arena, the home team leaned into its distinctive, violet-colored identity. Spectators arrived to find violet T-shirts draped over every seat, with the message “Ballhalla Loud” on the chest. The Valkyries also wore their violet uniforms.

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During warmups, the giant video screen showed images throughout the crowd. One fan helped up a sign reading, “Skipping class in Canada for this.” Another hoisted a sign with the message, “Win it for the Bay,” with the last word amended to read “Gays.” And yet another sign read, “Valkatraz,” with “lock ’em down” in smaller letters below (an ode to Golden State’s league-best defense).

The ovation grew louder each time.

Before the game, in a brief interview, Chen – the popular, productive backup point guard – was asked how the crowd’s perpetual noise makes a practical impact. Does it surface mostly when the Valkyries are playing defense? Or maybe in establishing an intimidating tone in the opening minutes?

“I feel like it’s the whole game,” Chen said. “Ballhalla in the regular season is already incredible – they bring it from before tipoff until after the game is over.”

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If the Valkyries can finish off the Wings, either in Game 2 on Wednesday in Dallas or back in San Francisco on Friday, then Las Vegas would probably be next. The Aces pounded Indiana in the first game of their series Sunday. The Aces would be a daunting matchup for Golden State. They feature four-time MVP A’ja Wilson, have won three of the past four WNBA titles and swept all three games this season from the Valkyries.

So starting the series at Chase Center, and potentially hosting a decisive game, could make a huge difference. Remember, the Valkyries earned the No. 2 seed ahead of Las Vegas by virtue of their stirring comeback victory over the Los Angeles Sparks in Thursday’s regular-season finale.

That might come in very handy.

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This article originally published at ‘Ballhalla is part of us’ and shows why in Chase Center’s Valkyries playoffs debut.

India’s Asian Games 2026 cricket quarter-final against Afghanistan faces a weather test in Nisshin on Monday, September 28, after rain forced the abandonment of the day’s first match at the same ground. Pakistan’s quarter-final against Hong Kong, China was called off without a toss because the outfield at Korogi Sports Park was too wet for play.

India and Afghanistan are scheduled to meet in the second quarter-final at 2 pm local time, or 10:30 am IST, according to the Japan Cricket Association. Japan is three hours and 30 minutes ahead of India.

Nisshin weather today: Will it rain during India vs Afghanistan?

AccuWeather’s hourly forecast for Nisshin shows the best chance of a break in the rain around the scheduled start. The probability of precipitation is 40 per cent at 1 pm local time, falling to 34 per cent at 2 pm. It returns to 40 per cent at 3 pm before rising to 58 per cent at 4 pm and 60 per cent at 6 pm. AccuWeather forecasts rain at both 4 pm and 6 pm. These percentages describe the chance of precipitation, not the chance of a washout.

Why a drier start may still leave the match at risk

The concern extends beyond rain falling during the match. AccuWeather forecasts an 85 per cent chance of rain at 11 am local time and 81 per cent at noon, leaving limited time for the outfield to dry before the scheduled 2 pm start. Its forecast also shows rain returning later in the afternoon. Whether play is possible will depend on conditions at the ground and the officials’ assessment.

There is already evidence of the ground’s vulnerability. Overnight rain and a wet outfield affected Pakistan’s training session in Nisshin on Sunday. On Monday morning, persistent rain and a sodden outfield ruled out even a shortened match against Hong Kong, China.

The women’s tournament offered an earlier warning. Bangladesh’s quarter-final against China on September 17 was abandoned without a ball being bowled; days of rain had left the Korogi outfield unfit even when the skies cleared.

What happens if India vs Afghanistan is abandoned?

If the second quarter-final cannot produce a result, India would advance to the semi-finals under the competition’s higher-ranking provision. The same provision sent Pakistan through after Monday’s washout and Bangladesh through after the abandoned women’s quarter-final against China. A forecast alone cannot decide the match: officials must first determine whether the outfield becomes fit for play.

Rain also decided the previous Asian Games men’s cricket final between India and Afghanistan, with India awarded gold on higher seeding after the match was washed out. The remaining men’s quarter-finals are scheduled for September 29, the semi-finals for October 1 and the medal matches for October 3, leaving little room in the knockout schedule for weather disruption.

Nagoya’s severe rainfall earlier this month provides background to the weather concerns, though the immediate threat to Monday’s match is the recent rain at Korogi. Japan’s meteorological agency recorded 219.5 mm of rain in Nagoya on September 8. That was 11 days before the Asian Games opening ceremony on September 19.

