WHAT TO READ

1. The Spurs kept their championship hopes alive despite being outscored by 18 in the second quarter, winning Game 3 at Madison Square Garden 115-111. San Antonio held New York to just 20 points in the fourth quarter, handing the Knicks their first loss since April 23rd after 13 playoff wins in a row. Read about the key takeaways from the back-and-forth contest (Victor Wembanyama scored 32 on 11-18 shooting), and where the 2-1 series goes from here.

2. The NFL’s trade deadline isn’t for five months and the first preseason game isn’t until August 6th, but it’s never too early to look at who could end up on a new team this season. The first potential trade on ESPN’s list of 10? Raiders Edge Maxx Crosby, again. Check out the rest of the analysis to read about who might move and why. (Dan Graziano, ESPN)

3. Co-host Mexico kicks off the World Cup with the first match of the tournament, facing South Africa in Estadio Banorte (formerly known as Estadio Azteca) on Thursday. Mexico, currently ranked 14th in the world, was eliminated in the group stage four years ago and hasn’t made it to the quarterfinals since 1990. Read a preview of Mexico’s Group A to see why the “cursed” team is favored to advance despite relying on 17-year-old Gilberto Mora to do far too much for his age. (Tales Azzoni, Associated Press)

4. The Rams are heavy Super Bowl favorites (+550 at FanDuel), and a win would extend a streak dating back to 2014 — when the Seahawks became the last first-time champion in the NFL. Twelve teams have never won a title, including the Bills, who are tied with Seahawks with the second-best odds right now (+1000). Read about the 11 other franchises without a Super Bowl win to see their chances of lifting the Lombardi Trophy for the first time next Valentine’s Day in Los Angeles. (Eric Edholm, NFL.com)

5. Texas Tech got a huge boost from a retired Judge, who ruled transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby couldn’t be declared ineligible by the NCAA. Instead, the judge decided to suspend Sorsby for two games despite the quarterback’s sports betting history, which led to his ineligibility. Read about the outrage the decision caused across college sports, the impact it could have on Texas Tech’s future schedule, and the concerns athletic directors have about enforcing the rules going forward. (Ross Dellenger, Yahoo Sports)

WHAT TO WATCH

6:40pm — Yankees vs. Guardians on TBS: If it feels like we highlight the Yankees a lot in this space, it’s true, but only because MLB’s still meager national schedule features the Bronx Bombers so often (there’s no other game on national TV again today). This matchup features Yankees lefty Gerrit Cole, who has started just three games so far this season and has a 2.00 ERA, against Guardians starter Slade Cecconi, who is struggling with a 3-5 record and 4.92 ERA across 13 starts. (NYY -131, CLE +109)

7pm — Dream vs. Sky on ESPN: Angel Reese gets a Commissioner’s Cup matchup against her former team tonight. The third-year star leads the WNBA with 11.7 rebounds per game to go along with her 13.3 points, and Atlanta is tied for the third-best record in the league at 7-3. Chicago continues its ongoing struggle, as only three teams have a worse record — the Sky are 4-7 after losing six of seven. (ATL -7.5, Total: 164.5)

8pm — Hurricanes vs. Golden Knights on ABC: Vegas can take a commanding 3-1 lead in the Stanley Cup Finals by winning its fifth home game in a row. The Golden Knights have won eight of nine overall, while the pre-series favorite Hurricanes had been 12-1 in the postseason before facing off against the 2023 champions. Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour still hasn’t announced who he’s starting in goal. (CAR -115, VGK -105)

WHAT TO TRACK

Carolina is the ever-so-slight favorite to win Game 4 on the road at 51% on Kalshi, while FanDuel gives the Hurricanes and Golden Knights equal odds to win (-110 moneyline). The prediction market gives Vegas a 63% chance to take the title, and FanDuel agrees, with the Golden Knights at -188 to hoist the Cup and give coach John Tortorella his second championship, 22 years after winning with the Lightning. It would also be Vegas’s second Stanley Cup in just its ninth season of existence.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I tell the guys, it’s a seven-game series for a reason. They are a great team. They are well-coached. They have an iconic player. It’s not going to be easy.”

— Knicks coach Mike Brown after his team’s Game 3 home loss, in which they had a 8-24 disadvantage in free throw attempts in the second half.

See you tomorrow,

Abe

WHAT TO READ

1. June is usually one of the more quiet times in the NFL, but the first day of the month this year could end up being one of the most impactful of the offseason. Teams that wait until June 1st each year to trade or cut a player get salary cap benefits. The Rams used the opportunity to trade for reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, while the Patriots got wide receiver A.J. Brown from the Eagles. Read how the trades happened, what the teams gave up, and the benefits to each franchise. (Jeremy Fowler, Sarah Barshop, Mike Reiss, Daniel Oyefusi, Tim McManus, ESPN)

2. The Knicks have won 13 straight games in the playoffs, and a sweep of the Spurs would tie them with the Warriors for longest streak in NBA postseason history. New York hasn’t just racked up wins, they’ve blown out opponents at a historic level (though not in the Finals), with a 273-point win margin — the best postseason streak ever and second-highest total in league history when you include the regular season. Yahoo Sports has the 13 stats that have defined the Knicks’ historic run. (Ben Rohrbach, Yahoo Sports)

3. Each of the first three games of the Stanley Cup Final has seen comebacks of two or more goals, with the Golden Knights taking two of those matchups. With Game 4 in Vegas tomorrow night, the pre-series favorite Hurricanes still haven’t decided if Frederik Andersen or Brandon Bussi will start in goal in the crucial contest. Read about how Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour is making the decision that could decide who takes the Cup. (Stephen Whyno, Associated Press)

4. Lynx star forward Napheesa Collier hasn’t played this season due to an ankle injury and the team’s leading scorer is a rookie, yet Minnesota is once again atop the WNBA standings. Olivia Miles, a 23-year-old first-year player out of TCU (she started at Notre Dame for three seasons before that), is scoring 17.2 points per game, good for 14th in the league, with two teammates, Natasha Howard and Courtney Williams, right behind her at 17.1. Read about how coach Cheryl Reeve put together a roster that apparently doesn’t even needs its biggest star to thrive. (Kareem Copeland, ESPN)

5. More Americans are expected to tune into the World Cup than ever before, as the sport has seen a huge influx of fans in the country since the last time the U.S. hosted the event in 1994. The Associated Press has ongoing coverage to help the casual or non-soccer-watching American audience know what to look for when the biggest event in the world kicks off on Thursday. Read about the 10 players to watch that could have the biggest impact in this year’s edition. (James Robson, Associated Press)

WHAT TO WATCH

6:40pm — Yankees vs. Guardians on FS1: Cleveland’s Gavin Williams is looking to become the first starting pitcher in MLB to get to 10 wins this season (he’s 9-3 with a 3.20 ERA), while the Yankees have only lost two games all season with Will Warren on the mound (7-1, 3.22 ERA). The Yankees have the most wins in the American League and the Guardians are atop the AL Central. (NYY -102, CLE -118)

7pm — Fever vs. Mystics on NBCSN/Peacock: Indiana has lost three of four coming into a Commissioner’s Cup matchup against a team whose coach was ejected and escorted out of the game by police in their last contest, so there could be some focus issues. Caitlin Clark is down to seventh in the WNBA in scoring at 18.7 points per game after putting in 10, 17, 6 and 16 points in the past four games, shooting under 30% in three of those matchups. (IND -5.5, Total: 170.5)

8:30pm — Spurs vs. Knicks on ABC: New York won both games in San Antonio after the young Spurs looked nervous for the first time this season. No team has ever won the NBA title after losing the first two Finals games at home, but if the Spurs want to change that, this is a must-win in Game 3 at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks, who haven’t lost since April 23rd, scored 105 in each of the first two games in the series — their two lowest-scoring outputs of the postseason. (NYK -2.5, Total: 216.5)

WHAT TO TRACK

Kalshi gives the Knicks a 55% chance to win Game 3 in the Finals at home. FanDuel has New York’s spread at -2.5 (-105) and the moneyline at -130, with 66% of the spread money and 57% of the spread bets with the Knicks. The predictions markets also give the Knicks a huge advantage to win the series, 78% (1.26x) to 23% (4.13x). NBA teams are 164-0 when they get a 3-0 lead in the playoffs.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I never thought he’d grow up to be the player he is today. … Jalen’s made for these moments. None of these moments are too big for him.”

— Former Knicks player Latrell Sprewell on Jalen Brunson, whose dad Rick Brunson played with Sprewell the last time the Knicks made the NBA Finals in 1999.

See you tomorrow,

Abe

WHAT TO READ

1. The Spurs are a win away from the NBA Finals, but the way they’ve built their roster means this is likely the start, not the end, of their championship aspirations. San Antonio spent years rebuilding, meaning getting few wins and earning top draft picks, but the franchise is unique in how it has been able to turn that formula into success. Read about why, according to ESPN, of the 100 players who were top-five picks from 2000 to 2019, 56 haven’t ever won a playoff series. (Zach Kram, ESPN)

2. Almost four months after the Super Bowl and just over two months away from the first preseason game, NFL.com has narrowed its way-too-early list of contenders to stop a Seahawks repeat to eight teams. One franchise that isn’t on the list is the defending AFC Champion Patriots. Read the full rundown to see why the Chiefs could be back in contention and which teams could knock out the Seahawks in the NFC. (Dan Parr, NFL.com)

3. The Eagles are widely reported to want to move star wide receiver A.J. Brown in June, when the salary cap implications of a trade will lessen in his complicated contract. Brown was frustrated with Philadelphia’s offense last season. He ended up with fewer receiving yards than the year before despite playing two more games (78 receptions for 1,003 yards and 7 touchdowns in 15 appearances). Read about how money can factor into a potential Brown trade and his value for the Eagles. (Joel Corry, CBS Sports)

4. College basketball’s transfer portal got a second wind after a number of prospects decided to sit out this year’s NBA Draft and return to college. The biggest name is Iowa State’s Milan Momcilovic, who averaged 16.9 points per game in his third season with the Cyclones. Read about which Blue Blood programs will be competing to sign the top name in what has become college free agency. (Nick Bromberg, Yahoo Sports)

5. One of the most sought-after seats early at the French Open this year is wherever Rafael Jodar is playing. The 19-year-old Spaniard is making his first appearance at the major and now has the third-best odds to win it. He’s been playing on smaller outer courts — his last match on Court 7 could only fit about 1,500 fans — causing major lines of fans hoping to catch a glimpse of the up-and-comer. Today he’s being featured in the tournament’s third-largest venue as he faces American Alex Michelsen in the third round. Read about why chants of “Vamos, Rafa!” could be back at Roland Garros for years to come. (D’Arcy Maine, ESPN)

WHAT TO WATCH

All Day — French Open coverage on TNT: 19-year-old João Fonseca takes on No. 3 Novak Djokovic, who now has the second-best odds to win at Roland Garros after Jannik Sinner’s shocking upset loss yesterday. Also on today’s docket: For the men, No. 2, and the new tournament favorite, Alexander Zverev, No. 8 Alex De Minaur, No. 11 Andrey Rublev, and American Tommy Paul (24) matches up against No. 15 Casper Ruud. And for the women, No. 3 Iga Swiatek, No. 7 Elina Svitolina, No. 8 Mirra Andreeva, and No. 11 Belinda Bencic will play American Peyton Stearns.

8pm — Canadiens vs. Hurricanes on TNT: Carolina can close out the series and head to the Stanley Cup Final with a home win against the Canadiens in Game 5. Montreal’s lone win in the series came in Game 1 at Carolina, which is the Hurricanes’ only loss in the postseason. (MTL +195, CAR -238)

10:10pm — Phillies vs. Dodgers on Apple TV: Both teams are heating up and have pitchers who have started the year well on the mound. Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler is 4-0 with a 1.67 ERA and LA’s Justin Wrobleski is 6-2 with a 3.07 ERA. But Wrobleski has allowed 14 earned runs over his past three games after giving up just five in his first six starts. (PHI +100, LAD -120)

WHAT TO TRACK

The Spurs forced a Game 7 in Oklahoma City, but Kalshi gives the Thunder a 59% chance to return to the NBA Finals. While trending down, the prediction market is at 51% for a 3.5-point or more OKC win. The biggest number right now is the 62% chance the Spurs will score over 104.5 (the only time they went under that number in the series was a 103-82 win in Game 4). On FanDuel, 87% of the early spread money is with OKC, but just 52% of the bets are with the defending champs.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I have absolutely no desire to do that right now.”

— Victor Wembanyama when asked if he thinks about how far the Spurs have come this season after the Spurs’ 118-91 win forced Game 7.

We’re taking a short break but will be back for the start of the NBA Finals on June 3rd.

