Lights on | Sports Daily Newsletter

A couple of days ago, Caitlin Clark, Kim Mulkey, Angel Reese, and company set a record when 12.3 million people tuned in to watch a rematch of last season’s national championship game.

That rematch was a quarterfinal. Imagine what will happen in a few days when the Final Four begins.

Women’s basketball is having a moment, and whether it’s Paige Bueckers vs. Clark or North Philly’s Dawn Staley guiding her squad into even more rarefied air, there are plenty of fascinating storylines to follow.

They deserve this. They’ve deserved it for a long time, Marcus Hayes writes.

— Maria McIlwain, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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❓ Who are your picks to win the men’s and women’s national titles? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

Joel Embiid is back, and the Sixers are taking off for their most important road trip of the season, starting with a crucial Thursday night matchup against the Miami Heat. While they’ve clinched a spot to at least participate in the NBA Play-In Tournament, the Sixers sit in a precarious position.

Currently, every team sitting first through 10th remains a possible Sixers opponent in one of the play-in games or a first-round series. The Sixers, who could land in spots six through eight, are just one of several teams facing the real likelihood of playing musical chairs in the coming days. The Inquirer’s Gina Mizell breaks down the wild East.

Next: The Sixers hit the road for a contest at Miami (7:30 p.m., NBCSP).

A six-hour car ride from Rochester, N.Y., got Ricardo Pinto to Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday, but the Phillies game against the Reds had already started. He didn’t have much time — they were going to need him. Alex Coffey has the story of Pinto’s memorable return to the Phillies.

Taijuan Walker, on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder soreness, is focused on regaining the form that put him on a dominant run for six weeks last season.

After a three-hour rain delay Wednesday night, the Phillies played from behind in a 4-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds that dropped them to 2-4 on a season-opening homestand.

Next: After an off day today, the Phillies are back in action Friday in Washington (6:45 p.m., NBCSP+).

Love him or hate him, John Tortorella is almost always box office.

Two days after he called out his team for a lackluster effort against the New York Islanders, the fiery bench boss was back it following the Flyers’ practice in Voorhees. There were several highlights — and a couple of expletives — from but this was probably the highlight from his truly engaging 15-minute convo with the media.

“I’m so proud of the team getting here,” he said. “And I guess now the narrative out there is, because I’ve heard from other people, that they’re young, they’re not supposed to be here. [Expletive]. We’re here. We’re here, face it, and let’s be better.”

Next: The Flyers return to the ice Friday in Buffalo looking to snap their five-game losing streak (7 p.m., NBCSP).

He calls his character “the Phillie Phanatic of professional wrestling.” Brian Heffron rose to fame as The Blue Meanie and appeared at WrestleMania in 1999 in Philadelphia. Now, at McCusker’s Tavern in South Philly, he’s just Brian. And that’s how he likes it.

Speaking of 1999, we also took a look back at the last time WrestleMania came to Philly.

Here are a few moves you can expect to see. And could Jason Kelce play a role in this weekend’s events?

Next: WrestleMania begins Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field (7 p.m., Peacock).

We asked you: Do you think Embiid’s return will help the Sixers avoid the play-in tournament or otherwise help their playoff seeding? Among your responses:

I am hopeful, but skeptical that Joel and the Sixers can reunite quickly enough to be a force in the Play-In tournament with only 6 games to go. Even if they can put it all together and win the Play-In, there is no way this team is going to go through the East and then beat the Celtics. Like all fans I would of course be thrilled if they can, but better to look to next year. — Everett S.

Four of the Sixers’ last 6 games are against teams with a losing record. if they can win those 4, they have an outside chance of getting to 6th place. Better yet, if they can also beat the Heat next, and win those other games, they probably will catch the two teams ahead of them. Those teams (Pacers and Heat) have two less losses, so those teams must lose at least half of their final games. all of this is possible, but not probable. Actually, the Sixers might benefit from playing in the “play-in” tournament, as they need to mesh again with Embiid and a number of key players who have not yet played together. Also, Embiid needs more games to get in better playing shape. If they can do that, they could go far in the playoffs. On top of what Embiid does for them on the court, his return will undoubtedly give them a mental lift, and motivate the whole team for a big late push. — Jay W.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from David Murphy, Marcus Hayes, Gina Mizell, Keith Pompey, Scott Lauber, Alex Coffey, Jackie Spiegel, Matt Breen, Matt Mullin, Sam Morris, Zach Moore, Tommy Rowan, Gabriela Carroll, Jeff Neiburg, Brooke Ackerman, Jonathan Tannenwald, and Isabella DiAmore.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

Thanks for reading along! Jim will be back tomorrow with the week’s final Sports Daily. — Maria