Last week, it was reported that Manny Pacquiao and Shakur Stevenson were close to inking a deal to fight as the co-main event on the Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua bill in Cardiff.

The fight would be Pacquiao’s first since a draw with then-WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios, and would replace his postponed rematch with Floyd Mayweather.

Fan response to the match-up was negative given the age gap and the fact that Stevenson is considered one of the very best active fighters in boxing today. Many will be thankful, then, to hear that it will not be taking place.

At last night’s Zuffa Boxing 11 post-fight press conference, Stevenson’s promoter Dana White said that it had in fact never been on the table.

“That’s not true. I don’t know where that came from.”

Around the same time, Dan Rafael reported that an offer has now been sent to WBA super-lightweight champion Gary Antaune Russell for a unification bout against WBO champion Stevenson.

Per source, @Zuffa_Boxing has now contacted PBC to make an offer for @AntuanneRussell to unify with @ShakurStevenson. #boxing https://t.co/KT9fCq8vKv

— Dan Rafael (@DanRafael1) September 26, 2026

Russell beat José Valenzuela by unanimous decision in March 2025 to capture the belt and has made one defence against Andy Hiraoka since – another points win.

Stevenson – who put on a boxing masterclass against Teofimo Lopez in January to win his title – followed up the offer with a personal message to Russell.

Gary Antuanne Russell let’s unify ☎️ ☎️☎️

— Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) September 26, 2026

Whether or not the fight is still targeted for the December 11 bill in Cardiff is unknown, particularly becuase the entire Fury-Joshua event has recently been thrown into doubt.

As for Pacquiao, whether or not he fights again this year – as was the plan when the Mayweather rematch collapsed – remains to be seen.

Asian Games 2026 Day 9 LIVE Updates, India In Action: India suffered an early setback on Day 9 as Manu Bhaker dropped out of the race to qualify for the women’s 25m air pistol final. However, India are still in the fray to bag a medal in the team category of the same event. Despite that bump, India, sitting on 37 medals after Day 8, aim to add significantly to their tally, with athletics and shooting remaining central to their hopes. A medal has already been confirmed in Kurash, where Pincky Balhara reached the women’s 78kg semi-finals to guarantee at least a bronze. Boxing also offers major opportunities, with Kapil Pokhariya, Lovlina Borgohain, and Priya set for their respective quarter-final bouts to secure further podium spots. Elsewhere, the Shreyas Iyer-led cricket team gets its campaign underway against Afghanistan in the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, in athletics, Parul Chaudhary, fresh off her women’s 3000m steeplechase bronze, returns to the track for the women’s 5000m final. (Asian Games Medals Tally)

Asian Games 2026, September 28 Results:

Archery (Men’s Compound Individual Round of 32): Sahil Jadhav defeated Jamiyangombo Purevdorj (Mongolia) 149–137.

Archery (Men’s Compound Individual Round of 32): Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru defeated Sostar Andaru Rinaldi (Indonesia) 144–142.

Archery (Men’s Compound Individual Round of 16): Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru defeated Sahil Jadhav 149–148 to qualify for the quarter-finals on 1 October.

Surfing (Men’s Shortboard Round 3): Sivaraj Babu lost 7.83–11.50 to Jayuard Alciso (Philippines).

Kurash: India’s Pincky Balhara qualifies for women’s 78kg semifinals, assures India a medal in Kurash.

Volleyball: India beat Hong Kong 3-0 in men’s volleyball group game.

Squash: India beat China 2-1 in women’s team Pool game.

Here are the LIVE Scores and Updates of India’s action on Day 9 of Asian Games 2026:

Hurry Curry has earned essential ‘Black Type’ for her future as a broodmare following a narrow victory at Mornington, benefiting from an increase in racing distance.

The Danny O’Brien-trained mare clinched the Listed R M Ansett Classic (2400m) on Saturday, adding to her previous Stakes-level performance when she finished third in the Group 2 Adelaide Cup (3200m) at Morphettville in March.

Ridden by Lachlan Neindorf, Hurry Curry, a $14 outsider, secured a neck victory over Sunset Park ($5.50), with Beach Pad ($7.50) a further half-length away in third place.

Jack Howard, representing the O’Brien stable, highlighted the significance of the win for the Ocean Park filly.

‘She has had a really solid career without getting that ‘Black Type’ win, so it’s good to tick that box for Mark Chittick and Waikato Stud,’ Howard told Racing.com.