See you in your inbox next Wednesday,

Abe

WHAT TO READ

1. The Spurs face a must-win at home tonight and will need Victor Wembanyama to shake off his worst performance of the series — and since Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. Wembanyama aside, San Antonio has come to rely on 28-year-old De’Aaron Fox to bring a veteran mentality when the team needs it most. Read Michael C. Wright’s feature on the guard out of Kentucky to see why one teammate said he’s become “that closer for us.” (Michael C. Wright, ESPN)

2. Politicians are inserting themselves into the uncertainty that the new era of college sports has created across the country. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) agreed on bipartisan legislation that would, if passed, “save the part of college sports that fans actually care about,” according to Cruz. Read about what the so-called Protect College Sports Act would change. Spoiler: It’s a lot. (Ross Dellenger, Yahoo Sports)

3. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow played just eight games last season due to injury, and his team finished 6-11 and missed the playoffs for the third year in a row. Cincinnati shored up its defense this offseason, signing safety Bryan Cook, defensive end Boye Mafe, defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, and trading for Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. Read about why Burrow has a renewed sense of optimism after the moves, even though he said he didn’t drive them. (Jay Morrison, Associated Press)

4. CBS Sports updated its annual preseason top 25 college football coach rankings, and there’s a new No. 1: defending national champion Curt Cignetti. James Franklin changed schools (fried by Penn State, hired by Virginia Tech), and dropped six spots, while Texas Tech’s Joey McGuire jumped 27 places after leading his school to the CFP. Read the rest of the list to see if you think Lane Kiffin, and the others, are fairly ranked. (Tom Fornelli, CBS Sports)

5. A World Cup heavyweight nearly always flames out early in the competition, and with the expansion from 32 to 48 teams, there could be more chaos. England haven’t lifted the trophy in 60 years, but they could be the squad least likely to have a high-profile hiccup. Read about which of the five other favorites — Spain, France, Brazil, Argentina and Portugal — could head home early this summer. (Ryan O’Hanlon, ESPN)

WHAT TO WATCH

All Day — Roland Garros coverage on TNT: It’s a huge day for Americans in Paris, with No. 5 Ben Shelton, No. 18 Learner Tien, No. 19 Frances Tiafoe, No. 31 Brandon Nakashima, and unranked Zachary Svajda all in action in the men’s draw and No. 4 Coco Gauff, No. 6 Amanda Anisimova, No. 17 Iva Jovic (facing unseeded American Emma Navarro), No. 19 Madison Keys, No. 30 Ann Li, and unseeded McCartney Kessler and Claire Liu featuring on the women’s side. And 45-year-old Venus Williams is playing doubles with Hailey Baptiste. Also both the men’s and women’s top seeds, Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, play on the clay major’s showcase court today.

8:30pm — Thunder vs. Spurs on NBC: San Antonio needs another home win to keep its season alive and have a shot at knocking out the defending champions in Game 7 in Oklahoma City. The Spurs are just 5-3 at home this postseason, but before this series the upstart team hadn’t lost two straight since mid-January. (SAS -3.5, Total: 219.5)

10pm — Fever vs. Valkyries on Prime: Caitlin Clark is back on national TV (well, streaming), as Indiana takes on the surprise of last season, Golden State. There’s a lot of parity in the WNBA early on: Nine of the 15 teams, including these two, have four or more wins. The spread flipped after Clark was added to the injury report as probable. (GSV -1.5, Total: 167.5)

WHAT TO TRACK

The Spurs have a 59% chance to win Game 6 at home and force a decisive matchup on Saturday night, according to Kalshi (OKC 2.34x, SAS 1.62x). Over 218.5 points is at 54% but trending down, while San Antonio winning by over 3.5 is also headed closer to even at 51%. On FanDuel, 65% of the spread money and 56% of the spread bets are with the Spurs.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“You cannot lure or induce athletes to an institution unless you have a valid business purpose.”

— U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell on one of the many aspects of the new world of college sports she hopes to change with the bipartisan legislation she announced with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz yesterday.

See you tomorrow,

Abe

WHAT TO READ

1. NFL teams have short memories, so which players need to have a big season or risk being cast aside? NFL.com names Bills inconsistent wide receiver Keon Coleman, five quarterbacks 30 and under (including two on the same team), and Giants linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux, who will be competing with Abdul Carter for snaps. Read the breakdown to see why franchises could be giving up on 11 players after the season if they don’t turn things around. (Nick Shook, NFL.com)

2. CBS Sports breaks down how the MLB season has played out so far, including a look at where the postseason bracket stands and the league’s biggest winners and flops through the first nine weeks. The two biggest surprise teams? In the AL, it’s the White Sox and starter Davis Martin, and Jordan Walker and the Cardinals are exceeding expectations in the NL. Read about how the AL would have a sub.-500 team in the playoffs if the season ended today and why Shohei Ohtani has a real race for NL MVP. (Mike Axisa, CBS Sports)

3. After two of the weakest quarterback draft classes in recent memory, 2027 looks like it will be a quarterback-forward year. From projected No. 1 pick Arch Manning at Texas to Oregon’s Dante Moore, Notre Dame’s CJ Carr, USC’s Jayden Maiava, and Trinidad Chambliss getting a sixth year at Ole Miss, there are a lot of signal callers to watch. Read about the 22 college quarterbacks that NFL teams are expected to scout most this upcoming season. (Jordan Reid, ESPN)

4. The U.S. kicks off its World Cup campaign on June 12th against Paraguay in Los Angeles. The Americans announced their roster today, and the picks went as expected. USMNT star Christian Pulisic is hoping to shake off his current slump and an international goalless drought that extends to 2024. The U.S. is expected to win its group, which along with Paraguay includes Australia and Turkey, but Team USA hasn’t advanced to the quarterfinals since 2002. (Associated Press)

5. Kimi Antonelli won his fourth race in a row at the Canadian Grand Prix over the weekend and has now been on top of the podium in every race but the opener, when Mercedes teammate George Russell took the checkered flag. The 19-year-old Antonelli is 43 points ahead of Russell in the driver’s championship, while Mercedes is 72 clear of Ferrari in the constructor standings. Read about how Russell, who was expected to beat his young teammate before the year began, could improve with lower expectations. (Laurence Edmondson, ESPN)

WHAT TO WATCH

All Day — French Open coverage on TNT: American matchups to watch today include No. 24 Tommy Paul vs. Lorenzo Sonego, No. 26 Hailey Baptiste vs. Wang Xiyu, and an all-USA matchup between 21-year-olds: Alex Michelsen vs. Nishesh Basavareddy, who upset No. 7 Taylor Fritz in four sets in the first round. Also in action: No. 2 Alexander Zverev, No. 3 Novak Djokovic, and rising youngsters Joao Fonseca and Rafael Jodar for the men, and No. 2 Elena Rybakina, No. 3 Iga Swiatek, and No. 8 Mirra Andreeva on the women’s side.

8pm — Hurricanes vs. Canadiens on TNT: Montreal just can’t seem to win at home in this postseason, as the Canadiens dropped their third straight and fifth in six games in front of some of the most passionate fans in all of sports. Carolina has the advantage back in the Eastern Conference Final, up 2-1. (CAR -142, MTL +120)

9pm — Dream vs. Lynx on USA: The addition of Angel Reese is paying off early for the Dream, as Atlanta is a WNBA-best 4-1 and Reese leads the league with 11.4 rebounds per game. The Lynx won 91-90 when these teams opened the season with a matchup in Minnesota. (ATL -2.5, Total: 164.5)

WHAT TO TRACK

With No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz out of the French Open and Wimbledon with a wrist injury, Kalshi has odds on a player other than the Spaniard or No. 1 Jannik Sinner winning a Grand Slam for the first time since Novak Djokovic won the 2023 U.S. Open (his 24th major championship). The prediction market gives it a 50% chance, nearly 20 points above the January low and 13 points under the April high.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“If you look at any playoff series that goes to six games, at least, there’s going to be some tough games. We had a tough game the other night. This team does a great job of just coming back in the next day in a very neutral way, taking whatever the lessons are, applying them forward and getting into the next opportunity.”

— Thunder coach Mark Daigneault after his team won Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead. The series heads back to San Antonio on Thursday.

See you tomorrow,

Abe

WHAT TO READ

1. In the middle of a 2-9 stretch between December and January, Knicks owner James Dolan said, “I’d say we want to get to the Finals, and we should win the Finals.” After 11 straight playoff wins and a historically lopsided sweep of the Cavaliers, New York is on its way to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999 and is looking for its first title since 1973. Read about how the Knicks went all-in on Jalen Brunson, surrounded him with college teammates Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart, and added OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns to build what has turned into an Eastern Conference winner.

2. The U.S. won’t officially name its men’s World Cup roster until later today, but the Guardian got an early look. Gio Reyna reportedly made the squad despite limited action for his Bundesliga club this season, while Tanner Tessmann, who played for Lyon this campaign, didn’t make the cut. Read about who head coach Mauricio Pochettino selected and why. (The Guardian)

3. ESPN asks its tennis experts for predictions for the French Open. With two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz out with an injury, Jannik Sinner isn’t expected to have any trouble capturing his first French Open and a career Grand Slam. Read about how wide open the women’s side looks, with defending champion Coco Gauf, four-time winner Iga Swiatek, No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, and Australian Open champ Elena Rybakina all reasonable picks. (ESPN)

4. Coach Will Wade is back at LSU four years after being fired for alleged recruiting violations, and now this time he’s stocking his team with former professional talent. Wade is reportedly signing 25-year-old Israeli guard Yam Madar for $5 million and adding former St. John’s star and G-League player RJ Luis Jr. Read about why Florida coach Todd Golden thinks “that’s not what college athletics is supposed to be.” (CBS Sports)

5. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye came out of nowhere with a new coaching staff last year to become an NFL MVP candidate and help lead his team to the Super Bowl. After throwing 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions with a 66.6% completion percentage in 13 games in his rookie campaign, he improved to 31 touchdowns to just eight interceptions with a 72% completion rate. Read about what changes we could see in his second season under offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. (ESPN)

WHAT TO WATCH

All Day — French Open coverage on TNT: First round matchups of interest today include an All-American matchup between defending champion and No. 4 seed Coco Guaff and the world’s No. 2 doubles player Taylor Townsend, No. 16 Naomi Osaka vs. Laura Siegemund, and 20-year-old American Learner Tien, the 18 seed, against Cristian Garin. The night match, which is scheduled to start around 2:15pm ET, features No. 1 Jannik Sinner against French wildcard Clement Tabur.

8:30pm — Spurs vs. Thunder on NBC: San Antonio lost the advantage it gained on the road with a home loss, so the upstart squad needs to win Game 5 or 7 in Oklahoma City to get the upset. The Thunder bench has been the story of the series for the defending champions, outscoring the Spurs’ reserves 76-23 in Game 3 when the OKC starters added just 47 total points. (OKC -5.5, Total: 216.5)

9pm — Avalanche vs. Golden Knights on ESPN: Vegas can get a very unexpected sweep at home with a win tonight. Colorado had the league’s highest point total in the regular season and had lost just once in the playoffs before running into a juggernaut, falling in the first three games of the series by two goals each time out. (COL -115, VGK -105)

WHAT TO TRACK

Kalshi has the Thunder as big favorites to win Game 5 in Oklahoma City, 63% to 38%, against the Spurs. The prediction market has over 215.5 points at 54%. On FanDuel, 71% of spread bets and 61% of the money are with San Antonio at +5.5 (-114).

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I can’t lie, it’s something that’s emotional and it’s something I’ve always dreamed of, and you never know if it’s gonna come true.”

— Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns on helping lead the team he grew up cheering for to the NBA Finals.

See you tomorrow,

Abe

WHAT TO READ

1. Victor Wembanyama once again took over for the Spurs, scoring 33 points in Game 4 to tie the series. Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored just 19 points in 31 minutes. The series heads back to Oklahoma City with the Thunder still as the significant favorite. Read about how Wembanyama became only the second player since blocks became an official stat to collect 300 points, 150 rebounds, and 50 blocks in a first postseason appearance, joining Bill Walton. (ESPN)

2. It’s never too early to look at NFL mock drafts, and CBS Sports has Texas quarterback Arch Manning going No. 1 to the Jets next year. The long-suffering franchise only has one season since 2016 with the same quarterback starting every game (Aaron Rodgers in 2024), and had 13 different quarterbacks get a start in that time period. Read the full mock draft to see who could take Ohio State superstar wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, along with the rest of the first round selections. (CBS Sports)

3. With less than 100 days until college football kicks off, ESPN takes a look at the top 10 storylines, games and predictions to watch heading into the season. The piece also has the 10 top Heisman Trophy contenders along with five coaches on the hot seat. Read the full preview to see which team the World Wide Leader thinks could make its first CFP appearance. (ESPN)

4. Now that the NFL schedule is out, pundits are reassessing their way-to-early power rankings. Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano jumped the Broncos to No. 1 after Denver got some soft matchups in the second half of the season and kept the Cardinals last because a 0-13 start before their bye isn’t improbable. Read where Vacchiano puts all 32 teams early in the offseason. (Fox Sports)

5. Felix Rosenqvist won the closest Indianapolis 500 in history with his 0.023-second victory. It was the 34-year-old’s second win in 120 career IndyCar starts and came 20 days after his first child was born. Read about how the veteran driver’s audacious move to pass leader David Malukas earned him the most famous milk in the United States. (Associated Press)

WHAT TO WATCH

3:40pm — Yankees vs. Royals on ESPN: Will Warren is back on the mound for New York, hoping to once again get a win for his suddenly average club. The Yankees are 8-2 when Warren starts (he’s 6-1 with a 3.61 ERA), and he’s earned the decision in six of his past seven, with five of those decisions being wins. (NYY -156, KC +129)

8pm — Knicks vs. Cavaliers on ESPN: New York has won 10 straight in the playoffs and is a victory in Cleveland away from headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. After their historic Game 1 comeback, the Knicks won the next two games in the series by an average of 14.5 points. (NYK -2.5, Total: 217.5)

8pm — Hurricanes vs. Canadiens on TNT: Carolina got the win it needed at home to tie the series as the teams head to Canada. Despite its impressive home ice advantage fan-wise, Montreal is just 2-4 at home so far this postseason. Carolina is 4-0 on the road. (CAR -135, MTL +114)

WHAT TO TRACK

The market for MLB’s individual awards is starting to settle a bit, with Kalshi making Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (48%) the big favorite over Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (14%) for AL MVP. Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani has an even larger 78%-to-3% advantage over Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz in the National League. Phillies starter Christopher Sanchez (36%) has the lead over Ohtani (19%) for the NL Cy Young, while the Yankees’ Cam Schlittler (38%) has the best odds over Toronto’s Dylan Cease (23%) in the American League.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“As low as it can get. It’s a big hill to climb.”

