Where Things Stand After Day 1 at the Masters
We also look ahead to the NFL Draft and highlight NBA and NHL players and matchups to watch this weekend
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