‘It was a really good ride by Lachie. When they went past the post the first time, I think it was Shane Jackson’s horse (Beach Pad) rolled out and he kicked up underneath which gave us the spot behind the leader and that was probably the pivotal move in the end.’

Hurry Curry was third-up into her campaign, having been spelled after her third-place finish in Adelaide. Her initial two starts this preparation were over unsuitable distances, but crucially, she was carrying a lower weight.

‘We do think she got harshly penalised for that run in the Adelaide Cup with her rating and in her first couple of runs we were a bit hamstrung with where to run her,’ Howard commented. ‘She wasn’t dropping points and was staying where she was, but the fact we could get her back to 54 kilos and up to 2400 metres, it was something we were looking for.’

The O’Brien stable had previously won the Ansett Classic with Saracen Knight in 2022, who went on to claim the Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) at Caulfield in his next start.

Howard expressed uncertainty about Hurry Curry’s immediate racing engagements but noted that the Australian Heritage Cup (2800m) at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day could be a consideration.

‘We did win this race with Saracen Knight a few years ago and it ended up he leapfropped into another win,’ Howard said. ‘It’s great to get that ‘Black Type’ win (with this mare), so its job done there and we’ll assess what comes up next. There is the 2800-metre race on Cup Day that she may head to, but we’ll leave that up to Danny who will make the decision about her going forward.’

Want to get in on the action? Explore these betting sites for the best Australian betting sites.

The United States completed a thrilling comeback on the final day to beat the Internationals and win an 11th successive Presidents Cup.

The hosts, containing eight of the world’s 11 top-ranked players, trailed by three points going into Sunday and were looking to avoid just a second defeat since the biennial competition began 32 years ago.

They dominated the singles, winning nine of the 12 matches, to seal a 17-13 win at Medinah – the scene of Team Europe’s famous Ryder Cup comeback win in 2012.

Jacob Bridgeman secured the decisive point by holing a four-foot par putt at the 18th to seal a one-up win over Australia’s Min Woo Lee.

There were also wins for Cameron Young, Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler, Chris Gotterup, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele and Jackson Koivun.

“I told the guys last night that funny stuff happens here. Medinah’s got a history of funny things happening,” said US captain Brandt Snedeker, who was a member of the team beaten by Europe in 2012.

“All these guys fought for each other, fought for this country, fought for this team.”

International captain Geoff Ogilvy said: “The US team came out firing, we knew they would.

“It was on a knife edge all day. If some of those one downs we had out there had flipped to one up, the numbers looked really good and who knows what momentum that could give.”

US President Donald Trump was in attendance in his role as honorary chairman, greeting the players and making a speech before the matches got under way.

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Brandon McNulty emerged the surprise winner of the UCI Road World Championships men’s race on Sunday in Montreal to end a 33-year title drought for American men in the race. The 28-year-old put his hands on his helmet in disbelief and pumped his fist after crossing the finish line with a time of 6 hours, 17 minutes and ⁠4 seconds.

Australia’s Michael Matthews was second and Mathieu `van der Poel of the Netherlands was third. “I’m really at a loss for words. Until the last 300 metres I didn’t believe it, I ⁠was so tired,” said McNulty.

He was quick to credit his teammates after securing the `first road world title for American men since Lance Armstrong in 1993. “We’ve said for weeks that we have a super strong team and that it’s possible. We rode crazy well. We marked everything, ‌had guys ahead,” he said.

“I knew something could happen but it would take a miracle. I guess today, a miracle happened.” McNulty, who won the Montreal Grand Prix last year, launched his attack with 32 km to go and held a 50-second lead ⁠heading into the final lap.

He struggled on the last significant climb and saw his lead shrink to 10 seconds with 10 km left but none of the chasers were able to take advantage, with Van der Poel leading an attack with 6.8 km to go that fizzled out.

The absence of two-time defending champion Tadej Pogacar, who is recovering from a crash he suffered last month, left ‌the field open.

Without the Slovenian in the field, the race was chaotic and unpredictable throughout the 273.4-km course, which included 12 laps of a 13.4-km circuit that was packed with `enthusiastic fans. McNulty had not been among the pre-race favorites – unlike former world ⁠champion Remco Evenepoel or young talents Isaac del Toro and Paul Seixas.

Armstrong congratulated McNulty on his victory. “Congratulations @BrandonMcNult ‌on winning the World ​Championship in Montreal today,” Armstrong posted on ‌social media.

“Hands down the most exciting race of the year and a deserved winner. A thing of beauty”.