— Avalanche coach Jared Bednar on his team’s emotions after going down 0-3 in the Western Conference Final against the Golden Knights.

See you tomorrow,

Abe

WHAT TO READ

1. The Knicks are on a historic run, winning nine straight while outscoring their opponents by 212 points — which CBS Sports reports is the largest point differential in NBA history, playoffs or regular season. New York looks poised for its first NBA Finals appearance since 1999 after going up 2-0 on the Cavaliers. Read about why this is obviously good news for the Knicks, but their competition hasn’t exactly been stellar. (CBS Sports)

2. The Rams aren’t planning on lining up first round draft pick Ty Simpson under center anytime soon, locking up quarterback Matthew Stafford with a massive contract extension. Los Angeles added one year and $55 million to the 38-year-old’s deal that was set to expire after the upcoming season, meaning he now has $105 million remaining on his contract. Read about the Rams’ decision to lock down the reigning NFL MVP through the 2027 season. (ESPN)

3. The Bears made it as clear as possible that they’re leaving Chicago, announcing there’s “not a viable site in the city,” and that the franchise will only consider Arlington Heights and Hammond, Indiana. The team has played in Chicago since 1921, starting at Wrigley Field then moving to Soldier Field in 1971. Read about what Arlington Heights, a Chicago suburb, and Hammond, which is across the border but only 25 miles from their current home, are offering the franchise to move. (Associated Press)

4. In another big NHL conference final Game 1 upset, Montreal embarrassed Carolina at home in a 6-2 win. The Hurricanes had been 8-0 in the playoffs and were rewarded with an 11-day break, the longest since at least 1920. Read about how the rest advantage could have turned into rust for the favorites. (SB Nation)

5. ESPN updated its top 50 MLB prospect rankings, with shortstop Jesús Made, in the Brewers’ system, moving up to the top spot. Another shortstop, Leo De Vries (Athletics), made one of the biggest jumps from 11th to 2nd after the 19-year-old switch-hitter already climbed to Double-A. Read the full list to see which clubs could be getting young reinforcements. (ESPN)

WHAT TO WATCH

8am — The CJ Cup Byron Nelson on CBS, Paramount+ and ESPN+: Round 2 gets underway after a low scoring first day, with American Taylor Moore starting with the lead at -9, followed by Brooks Koepka and Jesper Svensson at -8. (Scheffler +260, Kim +600, Koepka +700)

8pm — Golden Knights vs. Avalanche on ESPN: Vegas shocked Colorado with a 4-2 upset in Game 1, and now the Avalanche are down to a 51% chance to win the series on Kalshi. (VGK +160, COL -192)

8:30pm — Thunder vs. Spurs on NBC: San Antonio is looking to keep the advantage it won with its Game 1 victory in Oklahoma City with its first matchup at home in a tied series. (SA -1.5, Total: 217.5)

WHAT TO TRACK

The French Open starts on Sunday, and with Carlos Alcaraz out of the men’s draw with an injury, No. 1 Jannik Sinner doesn’t have much standing in his way to earn his first win at Roland Garros. Kalshi gives Sinner a 73% chance to complete his career Grand Slam (1.34x), with Alexander Zverev next at just 8% (13.4x). The women’s side is much tighter, with No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka at 26%, four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek at 24%, and last year’s winner, American Coco Gauff, at 13%.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I was kind of frustrated. I’ve been putting in the reps. It’s not translating right now. I just knew I would keep shooting and if I did that, I would be good.”

— Knicks guard Josh Hart after breaking out of a slump to score a game-high 26 points in the Knicks 109-93 Game 2 win over the Cavaliers.

See you Monday,

Abe

WHAT TO READ

1. The Steelers will start the season with a lame-duck situation at quarterback, as recently signed Aaron Rodgers said this will be his final season. The 42-year-old said he thought he was done in Pittsburgh after Mike Tomlin’s departure, but when the franchise hired his former coach Mike McCarthy, he started thinking about returning. Read about why “this is it” for Rodgers and what he expects from his 22nd year in the league. (The Associated Press)

2. Just two of the six NBA head coaching vacancies have been filled so far, with the Bucks settling on Taylor Jenkins and the Pelicans hiring Jamahl Mosley. Where does that leave the Bulls, Trail Blazers, Magic, and the newest coachless franchise, the Mavericks? Read about why each team needs a new leader and the positives and negatives of the jobs. (ESPN)

3. LeBron James still isn’t sure if he’s returning for a 24th season, but he reportedly isn’t interested in playing for a steep discount if he does come back. The highest-played player in NBA history could take a pay cut for the first time, but a minimum salary doesn’t seem to be in the cards. Read about who might be able to afford the 41-year-old superstar — the Lakers can offer the most. (CBS Sports)

4. With the Golden Knights’ upsetting the heavily-favored Avalanche in Game 1 last night, could the Canadiens be next? After winning Game 7 in Buffalo, Montreal starts as an underdog against Carolina in the East Final. Read Ray Ratto’s piece about whether the Habs might be “blessed” this season. (Defector)

5. New Browns head coach Todd Monken said quarterback Shedeur Sanders has “come miles, in terms of his progressions, getting the ball out, his understanding of concepts.” Sanders started seven games last year and faces competition for the starting role from Deshaun Watson, who hasn’t played more than seven games a season in his four years in Cleveland, and potentially fellow second-year signal caller Dillon Gabriel. Read about how Monken, an offensive guru, plans to manage his quarterback situation. (ESPN)

WHAT TO WATCH

8pm — Cavaliers vs. Knicks on ESPN: After coming back from 22 points down with less than nine minutes left in Game 1, New York has now won eight in a row in the playoffs. Cleveland has been steely this postseason, but it’s hard to bounce back from a meltdown like that, especially at Madison Square Garden. (NY -6.5, Total: 216.5)

8pm — Canadiens vs. Hurricanes on TNT: Montreal has the most Final appearances in NHL history, while Carolina has been just twice (the last time being 20 years ago). But the Hurricanes haven’t lost yet in the playoffs and are allowing just 1.25 goals per game. (MTL +170, CAR -205)

10pm — Sparks vs. Mercury on Prime Video: Kelsey Plum leads the WNBA with 26.8 points per game, but Los Angeles is just 1-3 to start the season. Phoenix began the season with a 33-point win over the Aces but are 1-3 since. (PHX -3.5, Total: 175.5)

WHAT TO TRACK

The World Cup kicks off three weeks from today with Mexico playing South Africa in Mexico City. Kalshi gives 2022 runner-up France the best chance of winning (18.1%), followed by Spain (16.3%), England (11.1%), and Argentina and Brazil (9.5%). The prediction market gives the U.S. the best chance of winning their group (42% to Turkiye’s 36%) and advancing to the knockout stage.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“There’s no panic.”

— Thunder forward Alex Caruso, who scored 17 points in OKC’s 122-113 Game 2 win to even the Western Conference Finals as the teams head to San Antonio.

See you tomorrow,

Abe

WHAT TO READ

1. ESPN predicts which NFL rookies will finish the season leading 10 different stat categories, from touchdown passes to sacks. From the easy picks (Jeremiyah Love with the most rushing yards) to the small handful of rookie interceptions, Mike Clay gives you a full analysis. Read the 48 predictions on ESPN.com.

2. Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti left no room for interpretation: His conference wants a 24-team playoff and he’s fine sticking with 12 until he gets his wish. The SEC has been pushing for a 16-team format, which Petitti seems uninterested in. “If we have to wait, it’s OK. We’ll wait,” he said. Read about the conference maneuvering ahead of the end-of-year deadline for the 2027 college football season on Yahoo Sports.

3. MLB’s automated ball-strike challenge system launched with controversy this season but is working out better than expected. The Cubs’ Carson Kelly is the undisputed winner so far — he’s 21-4 in catcher challenges. Read about the teams and players benefiting and losing out most from ABS on ESPN.com.

4. On another NFL Draft note, CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco re-graded the 2023 edition. Carolina took quarterback Bryce Young with the No. 1 pick, which he now considers a B- instead of a B+. Read the rest of Prisco’s analysis on CBS Sports.

5. Arsenal clinched its first Premier League title since 2004 after Manchester City drew with Bournemouth yesterday. Unlike most EPL clubs, the Gunners stuck with their coach Mikel Arteta through rough patches, and it ultimately paid off. Read about Arsenal’s championship journey via The Associated Press.

WHAT TO WATCH

7pm — Fire vs. Fever on USA: Indiana is just 2-2 to start the season, but Caitlin Clark is averaging 24.3 points (4th in the WNBA), 9.0 assists (1st) and 5.0 rebounds per game. (IND -13.5, Total: 180.5)

8pm — Golden Knights vs. Avalanche on ESPN: This series isn’t expected to be close. Colorado had a +99 goal differential in the regular season, 40 better than the next-best team. Vegas won the Pacific but points-wise would have been in a tie for ninth in the Eastern Conference and out of the playoffs. (VGK +160, COL -192)

8:30pm — Spurs vs. Thunder on NBC: San Antonio stole Oklahoma City’s home court advantage with the Game 1 win, the Thunder’s first defeat of the playoffs. It’s not a must-win, but the pressure is on Oklahoma City, which is now 1-5 against San Antonio this season. (OKC -6.5, Total: 215.5)

WHAT TO TRACK

Despite Oklahoma City still being a slight favorite to win the Western Conference, there’s some value on Kalshi on the NBA Finals matchup: Oklahoma City vs. New York (39%, 2.40x) sits just below San Antonio vs. New York (43%, 2.29x) in likelihood right now.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“There is no secret: We were attacking [James] Harden. Sometimes you’ve got to do what the game dictates, and they were trying to do the same thing with Jalen [Brunson], so we said, ‘OK, we feel like we can play that game.’ We try not to play that game much, but we feel like we have a guy that we can play that game with in Jalen.”

— Knicks coach Mike Brown on how his team came back to win Game 1 in overtime after being down 22 points with 8:19 left in the fourth quarter.

See you tomorrow,

Abe

WHAT TO READ

1. Ahead of last night’s instant classic Spurs upset over the Thunder, John Hollinger of the The Athletic made the (even more timely now) case that Victor Wembanyama might be in the process of passing two-time reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the league’s best player. As Hollinger wrote, “From Feb. 1 to the end of the season, the Spurs went 28-2 when Wembanyama played and posted a plus-23.4 net rating, the best mark in the league by a wide margin.” After Wembanyama exploded for 41 points, 24 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 3 assists and willed his team to a double-overtime win in Oklahoma City last night, the superstar replied “Yeah, for sure,” when asked if his performance had anything to do with losing out to SGA. Kalshi now has the series at 50/50. (John Hollinger, The Athletic)

2. There are still a surprising number of quality free agents available to NFL teams as the first OTA Offseason Workouts begin. Three wide receivers make Fansided’s top-five list, along with offensive tackle Taylor Decker and EDGE Cameron Jordan. (Austen Bundy, Fansided)

3. While most of the attention is on NFL rookies this time of year, it’s the second-year players that will generally have a bigger impact when the season begins. ESPN answers the eight biggest questions facing the league’s sophomores, including Travis Hunter’s offense/defense split and whether the new-look, likely healthier Raiders will lead to a breakout season for running back Ashton Jeanty. (Ben Solak, ESPN)

4. Manager Don Mattingly has revitalized the Phillies, as the club hasn’t lost a series since he took over on April 28th. Philadelphia was 9-19 under 5th-year manager Rob Thomson when the team unexpectedly fired the two-time reigning NL East champion and replaced him with their bench coach, who, along with 12 years of managerial experience, is the father of the franchise’s general manager, Preston. Both report to president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. (Matt Gelb, The Athletic)

5. Real Madrid fired Xabi Alonso as the club’s manager just 34 games into his tenure in January, and it appears Chelsea managements thinks that was a mistake. The Premier League club hired the former Real Madrid star and Bayer Leverkusen manager effective July 1st to lead a squad that will miss out on both Champions League and Europa League action next season (Chelsea could end up in the third tier Conference League, depending on how their final two games play out). Chelsea sacked Liam Rosenior in April, making Alonso its ninth manager (including interims) since April 2023. ESPN looks at what has gone wrong for the club and its new manager, and how the hire could work out for both sides. (Mark Ogden and Alex Kirkland, ESPN)

WHAT TO WATCH

3:15pm — Tottenham vs. Chelsea on Peacock: The Spurs have been one of the biggest stories in the Premier League this season, but not in a good way. Tottenham needs one point in its last two matches to avoid relegation, so an upset draw or win today would make the season finale next week less stressful. (CHE -115, DRAW +270, TOT +300)

7:05pm — Blue Jays vs. Yankees on TBS: Toronto ace Dylan Cease, one of the few bright spots for the sub-.500 reigning AL champs to start the season, faces Will Warren, who is 5-1 with 59 strikeouts in 47.1 innings for slumping-again New York. (TOR +113, NYY -136)

8pm — Cavaliers vs. Knicks on ESPN: This is the matchup many pundits expected for the Eastern Conference Finals when the season started, but when the playoffs began it didn’t look as likely anymore. The Knicks have won seven straight (guard Jalen Brunson led the team in scoring in four of those, including 33+ in three) and haven’t played since finishing off a sweep of the 76ers nine days ago. (NY -7.5, Total: 217.5)

WHAT TO TRACK

The Avalanche (41%) and Hurricanes (38%) are the favorites on Kalshi to win the Stanley Cup, with their conference finals opponents, Golden Knights (13%) and Canadiens (11%), respectively, trailing pretty far behind as the series are set to begin.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“That young man, he has a rare desire to step into every moment that’s in front of him, and he has showed in his three years in a lot of different situations with a lot of different circumstances that he’s going to attack those moments.”

