On Holiday | Sports Daily Newsletter

The NBA landscape felt a seismic shift Wednesday when a disgruntled point guard was traded.

No, it wasn’t James Harden. Sorry to get your hopes up, but he’s still with the Sixers for now.

Damian Lillard was shipped to the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-team deal that also saw Jrue Holiday and Deandre Ayton (via the Phoenix Suns) head to the Portland Trail Blazers. The Bucks’ NBA championship odds shot up, but the merry-go-round might not be over.

Our Keith Pompey reported that the Sixers are interested in acquiring Holiday, a former draft pick of theirs, and dealing Harden in the process (pun intended). So Wednesday’s deal didn’t necessarily have a direct impact on the Sixers — but there’s a chance the fallout hasn’t completely settled yet.

— Maria McIlwain, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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❓ Would you like to see Holiday back with the Sixers? Why or why not? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

The Phillies are back in the playoffs for a second straight year and are the top wild-card team. You’ve had some time to process that, so now let’s consider what next week will bring.

It’s tough to tell what that will look like, considering the logjam that is the rest of the NL wild-card picture. Could it be the Cubs? How about Arizona or Miami? And who will be taking the mound against Phillies starters Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola?

David Murphy breaks down two of the most likely matchups — Chicago and Arizona — and makes the argument that fans should root for chaos over the next few days.

Last year, Johan Rojas watched the Phillies’ magical run from his apartment during the Arizona Fall League. On Tuesday, he delivered the hit that clinched this year’s berth.

The shorthanded Phillies kept the good times rolling Wednesday night, rallying to beat the Pirates, 7-6.

Next: The Phillies wrap up their final homestand of the regular season at 6:05 p.m. Thursday (NBCSP). Zack Wheeler (13-6, 3.64 ERA) gets the start against a Pirates pitcher to be determined.

The Eagles run the “tush push” like no other team — and even their exact strategy is a mystery. And now some are saying it’s unfair. Yeah, just as unfair as dunking or three-pointers.

But maybe it should be banned, Mike Sielski writes. It’s hurting too many people’s feelings, and we can’t have that, of course.

The Eagles got a bit of good injury news Wednesday, as left guard Landon Dickerson says he’s “feeling good” after suffering a knee contusion Monday night. Boston Scott, who had been dealing with a concussion, also was listed as a full participant on the injury report.

Next: The Eagles will look to make it 4-0 on Sunday as they welcome the Washington Commanders to Lincoln Financial Field (1 p.m., Fox29, 94.1 WIP FM).

When a deal as big as Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks hits the NBA, there are going to be falling dominoes that follow. In the Eastern Conference, where the Bucks already were near the top of the heap, adding Lillard creates an even deeper chasm between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. and the rest of the conference. The Inquirer’s Gina Mizell takes a closer look at what was a relatively quiet summer in the East and assesses how the latest blockbuster will affect the conference.

Let’s be honest, the only direction for the Flyers to go was up following their 6-0 defeat to the Devils in their preseason opener on Monday.

Wednesday brought a second look, and, while the Flyers still came out on the losing end, the team delivered a much-improved performance in a 2-1 loss to the Islanders. The Flyers still have lots of room for improvement as they approach the Oct. 12 opener, but Jeff Neiburg saw some positive signs on Wednesday, particularly from a few bubble players looking to impress.

Next: The Flyers are in Boston to play the Bruins on Friday night in their third of six preseason games.

The Union entered Wednesday night with a game in hand on several of their Eastern Conference rivals.

For that reason, a win would have been massive and given them the inside track at the conference’s No. 2 seed. Things started brightly with an early goal from Bridesburg’s Quinn Sullivan, but FC Dallas quickly fought back to earn a 1-1 draw.

With a draw, the Union still leapfrog Columbus into third position, but a win would have seen them also pass Orlando in second as well. Given several key absences, Jim Curtin won’t be too upset with the tie, but it still represents a bit of a missed chance.

Next: The Union are back in action Saturday in Columbus in a pivotal pre-playoff matchup (7:30 p.m., Apple TV).

Gola no more: La Salle’s Tom Gola Arena is getting a facelift, and, with it, a new name.

Eye of the (Golden) Hurricane: Temple has a quick turnaround before its conference matchup with Tulsa.

The world’s game: Spain’s World Cup triumph meant a little more to St. Joe’s freshman midfielder Juliette Muro.

Title chase: Don’t sleep on Northeast High, senior linebacker George Truitt says.

We asked you: Which team would you most like to see in the wild-card round and why? Among your responses:

Arizona or Chicago, not Miami, they always find ways to beat the Phils. — Miriam P.

I do think they can beat anyone right now given how they’re playing. But if I have to choose one of the three, I would go with the Cubs. We have the best record against them this season. — Kathy T.

It’s pointless to pick one team over another because the playoffs are a crapshoot and the regular season is no longer relevant. Last year’s Phillies are a prime example of this. If the new playoff format wasn’t in place last year, the Phillies wouldn’t have been playing. But it was, and they came two wins from winning it all. Be careful what you wish for. — Brian S.

The Phillies were 5-1 against the Cubs, 4-3 with the DBacks, and 6-7 with the Marlins, so for sure would not want the Marlins. — Everett S.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Matt Mullin, Devin Jackson, Keith Pompey, David Murphy, Alex Coffey, Scott Lauber, Mike Sielski, Olivia Reiner, Gina Mizell, Jeff Neiburg, Jonathan Tannenwald, Mike Jensen, Max Dinenberg, Mia Messina, and Aaron Carter.