— Spurs coach Mitch Johnson on Victor Wembanyama, who scored 41 points and added 24 rebounds in a career-high 48+ minutes as San Antonio upset Oklahoma City in double overtime in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

See you tomorrow,

Abe

WHAT TO READ

1. Now that the NFL has released its full schedule for next season, CBS Sports takes a look at one positive and one negative from each team’s slate. On the downside, the Colts face two of the league’s best quarterbacks to start off. The Raiders, on the other hand, match up against all three teams that also finished 3-14 this past season, making the upcoming bridge or rebuilding year a little easier for Vegas. All 32 teams are analyzed in this piece. (John Breech, CBS Sports)

2. After quarterback Aaron Rodgers finally re-signed with the Steelers, the question is: Why? From Rodgers’ perspective it’s a good deal. His salary in the one-year contract ballooned from the $13.65 million he earned this past season to potentially $25 million with incentives this year. But in his first campaign in Pittsburgh, he threw for the fewest yards and touchdowns in his career (with at least 16 games played), so it wouldn’t have been crazy for the Steelers to move on from the 42-year-old veteran. ESPN dives into why the franchise and new coach Mike McCarthy — Rodgers’ former boss — made the move. (Ben Solak, ESPN)

3. An English-born golfer won the PGA Championship for the first time since 1919, as Aaron Rai ran away with the tournament on the back nine yesterday. The 31-year-old outlasted Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Cameron Smith and Justin Rose to win his first major and earn just his second victory on the PGA Tour. Rai was three shots back heading into the final nine but ended up with a three-shot win over Rahm and American Alex Smalley after a four-under stretch from the 11th through 17th holes. (Andy Bull, The Guardian)

4. With how everyone around the franchise was talking, it appeared that Warriors coach Steve Kerr’s 12th season would be his last with the team. But both sides decided to give it another go after a 37-45 season, the coach’s worst since 2019-2020 and his only other sub-.500 finish. ESPN’s Wright Thompson has the full story of why Kerr came back after, as Thompson writes, “he’d decided to retire.” (Wright Thompson, ESPN)

5. Jannik Sinner is on an epic running, not only becoming the first Italian man to win the Italian Open in 50 years, but also matching a record set by one of the greatest men to ever play tennis, Novak Djokovic. With his win over the weekend, Sinner became only the second man to win all nine Masters 1000 tournaments, which are the events just below the four majors in competition. As the Associated Press reports, Djokovic didn’t accomplish the feat until he was 31, while Sinner is only 24. (Andrew Dampf, Associated Press)

WHAT TO WATCH

3pm — Arsenal vs. Burnley on USA: Arsenal can keep the pressure on Manchester City with a win over Premier League bottom-dweller Burnley. Arsenal is two points up and both teams have two matches to play. (Arsenal -1100, O/U: 3.5)

7:30pm — Canadiens vs. Sabres on ESPN: It’s Game 7. Buffalo dismantled Montreal in Canada in Game 6 but has lost the past two home games in this series by a combined 11-4 tally. (MTL +102, BUF -122)

8:30pm — Spurs vs. Thunder on NBC: The Western Conference Finals begin tonight, and OKC is looking to stay undefeated in the playoffs (8-0 so far). The Spurs were 4-1 vs. the Thunder during the regular season. (OKC -6.5, Total: 219.5)

WHAT TO TRACK

Kalshi gives the Thunder a 69% chance to beat the Spurs in the series and head to the NBA Finals for a chance to defend their title. The prediction market gives OKC a 55% chance to score over 112.5 in Game 1 tonight.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“It sucked. Being back home, definitely wanted to get this win for the fans. Reminded me of last year, losing on the home court. It’s not a great feeling.”

— Cade Cunningham after the Pistons were blown out 125-94 in Game 7 at home by the Cavaliers, who now face the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

See you tomorrow,

Abe

WHAT TO READ

1. The 2026 NFL schedule continues the sport’s evolution to a nearly week-long event at times, opening on a Wednesday and packing the holiday calendar with a first-ever Thanksgiving Eve game, five games across four days, and a Christmas triple-header. Released last night, the slate features nine international games across four continents and seven countries, including first-time visits to Australia and France, and kicks off September 9th with a Super Bowl LX rematch between the defending champion Seahawks and the Patriots on a Wednesday. The league has aggressively packaged rivalry games and postseason rematches into “event windows” that feel closer to playoff broadcasts than regular-season inventory, while Netflix streams the inaugural Thanksgiving Eve showcase. (Rowan Fisher-Shotton, Newsweek)

2. The 151st Preakness Stakes will be run Saturday at Laurel Park, the first time the race has left Baltimore since 1908, after Pimlico Race Course was demolished for a $400 million reconstruction. Pimlico had hosted the Preakness continuously from 1909 through the 150th edition in 2025, and the move to Laurel is a one-year detour while the new venue is built, with the new Pimlico expected to reopen for 2027. The ownership picture is also shifting: Churchill Downs Incorporated has agreed to purchase the rights to the race for $85 million, a deal set to close after Saturday’s running. The race is wide open with Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo not competing, making it the second straight year the Derby champion skipped the Preakness. (Ross Kelly, CBS Sports)

3. Jordan Spieth is making his 10th attempt at the career Grand Slam at the PGA Championship, and for the first time in years, the question of whether he can finally win it feels genuinely open. CBS Sports examined why Spieth, now 32, remains golf’s most compelling needle-mover despite the inconsistency that has shadowed him for a decade: He has led strokes gained in putting, driving, and ball-striking in different weeks this season but has not been able to combine all three. His last major win came in the 2017 Open Championship, and his best result at his elusive fourth major was second back in 2015. The piece frames this week at Aronimink as both a last-best-chance narrative and a legitimate contention window given his improved form. He starts the second round in a tie for 15th at -1, two back of co-leaders Scottie Scheffler and Alex Smalley. (Patrick McDonald, CBS Sports)

4. Victor Wembanyama’s Game 5 performance against Minnesota put him in historic company that includes only Magic Johnson and Luka Doncic, and now the Spurs are one win away from the Western Conference Finals. The 22-year-old posted 27 points, 17 rebounds, five assists, and three blocks in the Spurs’ 126-97 win, becoming only the third player ever to record 25 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists in a playoff game. The Spurs lead the series 3-2 heading into Game 6 on Friday in Minnesota, where Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves will try to force a Game 7. (Debmallya Chakraborty, Yardbarker/Total Pro Sports)

5. College athletic departments are cutting tennis programs at an alarming rate as they redirect money toward the $20.5 million revenue sharing cap, with 18 schools across NCAA divisions eliminating tennis in a 10-week stretch. Arkansas, Saint Louis, Illinois State, North Dakota, and Gardner-Webb are among the programs discontinued, a wave that Patrick McEnroe called a shock given that the trend had previously been confined to lower-division schools. Since Division I revenue sharing began last year, athletic departments have redirected resources to football and basketball players, and tennis has become a target partly because of the high cost per player and the large proportion of international athletes on rosters. Sports Illustrated reports that the trend shows no signs of slowing as departments zoom past the revenue sharing threshold. (Tim Capurso, Sports Illustrated)

WHAT TO WATCH

3pm — Aston Villa vs. Liverpool on Peacock: Both Premier League clubs are likely heading to the Champions League next season, but Villa would love to steal a point here to make it even more unlikely that Bournemouth can pass them in the final two games. (Aston Villa +175, Draw +255, Liverpool +150)

7pm — Pistons vs. Cavaliers on Prime Video: Cleveland can knock out the East’s top regular season team with a home win in Game 6 after taking three straight in this series. (CLE -3.5, Total: 210.5)

9:30pm — Spurs vs. Timberwolves on Prime Video: After dropping Game 1, San Antonio has won every game in the series where Victor Wembanyama wasn’t kicked out. The Spurs can avoid a Game 7 at home with a win in Minnesota tonight. (SA -5.5, Total: 218.5)

WHAT TO TRACK

With the full NFL schedule released, Kalshi has the Rams at an 11% chance to win the Super Bowl, followed by the defending champion Seahawks (8%) and the Broncos (7%). FanDuel also has the Rams as the favorite (+700), followed by three teams at +1000: the Seahawks, Ravens and Bills.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“If you look at the stats, yeah, it’s a whack-a-mole situation. I have had weeks where I’m leading in putting, weeks where I’m leading in driving, weeks where I am leading in ball-striking, and then I just haven’t been able to put them all together.”

— Jordan Spieth describing his inconsistency as he makes his 10th attempt at the career Grand Slam at the 2026 PGA Championship.

See you on Monday,

Abe

WHAT TO READ

1. The 2026 NFL schedule will be released at 8 p.m. ET tonight, but the leaks are already pointing to one of the most compelling openers in recent memory. NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported yesterday that Seattle will begin its title defense against New England in what would be a Super Bowl rematch to open the season. Netflix revealed the matchup for the league’s first-ever Thanksgiving Eve game: Packers at Rams. CBS Sports noted that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell didn’t finalize the schedule until Tuesday, which is one reason the leaks got off to a slow start before accelerating ahead of the full reveal. (John Breech, CBS Sports)

2. NBA commissioner Adam Silver has a plan to make tanking less appealing to his league’s worst teams. Silver told Stephen A. Smith that he’s bringing a proposal to team owners later this month that would flatten the odds to win the NBA Draft lottery and implement “something we’re calling draft relegation, that if you’re one of the bottom three teams in the league, you’ll actually have worse odds than teams that sort of are four through up until teams make the playoffs.” As ESPN reported, the four teams that did the best in this year’s lottery all clearly purposely lost toward the end of the season, and the league’s current fines are less than the value of adding potential top picks. (Tim Bontemps, ESPN)

3. The Braves are the first team in baseball to reach 30 wins after four straight victories against their top competitors for the National League pennant: the Dodgers and Cubs. Atlanta is already up nine games in their struggling division even with former NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. out with an injury since May 3rd. The surprising Rays have MLB’s second-best record to start the season, just 1.5 games behind Atlanta and two up on the Yankees in the division and league. (Paul Newberry, Associated Press)

4. ESPN spent seven days inside Oklahoma City’s practice facility and found a basketball operation built on obsessive consistency, which is one of the reasons why the Thunder are 8-0 to start the playoffs. After sweeping the Suns and the Lakers without Jalen Williams, who is out with a hamstring injury, OKC enters the Western Conference finals as the favorite to repeat as champions. Coach Mark Daigneault runs an operation where bench players can go from watching an entire first round to starring in the next series: Reserve Ajay Mitchell averaged 22.5 points in the Lakers series in Williams’ place and Jared McCain posted 18 points in 18 minutes in Game 2 against Los Angeles. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander told Tim Keown that the message to teammates is simple: “Treat every game like Game 7 and they’re about to beat us.” (By Tim Keown, ESPN)

5. Colorado’s locker room runs on camaraderie — and apparently a healthy obsession with Survivor — as the Avalanche push toward the Western Conference Final. The NHL’s best regular season team has built a team-bonding ritual around the CBS reality show, with players gathering every Thursday to watch together, a running joke that captain Gabriel Landeskog leaned into when asked about playoff preparation. Colorado has lost just one game in the postseason after sweeping the Kings in round one and beating the Wild 4-1. The “last one standing” mindset has clearly translated to the ice. (Tracey Myers, NHL.com)

WHAT TO WATCH

7pm — Canadiens vs. Sabres on TNT: Buffalo dealt Montreal its third home loss in five playoff games to tie the series at two, so the Canadiens might feel better in this Game 5 road matchup since they’ve won four of six outside of Montreal this postseason. (MTL +102, BUF -122)

8pm — Lynx vs. Wings on Prime Video: Dallas looks much more competitive in year two of the Paige Bueckers era, so much so that the Wings are actually favored against the consistently playoff-bound Lynx in the third game of the season. (DAL -3.5, Total: 177.5)

9:30pm — Golden Knights vs. Ducks on TNT: Vegas can advance in Game 6 if they can get another win in Anaheim, which the Golden Knights did to the tune of 6-2 in Game 3. (VGK -112, ANA -108)

WHAT TO TRACK

The Cavaliers can close out the series against the Pistons in Game 6 in Cleveland on Friday, and on Kalshi the four seed is heavily favored to beat the East’s regular season champ: The prediction market gives Cleveland a 74% chance to win the series.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I am grateful that a four-time Super Bowl champion will share his wisdom and perspectives with us — coaches and players.”

— Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz on bringing longtime NFL and college assistant coach Tom Moore to the Hawkeyes as a senior consultant to the head coach and offensive adviser. The 87-year-old Moore played for Iowa from 1959-1960.

See you tomorrow,

Abe

WHAT TO READ

1. LeBron James hasn’t decided if he’ll play a 24th season after the Lakers were swept out of the playoffs. “I don’t know what the future holds for me,” James said. The 41-year-old added that he would only come back if he can “commit to still being in love with the process of showing up to the arena 5½ hours before a game to start preparing for a game, giving everything I got.” James averaged 23.2 points, 7.3 assists and 6.7 rebounds in the playoffs, which was a better points and assists mark than he had during the regular season. (Dave McMenamin, ESPN)

2. The NFL is set to play a record nine international games in 2026, and the matchups have been coming out all week ahead of tomorrow’s full schedule release. The Saints and Steelers will play in Paris during Week 7 in what will be the NFL’s first-ever game in France, and the Bengals and Falcons are headed to Madrid’s Bernabéu Stadium on November 8th for the league’s second game in Spain. In non-international schedule news, the Chiefs will host the Broncos in the Monday Night Football opener, and the Cowboys face the Giants on Sunday Night Football to open Week 1. Commissioner Roger Goodell reportedly didn’t approve the final schedule until Tuesday afternoon, which is why leaks were scarce early in the week. The full 272-game schedule drops Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on NFL Network and ESPN2. (Yahoo Sports)

3. A neutral arbitrator sided with the College Sports Commission in the first major NIL deal dispute to reach arbitration, stopping millions of dollars in contracts between Playfly Sports and 18 Nebraska football players. The arbitrator found that Playfly’s deals with Nebraska athletes lacked a valid business purpose and constituted improper ‘warehousing’ of NIL rights under the House settlement rules, the CSC announced Monday. The ruling is a significant early test of the commission’s authority to reject third-party deals worth $600 or more, and CSC CEO Bryan Seeley said the outcome shows “the system is working as intended.” A separate federal court hearing on May 27th will determine whether multimedia rights companies like Playfly and Learfield count as ‘associated entities’ at all — a ruling that could reshape the entire NIL landscape. (Stewart Mandel, Mitch Sherman and Matt Baker, The Athletic)

4. The NHL kicked off the playoffs on a historic ratings run, with viewership up 76% through the first five days of the postseason compared to last year. Coverage of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs averaged 1.15 million viewers through the opening five days, the highest average on record at that stage of the postseason, according to Sports Media Watch. This year’s number is up 30% from the previous all-time high of 887,000 set in 2012, and up 39% from the best mark of the current media rights deal. The surge comes as the Panthers, two-time defending champions, missed the playoffs entirely after an injury-plagued season, giving the field a wide-open feel. (Jon Lewis, Sports Media Watch)

5. Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh finally ended a historic 0-for-38 slump after showering in full uniform the night before. On the advice of pitcher Logan Gilbert, Raleigh took the shower after Monday’s game to wash off what he called the “bad mojo” — and then went 2-for-4 with two singles in a 10-2 rout of the Astros in Houston. His 0-for-38 struggle was the longest hitless streak in the Live Ball Era by a player following a 40-homer season, surpassing Jason Giambi’s 0-for-32 with the 2004 Yankees, according to the Associated Press. Raleigh, last year’s AL MVP runner-up who hit 60 home runs in 2025, was batting .157 on the season heading into yesterday’s game. (Kristie Rieken, Associated Press)

WHAT TO WATCH

3pm — Manchester City vs. Crystal Palace on USA: With one fewer game played, Manchester City is five points behind Premier League-leading Arsenal with three to play and faces an all-but-must-win match for City’s title hopes. (MNC -500, O/U: 3.5)

8pm — Cavaliers vs. Pistons on ESPN: Both teams held serve at home, so it’ll be an uphill battle for the Pistons if the Cavs steal Game 5 in Detroit. (DET -3.5 Total: 212.5)

8pm — Wild vs. Avalanche on TNT: Colorado can advance with a home win in Game 5. The NHL’s top regular-season team has gone 7-1 so far in the playoffs, with the lone blemish being a 5-1 loss in Minnesota in Game 3. (MIN +170, COL -205)

WHAT TO TRACK

On Kalshi, reigning PGA Championship winner Scottie Scheffler has a 17% chance to repeat, ahead of Masters champion Rory McIlroy (8.9%) and Cameron Young (6.7%), who has finished no better than 47th in the past three years at the season’s second major.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I feel like the rage-baiting would have been one of the strategies, so I feel like I had to stay composed.”

— Victor Wembanyama on his approach in Game 5, where he scored 27 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in a Spurs’ win, after returning from a Game 4 ejection.

See you tomorrow,

Abe

WHAT TO READ

1. The Bills will open their brand-new Highmark Stadium on national television, hosting the Lions in a Week 2 Thursday Night Football matchup on Amazon Prime. The full 2026 schedule is set for release Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. Buffalo’s new stadium, which has been under construction for about two years, replaces the facility the team has called home since 1973. The Bills and Lions last met in December 2024, a 48-42 shootout where Jared Goff and Josh Allen combined for 856 yards and seven touchdowns.

2. Aaron Rodgers spent part of last week in Pittsburgh but still hasn’t signed with the Steelers, and the offseason limbo is now stretching toward the start of OTAs on May 18. ESPN’s Adam Schefter said on The Pat McAfee Show that Rodgers didn’t go to the Steelers’ facility during rookie minicamp, but “nobody in the organization knew about” an earlier report of a planned visit. Schefter and other insiders still expect Rodgers to re-sign, as Pittsburgh placed a rare unrestricted free-agent tender on the quarterback that bars him from negotiating with another team until July 22. His representatives are reportedly pushing for closer to $20 million after he earned about $13 million last season.

3. The Thunder are through to the Western Conference Finals after sweeping the Lakers and improving to 8-0 in the playoffs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered his best performance of the series with 35 points and eight assists last night, and Chet Holmgren made a tiebreaking dunk with 32.8 seconds left as OKC pulled out a 115-110 win at Crypto.com Arena. Ajay Mitchell added a playoff career-high 28 points in what might have been LeBron James’ final game with the Lakers (he finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds). The Thunder tied the 1950 Minneapolis Lakers for the longest winning streak by a defending champion to open the playoffs at 8-0. (By Brad Botkin)

4. The 2026 NBA Draft Combine is underway in Chicago with more than 70 prospects participating and major stay-or-go decisions looming for a wave of college players, who have until May 27 to pull out of the draft. CBS Sports breaks down the biggest questions, with top prospects AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Caleb Wilson headlining the event at Wintrust Arena. The NIL era has completely changed the calculus, with college teams now able to offer contracts that are potentially bigger than a rookie contract. Former Kansas forward Flory Bidunga signed a deal reportedly worth around $5 million to transfer to Louisville rather than turn pro. Under the current CBA, prospects can be ruled ineligible to be drafted if they skip certain mandatory portions of the combine without an explanation. (By Isaac Trotter)

5. The Avalanche are one win away from the Western Conference Finals after fourth-liner Parker Kelly scored the go-ahead goal in a 5-2 Game 4 victory over the Wild. Kelly’s one-timer from the high slot with 8:28 left in the third period broke a 2-2 tie and ultimately gave Colorado a 3-1 series lead, with Nathan MacKinnon and Brock Nelson adding empty-net goals to seal it. It was Kelly’s first career Stanley Cup Playoff goal. Colorado’s Mackenzie Blackwood made 19 saves in his first start of the postseason after relieving Scott Wedgewood in Game 3, and the Avalanche head back to Denver for Game 5 tomorrow.

WHAT TO WATCH

7pm: Sabres vs. Canadiens on ESPN — Montreal has won two straight by a combined 11-3 score after dropping Game 1 in Buffalo and is favored to take a commanding 3-1 series lead at home tonight. (BUF +120, MTL -142)

8pm: Timberwolves vs. Spurs on NBC — Victor Wembanyama played just 12 minutes before being ejected, but the Spurs still only lost by five in Minnesota in Game 4. The series is now tied at two and back in San Antonio. (SAS -10.5, Total: 218.5)

9:30pm: Ducks vs. Golden Knights on ESPN — Both teams won once and lost once at home, and now the series returns to Las Vegas for a crucial Game 5. (ANA +130, VGK -155)

WHAT TO TRACK

The Lakers were swept by the Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals, but prediction markets don’t think it was LeBron James’s last game in the NBA. Kalshi has the odds at 78% that James won’t announce his retirement before next season — a nearly 30-point swing from last June when the odds were about 50/50.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“You never know when your opportunity is going to come. You’ve just got to stay ready. It’s one shot. It’s one play you’ve got to bear down on that’s probably going to come your way.”

— Parker Kelly after scoring his first career Stanley Cup Playoff goal, the game-winner to give his Avalanche a 3-1 series lead over the Wild.

In Today’s Newsletter…

1. Leading Off: Best three players still available in the NFL Draft

2. Scouting Report: Brown looks to give Celtics home court advantage back

3. Game of the Day: Lakers are big road underdogs despite 2-0 series lead

4. Overtime: Breaking down every pick of the first round of the draft

1. Leading Off

There was no drama to begin the 2026 NFL Draft, as the Raiders drafted Heisman Trophy and National Championship-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza as expected, making this the fourth-straight year that a QB was taken first. The Rams made the most surprising move of the night, not necessarily for drafting a quarterback — starter Matthew Stafford is 38 — but because Ty Simpson might have been available 10 or more picks later than the 13th spot in which Los Angeles took the former Alabama signal caller. Rams coach Sean McVay said Simpson would compete with Stetson Bennett IV to back up Stafford in the upcoming season, as “This is Matthew’s team.”

Here’s a look at the first round picks who could have the biggest impact in the upcoming season and the prospects still on the board that should come off quickly tonight.

Three Best Picks:

• No. 11 Caleb Downs (Cowboys): Three of his Ohio State teammates were taken before him, but Downs might have been the best pick of the night. The Buckeyes’ safety didn’t allow a touchdown for two seasons and could be the class’s best tackler. The Cowboys gave the Dolphins two fifth-round picks in this year’s draft to swap spots to take Downs, who should get significant playing time as a rookie.

• No. 1 Fernando Mendoza (Raiders): Las Vegas needed a franchise quarterback, so this was an easy one for them. Mendoza could be the face of the team for years to come and showed few flaws as he led Indiana to an improbable title. He’s mentally and physically tough and won’t have to start right away after the Raiders signed veteran Kirk Cousins this offseason.

• No. 5 Arvell Reese (Giants): Reese was the second of three Buckeyes taken in the span of four picks and had the talent to be taken No. 1 overall in some draft years. The Jets took David Bailey over Reese with the 2nd selection, so they’ll see up close if they made the right call. The Giants didn’t necessarily need Reese, but when he was still available they couldn’t pass up the player that might have the most talent of the class.

Three Best Players Still Available:

• Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy: Most draft experts had McCoy as a first-round talent, but he missed this past season with a torn ACL and no team was willing to take the risk on Day 1. Prior to his injury, he was seen as a sure-fire NFL starter and potential shut-down corner. He should go early today.

• Washington WR Denzel Boston: It’s not a huge surprise Boston fell out of the first round, he certainly wasn’t a lock, but the 6-3, 212-pound wide receiver led the Huskies in receiving each of the past two years and caught 14 of his 20 touchdown passes in the red zone. He likely dropped because he doesn’t have elite speed and there aren’t many teams desperate enough for a rookie receiver to use a pick early.

• Toledo S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren: Despite missing out on a Day 1 selection, McNeil-Warren could see action as a rookie. He started at Toledo for three seasons and turned down transfer opportunities when he had the chance to leave. McNeil-Warren committed just one penalty in 1,861 defensive snaps in his career and had nine forced fumbles.

Rounds 2 and 3 are on ESPN tonight starting at 7pm, with the 4th-7th rounds beginning at noon tomorrow.

— Abe Rakov

P.S. I was at PEAK 2026 in Las Vegas this week, where we heard from sports leaders like Raiders SVP Qiava Martinez, UFC SVP Gene Tinner, Jomboy Media CEO Courtney Hirsh, and Sports Illustrated Tickets CEO David Lane. To read about their thoughts on the future of sports, subscribe to our new publication, Sports and Co., which launches in less than two weeks.

2. Scouting Report

Brown has 76ers number this season, Avdija looks to bounce back, and McDavid had regular-season success against Ducks.

Celtics G Jaylen Brown at 76ers

The Celtics fell apart after the first quarter in Game 2 but it wasn’t because of Brown, who scored 31 of his 36 points after the first frame. Brown has gone over tonight’s points total in three of six matchups against the 76ers this season, and his lowest-scoring performance was still a 24-point effort. Boston gave up home court advantage after the eyebrow-raising 14-point loss to Philadelphia, so there is even more pressure on Brown to carry his team to avoid falling into an unexpected hole.

• Points: 26.5 (28.7 - 36, 26, 23, 35, 26), Reb: 5.5 (6.9 - 7, 4, 3, 9, 6), Ast: 4.5 (5.1 - 4, 3, 1, 3, 3)

• PHI - W1 (5-5 L10) | Points Allowed: 116.1 (19th), Reb Allowed: 45.3 (22nd), Ast Allowed: 27.6 (22nd)

Trail Blazers F Deni Avdija vs. Spurs

Avdija had his worst offensive performance since the All-Star Break even though his team eked out a three-point win against the Wembanyama-less Spurs in Game 2. Prior to being shut down by San Antonio (5-13 from the field), he scored 25+ in nine straight games. The Spurs’ defense is tough, but with Wembanyama’s status unknown after suffering a concussion, it could be a little more porous than usual. Either way, Avdija finished the year strong, averaging 30.0 points in April — his highest total of any month this season by nearly three.

• Points: 22.5 (24.2 - 14, 30, 41, 25, 35), Reb: 6.5 (6.9 - 4, 10, 7, 6, 4), Ast: 5.5 (6.7 - 3, 5, 12, 10, 5)

• SAS - L1 (7-3 L10) | Points Allowed: 111.5 (8th), Reb Allowed: 42.6 (8th), Ast Allowed: 26.2 (12th)

Oilers C Connor McDavid at Ducks

McDavid has been held goalless in three straight and four of five games, but had success against the Ducks before the postseason. He notched a goal and two assists in a 4-2 win at the end of March, two assists in a 6-5 loss in February and a goal and an assist in a 7-4 win in January. Edmonton is looking for its third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Finals, so McDavid will want to avoid a 2-1 deficit in the first round.

• Anytime Goal: +105 (0.59 - 0, 0, 0, 1, 0), Over 3.5 Shots on Goal: -108 (6.4 - 4, 3, 3, 5, 1), 2+ Points: -130 (1.7 - 0, 0, 4, 1, 0)

• ANA - W1 (3-7 L10) | Goals Allowed: 3.51 (29th), Penalty Kill: 76.4% (27th)

*Player stats are shown as: Today’s total (Season average - Last 5 games from most recent to oldest)

3. Game of the Day

Even with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves out of the lineup, the Lakers swept the first two games of the series against the Rockets in Los Angeles. Houston’s own star, Kevin Durant, missed Game 1 but played 41 minutes in Game 2, second on the team behind Amen Thompson’s 42, scoring 23 points on 7-12 shooting in the seven-point loss. LeBron James put in a game-high 28 points for the Lakers in Game 2 after finishing with 19 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds in the series opener. The 41-year-old could get reinforcements soon, as Reaves could return at some point in this round, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. If the Lakers go up 3-0 tonight, they might not even want to rush him back.

Lakers (2-0) vs. Rockets
8pm on Prime Video

The Odds

• Spread: LAL +10.5 (-115), HOU -10.5 (-105)

  • 76% of the money and 81% of the bets are with LAL

  • ATS | LAL: 47-36-1, HOU: 36-48

• Moneyline: LAL +315, HOU -400

• Total (205.5): Over -110, Under -110

  • LAL: 42-42, HOU: 39-45

Prediction Markets Data

• To Win Game: HOU 78%, HOU to Win by 8.5: 54%, HOU to Win by 11.5: 42%, Over 206.5 Points Scored: 49%

• To Win Series: LAL 54%

Players to Watch

• LAL F LeBron James | Points: 24.5 (20.9 - 28, 19, 18, 28, 26), Reb: 6.5 (6.1 - 8, 8, 4, 6, 8), Ast: 8.5 (7.2 - 7, 13, 6, 12, 11)

• HOU F Kevin Durant | Points: 23.5 (26.0 - 23, 33, 29, 24, 31), Reb: 5.5 (5.5 - 6, 7, 7, 4, 8), Ast: 4.5 (4.8 - 4, 7, 5, 3, 8)

4. Overtime

In the News

• NFL.com analyzed all 32 picks in the first round of the draft, from the Cardinals rightfully reaching to take Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love with the third selection to the Jets snagging Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. at 30th after trading to get into one of the last slots of the first day.

• Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is still in concussion protocol after leaving his team’s Game 2 loss in the second quarter, but he’s traveling with San Antonio in case he is cleared to play for either of the next two games in Portland. “He looks good,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said, but added that there have been no discussions about when Wembanyama can suit up.

• Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders said there’s “a new vibe, a new energy,” under new head coach Todd Monken. Sanders split starting reps with Deshaun Watson, but according to ESPN, Monken said that the number of reps could change each day.

• The Mets ended a 12-game losing streak on Wednesday, but CBS Sports thinks two teams should be panicking even more than New York in the early stages of the season.

• ESPN has an early update to its Bracketology, giving Florida the top overall seed and calling Iowa the last team in next year’s men’s NCAA Tournament. Defending champion Michigan, Michigan State, and Duke are the other projected No. 1 seeds, with UConn, Gonzaga, Arizona and Illinois the current No. 2s.

What to Watch (times ET)

Friday

• 3pm: Sunderland vs. Nottingham Forest on USA

• 7pm: NFL Draft (Rounds 2-3) on ESPN

• 7pm: Celtics vs. 76ers (1-1) on Prime Video (or Lightning vs. Canadiens (1-1) on TNT)

• 7:15pm: Phillies vs. Braves on Apple TV

• 8pm: Lakers (2-0) vs. Rockets on Prime Video

• 9:30pm: Golden Knights vs. Mammoth (1-1) on TBS

• 10pm: Oilers vs. Ducks (1-1) on TNT

• 10:10pm: Cubs vs. Dodgers on Apple TV

• 10:30pm: Spurs vs. Trail Blazers (1-1) on Prime Video

Saturday

• 7:30am: Fulham vs. Aston Villa on USA

• 12pm: NFL Draft (Rounds 4-7) on ESPN

• 12:30pm: Arsenal vs. Newcastle on USA

• 1pm: Pistons vs. Magic (1-1) on NBCSN/Peacock

• 3pm: Hurricanes (3-0) vs. Senators on TBS

• 3:07pm: Guardians vs. Blue Jays on FS1

• 3:30pm: Thunder (2-0) vs. Suns on NBC

• 4:45pm: Minnesota United vs. LAFC on FOX

• 5:30pm: Stars (2-1) vs. Wild on TBS

• 6pm: Knicks vs. Hawks (2-1) on NBC

• 7:15pm: Cubs vs. Dodgers on FOX

• 8pm: Penguins vs. Flyers (3-0) on TBS

• 8:30pm: Nuggets vs. Timberwolves (2-1) on ABC

Sunday

• 10am: Chelsea vs. Leeds (FA Cup) on ESPN2

• 1pm: Cavaliers vs. Raptors on ESPN

• 2pm: Sabres vs. Bruins on TNT

• 3:30pm: Spurs vs. Trail Blazers on ESPN

• 4:30pm: Avalanche vs. Kings on TNT

• 6pm: Angel City vs. Thorns (NWSL) on ESPN2

• 7pm: Celtics vs. 76ers on NBC (or Lightning vs. Canadiens on ESPN)

• 7:20pm: Angels vs. Royals on Peacock

• 9:30pm: Lakers vs. Rockets on NBC (or Oilers vs. Ducks on ESPN)

In Today’s Newsletter…

1. Leading Off: Will Tom Brady mentor his own No. 1 pick?

2. Scouting Report: Final two NBA play-ins, slumping Yankees face ace

3. NBA Playoff Preview: Defending champions are heavy favorites to repeat

4. Overtime: The latest mock NFL Drafts

1. Leading Off

Tom Brady was on the sideline at Hard Rock Stadium in January when Indiana won its first national championship, part of the Raiders contingent that flew in to watch. Fernando Mendoza, the Hoosiers’ Heisman-winning quarterback, didn’t know Brady was there until it was over.

Next week, that changes. Mendoza is the overwhelming favorite to go No. 1 to Las Vegas in the NFL Draft, which means Brady, a Raiders minority owner, is about to become his boss. “I love everything about his game,” he said on a Fox broadcast in December, singling out Mendoza’s leadership and the way he shows up for teammates.

Brady’s post-playing life is complicated. He’s part of the Raiders management team, but he’s also Fox’s lead NFL analyst, which has made the owner side of things awkward. Some team officials have worried he could learn things in production meetings one week and use them to help Las Vegas the next — a complaint that always seemed more about jealousy than any real competitive issue. Is it fair that Brady got the biggest sports broadcasting deal ever (10 years, $375 million) before he called a game, then a sweetheart deal to become an owner? Probably not. But he won more Super Bowls than anyone who ever played, so it doesn’t need to be.

What’s his day-to-day actually going to look like in Henderson? Kirk Cousins, signed this month as a bridge starter for the Raiders, gave us the first real tell. Brady, he said, “just wants to be a resource,” a phone call or text away, not in the QB room every day.

That matters, because Mendoza’s path into the league is going to look nothing like Brady’s. He was a national champion too, but as a backup at Michigan, and later was the 199th pick in the 2000 draft. Brady took over after Drew Bledsoe got hurt in Week 2 of his second season and kept the job for nearly two decades. Mendoza arrives as the No. 1 pick of a franchise that won just three games last year and is openly building around him. But new head coach Klint Kubiak said he’s in no rush to play him. “Ideally, you don’t want him to start from Day 1,” Kubiak told reporters at the NFL’s annual meeting last month. “You’d love him to be able to learn behind somebody.”

Mendoza wants the help. “It’s gonna be a long journey, and to potentially have a mentor like that, it would be pretty impressive and pretty meaningful,” he said at the combine, where Mendoza said a brief hello to Brady on the phone during his Raiders interview.

The 22-year-old is walking into something nobody’s done before: a rookie quarterback with a boss who happens to be the best to ever play his position. How much Brady actually gives him (film sessions, the occasional text, nothing at all) will shape Mendoza’s first two years more than anything Kubiak draws up. My guess: Brady’s around a lot early and pulls back once the season starts and the Fox cameras go live. If he’s going to teach him anything, it happens in June, not November.

— Abe Rakov

P.S. I’ll be at PEAK 2026 in Las Vegas Monday through Wednesday, so send me an email if you’ll be in town. In case you don’t know, PEAK is the leading gathering for the global SportsTech and Innovation industry, bringing together top founders, investors, sports executives, and innovation leaders who are at the forefront of SportsTech. I’ll be covering what I learn about the future of sports in next week’s newsletter. A handful of tickets are still available, so if you’re in Vegas or want to make a last-minute trip, join me there.

2. Scouting Report

Curry and Ball look to carry teams into NBA Playoffs, and there’s no rest for the weary Yankees in tonight’s matchup.

Hornets G LaMelo Ball at Magic (CHA -3.5)

Ball has scored 27+ in four of his past five games as he tries to will his team to the real playoffs. He’s coming off a 30-point, and controversial, performance in a 1-point overtime win against Miami. But that took a lot of shots: Ball was 12-31 from the field, weighed down by a 2-16 night from three. He’s been shooting a lot from beyond the arc (12+ times in each of his past six games), but had made at least five treys in five straight before the cold effort against the Heat. The Hornets are favored on the road against the Magic, who actually have played well down the stretch. If Charlotte wins, it’s likely behind another Ball 24+ point effort.

• Points: 23.5 (20.1 - 30, 19, 27, 36, 35), Reb: 5.5 (4.8 - 5, 7, 5, 5, 3), Ast: 7.5 (7.1 - 10, 6, 8, 6, 8)

• ORL - L2 (6-4 L10) | Points Allowed: 115.1 (13th), Reb Allowed: 43.3 (13th), Ast Allowed: 25.3 (8th)

Warriors G Stephen Curry at Suns (PHX -3.5)

The Warriors had just a 15% chance to win their first Play-In matchup at the Clippers after the first half, but then Curry scored 27 points in the final 22 minutes to, along with Al Horford, grab the win for his team. Curry was 12-23 from the field, including 7-12 from three. His 35 points were the most he’s scored since a 38-point outburst against the lowly Mavericks in January. Curry had gone three games in a row scoring below his season average before Wednesday, and overall is averaging just over 24 points over his past nine. He really wants a chance at a playoff run, though, and while the Suns are favored at home, they aren’t trustworthy.

• Points: 27.5 (26.6 - 35, 24, 11, 17, 29), Reb: 3.5 (3.6 - 1, 6, 3, 5, 2), Ast: 4.5 (4.7 - 4, 3, 5, 2, 4)

• PHX - L1 (5-5 L10) | Points Allowed: 111.1 (6th), Reb Allowed: 43.7 (15th), Ast Allowed: 25.1 (7th)

Royals SP Michael Wacha at Yankees (NYY -184)

The Yankees have lost seven of nine after starting the season 8-2, and now they have to face one of the hottest pitchers to start this campaign. Wacha posted his fourth season in a row with a sub-3.90 ERA last year, but was just 10-13 because his teammates struggled when he was on the mound. He’s still not getting a ton of support in 2026, as the Royals average just 2.7 runs scored in his three starts, but he hasn’t needed the help. Wacha has given up just one run across 21.0 innings and opponents have just 10 hits in that span. He also went eight innings in his last outing, a 2-0 win over the White Sox.

• Strikeouts: 5.5 (5.7 - 7, 3, 7), Earned Runs: TBD (0.3 - 0, 1, 0), Hits: TBD (3.3 - 4, 3, 3)

• NYY - L1 (3-7 L10) | Batting Ave.: .212 (27th), SO: 9.6 (24th), Runs Scored: 4.6 (14th), Hits: 6.9 (27th)

*Player stats are shown as: Today’s total (Season average - Last 5 games from most recent to oldest)

3. NBA Playoff Preview

The final NBA Play-In games don’t finish until tonight, but those matchups likely won’t have much of an impact on the actual playoffs. The winner of the Magic vs. Hornets faces the Pistons and either the Suns or Warriors will head to Oklahoma City to take on the defending champion Thunder, who are significant favorites to be the NBA’s first repeat champions since the Warriors in 2017 and 2018.

The upstart Spurs (who are 4-1 against OKC this season) and the surprise of the year, the Celtics, have the second-best odds to win the title (both at +550) after the Thunder (+100). The East’s regular season champions, the Pistons, are +2000 and behind two conference foes (Cleveland, along with Boston).

Unsurprisingly, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has the best odds to win Finals MVP (+110), with San Antonio superstar Victor Wembanyama second at +600 and Boston’s duo of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum both at +1200.

The Odds

• NBA Title — OKC: +100, SAS and BOS: +550, DEN: +1200, CLE: +1300, DET: +2000, NYK: +2200, HOU: +7000, CHA: +8000, MIN: +10000

• Western Conference Champions — OKC: -175, SAS: +330, DEN: +700, HOU: +2700, MIN: +4500, LAL: +15000, GSW: +22500, POR and PHX: +25000

• Eastern Conference Champions — BOS: +150, CLE: +320, DET: +480, NYK: +550, CHA: +2200, ATL: +2700, TOR: +4000, PHI: +4500, ORL: +10000

Prediction Markets Data

• To Win the NBA Title — Thunder: 45%, Spurs: 15%, Celtics: 12%, Nuggets: 10%, Pistons: 5%, Cavaliers and Knicks: 4%, Rockets: 2%, Everyone else: 1% or less

4. Overtime

In the News

• The NFL Mock Draft Database website updated its 2026 Consensus Big Board, incorporating 1,168 first-round mock drafts. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is obviously first, with Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese at No. 2, Texas Tech EDGE David Bailey third, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love fourth and Miami offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa fifth. Ohio State players make up four of the first nine picks.

• Trades are nearly as big a part of the NFL Draft as the selections themselves, and NFL.com looks at six potential deals that could transform the first round. Will the Cowboys be aggressive to nab a linebacker? Could the Jets trade up for a potential star wide receiver? What about the Raiders? Will they make a move for a second first-round pick to give Fernando Mendoza a familiar teammate?

• The college football season is likely to start even earlier after an NCAA committee recommended a pre-Labor Day launch to give schools the opportunity for two byes in a 14-week regular season. If the NCAA adopts the proposal, it would not only give players additional rest during the season and allow for more College Football Playoff flexibility, it would make it easier for the NCAA to comply with President Trump’s “exclusive window” order for the annual Army-Navy game.

• The Dodgers spent seven times more money on payroll than the Marlins, the lowest spenders in Major League Baseball, last season. Los Angeles’s combined $515 million in payroll and luxury tax payments beat the previous record by nearly $85 million (which was set by the Mets in 2024). According to the Associate Press, the World Series champions’ total was more than the six bottom teams combined.

• Ohio State lacrosse player turned Oklahoma linebacker Owen Heinecke was granted a fifth season by an Oklahoma judge after a months-long legal dispute over his eligibility. Sooners coach Brent Venables testified for his team’s second-leading tackler after the NCAA denied Heinecke’s waiver request arguing that the three lacrosse games he played for Ohio State in 2021 shouldn’t count as a year against him.

What to Watch (times ET)

Friday

• 6:40pm: Rays vs. Pirates on Apple TV

• 7:15pm: Tigers vs. Red Sox on Apple TV

• 7:30pm: Hornets vs. Magic (NBA Play-In) on Prime Video

• 8pm: Renegades vs. Aviators (UFL) on FOX

• 10pm: Warriors vs. Suns (NBA Play-In) on Prime Video

• 10:30pm: Whitecaps vs. Sporting Kansas City on Apple TV

Saturday

• 12:30pm: Tottenham vs. Brighton on NBC or Battlehawks vs. Defenders (UFL) on ABC

• 1pm: Raptors vs. Cavaliers (Game 1) on Prime Video

• 3pm: Senators vs. Hurricanes (Game 1) on ESPN or Chelsea vs. Manchester United on Peacock

• 3:30pm: Timberwolves vs. Nuggets (Game 1) on Prime Video

• 5:30pm: Wild vs. Stars (Game 1) on ESPN

• 6pm: Hawks vs. Knicks (Game 1) on Prime Video

• 7:15pm: Rangers vs. Mariners or Braves vs. Phillies on FOX

• 8pm: Flyers vs. Penguins (Game 1) on ESPN

• 8:30pm: Rockets vs. Lakers (Game 1) on ABC

Sunday

• 11:30am: Manchester City vs. Arsenal on NBC

• 1pm: 76ers vs. Celtics (Game 1) on ABC

• 2pm: NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas on FOX

• 3pm: Kings vs. Avalanche (Game 1) on TNT

• 3:30pm: Suns/Warriors vs. Thunder (Game 1) on ABC

• 5:30pm: Grand Prix of Long Beach (IndyCar) on FOX

• 5:45pm: Canadians vs. Lightning (Game 1) on TNT

• 6:30pm: Magic/Hornets vs. Pistons (Game 1) on NBC

• 7:20pm: Braves vs. Phillies on Peacock

• 7:30pm: Bruins vs. Sabres (Game 1) on ESPN

• 9pm: Trail Blazers vs. Spurs (Game 1) on NBC

• 10pm: Mammoth vs. Golden Knights (Game 1) on ESPN

In Today’s Newsletter…

1. Leading Off: Looking ahead at the NFL Draft

2. Scouting Report: Ball trying to carry Hornets to better seed

3. Game of the Weekend: Familiar favorites at the Masters

4. By the Numbers: Today’s 3 NBA games that matter most for the playoffs

5. Overtime: Raiders new QB is ready for a competition

1. Leading Off

The NFL Draft is less than two weeks away. While there’s certainty about where presumed No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza will be when he’s selected (not on stage), just about everything else is still up in the air. DraftKings has Texas Tech end David Bailey with the best odds of going No. 2 (-140), followed by Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese (+110), and Polymarket has Bailey with a 44% chance of being selected by the Jets in that spot, with Reese at 40%.

The sportsbook considers Reese a significant favorite to go third (+130), Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love fourth (+150) and another Ohio State linebacker, Sonny Styles, fifth (+175). A third Buckeye, wide receiver Carnell Tate, looks likely to go sixth (+150), but after that, all bets are off. Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is expected to be off the board by the 25th pick, as DraftKings set his line at 24.5 (-230 under, +170 over).

The draft starts at 8pm ET on April 23rd, with rounds two and three on Friday (beginning at 7pm), and four through seven beginning that Saturday at noon. There will be 257 picks in Pittsburgh, including nine compensatory selections, and you can see the full order on the NFL’s website.

— Abe Rakov

2. Scouting Report

Ball has two straight 35+ point games as Hornets need wins, Fried looks to go 3-0 for Yankees and Mbappe has good matchup with Real Madrid looking to keep pace.

Hornets G LaMelo Ball vs. Pistons

Charlotte can still avoid the play-in with a couple of wins and some luck, and Ball is doing his best to make that happen down the stretch. He shot 50%+ in his last two matchups, a win at Minnesota and loss at Boston, scoring 35 and 36 points. He’s averaging 20 on the year and had four straight games under that total prior to the recent breakouts (the Hornets still went 3-1 in those matchups). Ball faces a Pistons team with nothing left to play for, as they’ve already secured the top seed in the East.

• Points: 20.0 (36, 35, 18, 15, 14), Reb: 4.8 (5, 3, 6, 2, 7), Ast: 7.1 (6, 8, 9, 11, 9)

• DET - W1 (7-3 L10) | Points Allowed: 109.6 (3rd), Reb Allowed: 40.7 (4th), Ast Allowed: 23.5 (1st)

Yankees P Max Fried at Rays (Saturday)

The Yankees pitcher has given up just three runs and 10 hits across three starts and 20.0 innings so far this season — and all of the runs and half the hits were in his last start against the Marlins. Before that, in 13.1 innings Fried struck out 10 and walked two in two shutout wins for New York. He was slated to pitch today but is getting an extra day to rest instead. Tampa Bay batters have just a .194 career OBP against Fried, with 10 hits to 11 strikeouts in 68 at bats. Only two Rays players, DH Yandy Diaz and catcher Nick Fortes, have multiple hits off the 32-year-old lefty.

• Earned Runs: 1.0 (3, 0, 0), Hits: 3.3 (5, 3, 2), Strikeouts: 4.7 (4, 6, 4), Walks: 1.7 (3, 1, 1)

• TB - L2 (5-5 L10) | Runs Scored: 4.6 (10th), Hits: 8.8 (5th), K: 7.2 (1st), Walks: 3.3 (23rd)

Real Madrid F Kylian Mbappe vs. Girona

Mbappe scored in Real Madrid’s 2-1 loss to Bayern Munich in Champions League play this week, ending a five-game goalless streak across all competitions — his longest drought of the season. He hasn’t been held without a goal in two of three matches this campaign, as every time he’s scored a goal a game after not finding the back of the net, he’s scored the next match as well. It’s not a must-win, but Real has nearly no shot to catch Barcelona in La Liga with a loss to middle-of-the-pack Girona today. Mbappe scored when these teams played to a 1-1 draw in November.

• Anytime Goal: -300, 2+ Goals: +195, 6+ Shots: -115

• Girona - 13th in La Liga in goals allowed (1.47/game), 16th in goal differential (-12), 12th in points (37)

*Player stats are shown as: Season average (Last 5 games from most recent to oldest)

3. Game of the Weekend

After shooting an opening round 67, Masters defending champion Rory McIlroy is the favorite to win the tournament (+260 at FanDuel). Scottie Scheffler, who won in 2022 and 2024, is tied for sixth after a 70 and has the second-best odds after Day 1 (+350). There’s a wide gulf after that. McIlroy is tied atop the leaderboard with American Sam Burns, who notched an eagle on the par 5 second and was steady from there. Overall, 32 players shot par or better and just 16 went under. You can see the Round 2 pairings and tee times on CBS Sports.

The Masters
All Day Fri-Sun on CBS Sports, ESPN, CBS, Paramount+ and Prime Video

The Odds

To Win

• Rory McIlroy (-5) +260

• Scottie Scheffler (-2) +350

• Xander Schauffele (-2) +1000

• Sam Burns (-5) +1200

• Justin Rose (-2) +1500

• Patrick Reed (-3) +1600

Top 5

• Rory McIlroy (-5) -210

• Scottie Scheffler (-2) -145

• Xander Schauffele (-2) +170

• Sam Burns (-5) +185

• Justin Rose (-2) +250

• Patrick Reed (-3) +270

• Tommy Fleetwood (-1) +340

• Jason Day (-3) +380

• Shane Lowry (-2) +470

• Kurt Kitayama (-3) +500

• Jordan Spieth (E) and Hideki Matsuyama (E) +600

• Cameron Young (+1) +650

• Brooks Koepka (E) +750

Prediction Markets Data (Likelihood to win)

• Rory McIlroy: 26%

• Scottie Scheffler: 19%

• Xander Schauffele: 8%

• Sam Burns: 7%

• Justin Rose and Patrick Reed: 5%

• Tommy Fleetwood: 4%

• Jason Day: 3%

4. By the Numbers

The Friday NBA games that matter most for playoff seeding, two Saturday NHL matchups to watch, and our first look at the UFL this season

NBA

Cavaliers (51-29, 25-15 Away) vs. Hawks (45-35, 23-17 Home)

• Spread | CLE +7 (-110), ATL -7 (-110): 66% of the money is with CLE

• Moneyline | CLE +220, ATL -270

• Prediction Markets Data | ATL -6.6: 51%; Under 234.5 Points: 52%

Raptors (45-35, 22-18 Away) vs. Knicks (52-28, 29-9 Home)

• Spread | TOR +5.5 (-108), NYK -5.5 (-112): 89% of the money is with NYK

• Moneyline | TOR +184, NYK -220

• Prediction Markets Data | NYK -6.5: 50%; Over 219.5 Points: 50%

Clippers (41-39, 19-21 Away) vs. Trail Blazers (40-40, 22-17 Home)

• Spread | LAC +2 (-115), POR -2 (-105): 61% of the money is with POR but 54% of the bets are with LAC

• Moneyline | LAC +108, POR -126

• Prediction Markets Data | To Win: TOR 54%; Under 225.5 Points: 53%

NHL (Saturday)

Lightning (48-25-6, 23-12-5 Away) vs. Bruins (43-26-10, 28-10-1 Home)

• Prediction Markets Data | To Win: TB 53%; Over 6.5 Goals: 56%

Capitals (40-30-9, 16-19-4 Away) vs. Penguins (41-22-16, 20-12-8 Home)

• Prediction Markets Data | To Win: PIT 56%; Under 6.5 Goals: 53%

UFL

Orlando Storm (2-0) vs. Louisville Kings (0-2)

• Spread | ORL -3 (-105), LOU +3 (-115)

• Moneyline | ORL -150, LOU +125

• Prediction Markets Data | To Win: ORL 56%

Houston Gamblers (1-1) vs. DC Defenders (1-1)

• Spread | HOU +6.5 (-110), DC -6.5 (-110)

• Moneyline | HOU +240, DC -290

• Prediction Markets Data | To Win: DC 71%

Birmingham Stallions (1-1) vs. St. Louis Battlehawks (1-1)

• Spread | BIR -2.5 (-120), STL +2.5 (+145)

• Moneyline | BIR -170, STL +145

• Prediction Markets Data | To Win: STL 51%

5. Overtime

In the News

• Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins ruined any drama that was left when he said that Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza will be “great addition to our team” in an interview NFL Network. He also signaled he doesn’t expect to be guaranteed the starting job — unlike when he signed with Atlanta before the franchise drafted Michael Penix Jr. “The best player should play,” Cousins said. “As long as that’s the case, I have no qualms with however it plays out.”

• ESPN has a deep dive on how and why tanking has gotten worse in the NBA, going from a couple of teams losing a little more than they should to double-digit franchises using strategies to protect potential draft picks: “In early March, the Utah Jazz signed Andersson Garcia to a 10-day contract. Garcia was a college backup, an off-the-radar undrafted prospect and a defensive-minded role player for the Mexico City Capitanes this season. The Jazz then played Garcia 25, 29, 43, 24 and 48 minutes in five games.”

• After Jayson Tatum ruptured his Achilles’ tendon during the playoffs last year, this was slated to be a down season for the Celtics as they waited for their star to recover and rehab in time for the 2026-2027 campaign. But Boston’s other star, Jaylen Brown, has led his team to another 50+ win season and second in the East as Tatum shakes off the rust in time for the postseason. Ramona Shelburne’s feature on how Brown and the Celtics defied expectations this season is worth your time.

• The Department of Justice is investigating “the amount of money fans are paying to watch sports on television,” according to the Associated Press. The official issue would be anticompetitive practices, a source told the outlet, and the investigation is “about affordability for consumers and creating an even playing field for providers.” Last season, NFL games were seen on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, ESPN, ESPN+, NFL Network, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and YouTube TV.

What to Watch (times ET)

Friday

• 8:30am: Masters coverage begins on CBS Sports Network (1-3pm on Prime Video, 3-7:30pm on ESPN)

• 1pm: Paris vs. Monaco (Ligue 1) on beIN Sports

• 3pm: West Ham vs. Wolves (EPL) on USA

• 7pm: Cavaliers vs. Hawks on Prime Video

• 8pm: Storm vs. Kings (UFL) on FOX

• 8:30pm: Timberwolves vs. Rockets on Prime Video

Saturday

• 9:30am: Dortmund vs. Leverkusen (Bundesliga) on ESPN2

• 10am: Masters coverage begins on CBS Sports Network/Paramount+ (2-7pm on CBS)

• 12pm: Gamblers vs. Defenders (UFL) on ESPN

• 12:30pm: Lightning vs. Bruins on ABC (or Liverpool vs. Fulham on NBC)

• 1:05pm: Diamondbacks vs. Phillies on FS1

• 2:30pm: Austin FC vs. LA Galaxy on FOX

• 3pm: Capitals vs. Penguins on ABC

• 4:45pm: Timbers vs. LAFC on FOX

• 5:30pm: USWNT vs. Japan (International Friendly) on TNT

• 7:15pm: Giants vs. Orioles or Red Sox vs. Cardinals on FOX

• 8pm: Golden Knights vs. Avalanche on ABC

• 9pm: UFC 327: Procházka vs. Ulberg (Main Card) on CBS

Sunday

• 10am: Masters coverage begins on CBS Sports Network/Paramount+ 2-7pm on CBS)

• 12pm: Aviators vs. Dalls (UFL) on ABC

• 3pm: Penguins vs. Capitals on TNT (or NASCAR Cup Series at Bristol on FS1 or Stallions vs. Battlehawks (UFL) on ABC)

• 6pm: Magic vs. Celtics on ESPN

• 7:20pm: Guardians vs. Braves on NBC

• 8:30pm: Nuggets vs. Spurs on ESPN

In Today’s Newsletter…

1. Leading Off: UConn has worst odds to win title but wants a dynasty

2. Scouting Report: Adebayo gets another matchup against Wizards

3. Games of the Weekend: A look at both men’s Final Four matchups

4. By the Numbers: Women’s NCAA title game set

5. Overtime: UNC loses out on top head coaching candidate

1. Leading Off

UConn is looking to cement its dynasty with a third national title in four years, but the Huskies have the longest odds in the Final Four. Coach Dan Hurley’s program is a 1.5-point underdog to Illinois today and +600 to cut down the nets on Monday.

With two wins, UConn would earn its seventh title, breaking a tie with North Carolina for the third-most all-time behind Kentucky’s eight and UCLA’s 11. Senior Alex Karaban could pass his coach’s brother, Bobby Hurley, for second all-time with 19 NCAA Tournament wins if UConn takes the championship (Duke’s Christian Laettner has the record with 21).

Michigan has the best odds to win the title (+140), followed by Arizona (+185) and Illinois (+480).

— Abe Rakov

2. Scouting Report

Adebayo faces team he scored 83 points against last month, Wemby vs. Jokic, and Barcelona’s youngster is due…

Heat C Bam Adebayo

The last time Adebayo played the Wizards, he scored the second-most points in a game in NBA history with 83. He cooled down slightly after that and at the end of March had a four-game stretch of scoring 18 points or fewer, but Miami’s star center has put in 23 and 29 points in his last two outings. Adebayo has collected double-digit rebounds in 7 of 8 games, and Washington is last in the NBA in rebounds allowed. The Heat have given up 135+ points in three of four games and the Wizards are 29th in the NBA in points per game allowed, so there should be a lot of scoring today. Miami still has an outside shot of avoiding a play-in slot, so they should still be motivated.

• Points: 24.5 (20.3 - 29, 23, 15, 14, 17), Reb: 11.5 (10.0 - 10, 16, 12, 16, 10), Ast: 3.5 (3.0 - 2, 6, 3, 3, 7)

• WAS - L4 (1-9 L10) | Points Allowed: 124.3 (29th), Reb Allowed: 47.9 (30th), Ast Allowed: 29.1 (29th)

Spurs F Victor Wembanyama

After scoring 41 points in back-to-back games, Wembanyama sat out Thursday’s matchup against the Clippers — but all reports indicate he would have played if the team thought they needed him. The French sensation missed his team’s first two contests against Denver this season, but both were high scoring without him (a 139-136 Spurs win in November and a 136-131 Nuggets victory last month). San Antonio has won 11 straight and is just two games back of Oklahoma City for the top seed in the West, and Denver is just one game behind the Lakers for the three-seed, so both teams could use a win in this spot.

• Points: 28.5 (24.7 - 41, 41, 23, 19, 26), Reb: 12.5 (11.5 - 18, 16, 15, 15, 15), Ast: 3.5 (3.0 - 3, 4, 6, 3, 4)

• DEN - W7 (8-2 L10) | Points Allowed: 116.6 (19th), Reb Allowed: 42.8 (9th), Ast Allowed: 27.5 (20th)

Barcelona F Lamine Yamal

The 18-year-old superstar hasn’t scored in his last two appearances. He hasn’t missed the back of the net in three straight games since October, so he’s due. Prior to this mini-drought, Yamal had seven goals across seven matches. His 14 La Liga goals matches his total from his first two seasons combined, and he’s added 5 goals and 4 assists in eight Champions League matchups, and 2 goals and 2 assists in five Copa del Rey appearances. Yamal was kept of the scoresheet when these teams faced off in December, but had three shots.

• Anytime Goal: +130 (0.53 - 0, 0, 1, 3, 0), Anytime Assist: +185 (0.4 - 0, 0, 0, 0, 1), 4+ Shots: +100 (3.8 - 2, 0, 1, 6, 3)

*Player stats are shown as: Today’s total (Season average - Last 5 games from most recent to oldest)

3. Games of the Weekend

A trip to the national championship game is on the line tonight, as third-seeded Illinois faces second-seeded UConn in the first game and No. 1s Michigan and Arizona play in the nightcap. UConn is coming off a miraculous, come-from-behind, last-second upset victory over Duke, Arizona outscored Purdue by 22 in the second half to erase a seven-point deficit en route to a 15-point win, Illinois pulled away late against Iowa, and Michigan dominated Tennessee with a 33-point drubbing.

Both matchups feature 1.5-point spreads, with bettors backing UConn and Michigan.

No. 3 Illinois (28-8) vs. No. 2 UConn (33-5)
6:09pm on TBS/truTV/HBO Max

The Odds

• Spread: ILL -1.5 (-120), UCONN +1.5 (-102)

  • 61% of the money and 60% of the bets are with UCONN

  • ATS | ILL: 21-15 UCONN: 15-23

• Moneyline: ILL -134, UCONN +112

• Total (139.5): Over -112, Under -108

  • ILL: 15-21, UCONN: 18-20

Prediction Markets Data

• To Win: ILL 55%; Over 139.5 Points: 51%

Players to Watch

• ILL G Keaton Wagler | Points: 17.5 (17.9 - 25, 13, 14, 18, 19), Reb: 4.5 (5.0 - 2, 12, 5, 7, 1), Ast: (4.3 - 3, 3, 2, 7, 8)

• UCONN C Tarris Reed Jr. | Points: 14.5 (14.7 - 26, 20, 10, 31, 17), Reb: 9.5 (8.8 - 9, 5, 13, 27, 7), Ast: (2.4 - 3, 4, 2, 3, 0)

No. 1 Michigan (35-3) vs. No. 1 Arizona (36-2)
8:49pm on TBS/truTV/HBO Max

The Odds

• Spread: MICH -1.5 (-110), ARI +1.5 (-110)

  • 54% of the money and 52% of the bets are with MICH

  • ATS | MICH: 18-20, ARI: 24-14

• Moneyline: MICH -125, ARI +104

• Total (157.5): Over -110, Under -110

  • MICH: 16-22, ARI: 19-19

Prediction Markets Data

• To Win: MICH 53%; Over 157.5 Points: 51%

Players to Watch

• MICH F Yaxel Lendeborg | Points: 17.5 (15.2 - 27, 23, 25, 9, 20), Reb: 6.5 (7.0 - 7, 12, 6, 4, 5), Ast: (3.3 - 4, 7, 2, 4, 1)

• ARI G Brayden Burries | Points: 17.5 (16.1 - 14, 23, 16, 18, 21), Reb: 4.5 (4.9 - 6, 5, 9, 5, 2), Ast: (2.5 - 2, 2, 2, 2, 3)

*Player stats are shown as: Today’s total (Season average - Last 5 games from most recent to oldest)

4. By the Numbers

Women’s championship game is set, playoff seeding on the line in weekend NBA action, and NHL matchups to watch…

NCAAW

NCAA Championship: No. 1 South Carolina (36-3) vs. No. 1 UCLA (36-1)

• Spread | USC -2.5 (-120), UCLA +2.5 (-102)

• Moneyline | USC -160, UCLA +130

NBA

Wizards (17-59, 6-32 Away) vs. Heat (40-37, 24-15 Home)

• Spread | WAS +17.5 (-112), MIA -17.5 (-108): 85% of the money is with MIA

• Moneyline | WAS +1100, MIA -2200

• Prediction Markets Data | To Win: MIA 92%; Over 247.5 Points: 54%

Spurs (59-18, 29-11 Away) vs. Nuggets (49-28, 24-13 Home)

• Spread | SAS -2 (-110), DEN +2 (-110): 76% of the money is with SAS

• Moneyline | SAS -132, DEN +112

• Prediction Markets Data | To Win: SAS 56%; Over 243.5 Points: 50%

Pistons (56-21, 25-12 Away) vs. 76ers (42-34, 21-17 Home)

• Spread | DET -1.5 (-106), PHI +1.5 (-114): 69% of the money is with DET

• Moneyline | DET -118, PHI +100

• Prediction Markets Data | To Win: DET 54%; Over 227.5 Points: 51%

NHL

Red Wings (40-27-8, 20-13-5 Away) vs. Rangers (31-36-9, 12-19-7 Home)

• Spread | DET -1.5 (+172), NYR +1.5 (-220)

• Moneyline | DET -144, NYR +120: 87% of the money is with DET

• Prediction Markets Data | To Win: DET 57%; Under 6.5 Goals: 54%

Wild (42-21-12, 21-11-4 Away) vs. Senators (39-26-10, 19-11-6 Home)

• Spread | MIN +1.5 (-250), OTT -1.5 (+198)

• Moneyline | MIN +104, OTT -125: 60% of the money is with MIN

• Prediction Markets Data | To Win: OTT 52%; Over 5.5 Goals: 56%

Avalanche (49-15-10, 25-7-5 Away) vs. Stars (45-19-12, 23-10-4 Home)

• Spread | COL +1.5 (-250), DAL -1.5 (+210)

• Moneyline | COL -110, DAL -110: 51% of the money is with DAL

• Prediction Markets Data | To Win: COL 52%; Over 6.5 Goals: 54%

Bruins (43-25-8, 15-15-7 Away) vs. Lightning (47-22-6, 24-13-1 Home)

• Spread | BOS +1.5 (-168), TB -1.5 (+134): 64% of the money is with BOS

• Moneyline | BOS +150, TB -182

• Prediction Markets Data | To Win: TB 61%; Over 6.5 Goals: 54%

MLB

Dodgers (5-2, 1-0 Away) vs. Nationals (3-4, 0-1 Home)

• Spread | LAD -1.5 (-184), WAS +1.5 (+152): 76% of the money is with LAD

• Moneyline | LAD -295, WAS +240

• Prediction Markets Data | To Win: LAD 70%; Over 9.5 Runs: 50%

Marlins (5-2, 0-1 Away) vs. Yankees (6-1, 1-0 Home)

• Spread | MIA +1.5 (-138), NYY -1.5 (+115): 97% of the money is with NYY

• Moneyline | MIA -104, NYY -112

• Prediction Markets Data | To Win: NYY 65%; Over 7.5 Runs: 52%

5. Overtime

In the News

• President Trump issued a new executive order yesterday that limits a student-athlete to one transfer as an undergraduate, places a five-year cap on eligibility, effectively ends NIL collectives, and mandates scholarship benchmarks for women’s and Olympic sports. As he has done with previous executive orders, Trump will tie federal funding to compliance with the new rules. Some of the new mandates have previously been struck down by courts.

• Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd ended speculation that a Final Four run would lead him to Chapel Hill, as the fifth-year coach signed a new five-year contract with the Wildcats. Lloyd is 148-35 in Tucson and now will be one of the five highest-paid coaches in college basketball with a fully-guaranteed contract that averages $7.5 million per year over the term of the deal. Michigan’s Dusty May, who faces Arizona tonight, and Bulls coach Billy Donovan are expected to be UNC’s next targets.

• Quarterback Kirk Cousins signed a one-year, $20 million contract with the Raiders, solidifying his spot as the third-highest-earning player in NFL history. After passing Tom Brady, now Matthew Stafford and Aaron Rodgers are the only players that have earned more than Cousins’ $339.4 million. Vegas is widely expect to take Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first pick in this month’s NFL Draft.

• The Clippers clinched a spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament after an inconsistent year that has been messy from start to finish. But their hardcore fans are still all-in on the team, especially those that sit in The Wall — a unique 4,500-seat area of the Intuit Dome that looks and sounds like a college student section.

• For the first time since 1994, neither Tiger Woods nor Phil Mickelson will compete at the Masters. Mickelson announced this week that he withdrew because his “family continues to navigate a personal health matter,” while Woods said he was taking an indefinite leave from golf after his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence at the end of last month. Scottie Scheffler is the significant favorite to win at +550.

What to Watch (times ET)

Saturday

• 12:30pm: Red Wings vs. Rangers on ABC

• 3pm: Spurs vs. Nuggets on Prime Video (or Avalanche vs. Stars on ABC)

• 4:10pm: Brewers vs. Royals on FS1

• 6:09pm: Illinois vs. UConn (Final Four) on TBS

• 7:15pm: Cubs vs. Guardians or Braves vs. Diamondbacks on FOX

• 8:49pm: Michigan vs. Arizona (Final Four) on TBS

Sunday

• 11:30am: West Ham vs. Leeds (FA Cup) on ESPN2

• 1pm: Wild vs. Red Wings on TNT

• 3:30pm: South Carolina vs. UCLA (Women’s NCAA Basketball National Championship) on ABC

• 5pm: Bay FC vs. Washington Spirit on ESPN2

• 7pm: Capitals vs. Rangers on ESPN

• 7:20pm: Cardinals vs. Tigers on Peacock

• 7:30pm: Lakers vs. Mavericks on NBC

• 9:30pm: Blues vs. Avalanche on ESPN

• 10pm: Rockets vs. Warriors on NBC