I want no part of the rudderless Raiders. They have serious morale issues, a bad head coach and a bottom-tier quarterback situation.
The Steelers are a well-coached, defensive-minded power team. A good quarterback can beat the Steelers like Dak Prescott did last week. But the Raiders lack that.

Las Vegas is switching QB's going with Aidan O'Connell. He's not any better than Gardner Minshew. Both are backup quality. Davante Adams remains out leaving the Raiders with woeful wide receivers to go with below par running backs. 

The Raiders are going against a Pittsburgh defense that yields the second-fewest points per game at 14.6. 

The Steelers should do enough offensively to cover this number. Bo Nix, after all, posted a 117.2 passer rating against the Raiders last week in Denver's, 34-18, victory. The Raiders had 11 penalties in that game. Antonio Pierce has long worn out the initial spark he provided the Raiders when he first took over as head coach last year. He's a bottom-five coach in my book, while Mike Tomlin is a future Hall of Famer. 

Pittsburgh was nipped by Dallas in the final minute last week. The Steelers are 8-3 ATS following a loss. 

The Steelers are heavily run-oriented. The Raiders rank 28th in scoring defense and 22nd in run defense. They are now without star defensive lineman Christian Wilkins. 

The Raiders are minus 7 in turnovers. The Steelers are plus 4. 

Hard to believe Winnipeg opened 2-6 with the way the Blue Bombers are playing now. They've won eight in a row and top the CFL power rankings.

I'm not going to stand in the Blue Bombers' way as they host Toronto on Friday. Not only are the Blue Bombers looking to lock up the Western Division, but this is a revenge spot. The Argonauts nipped Winnipeg, 16-14 in overtime, at home on July 27. The Blue Bombers haven't lost since.

Toronto is 6-2 at home, but 2-5 on the road. The Argos are 4-4 during their past eight games.  

The Argos have a below average pass defense. If they load up on pass coverage trying to stop Zach Collaros, who has come up big during the second half of this season, they'll be vulnerable to Brady Oliveira, who leads the CFL in rushing.

This line is too respectful of the Panthers. Are they a better team with Andy Dalton at QB? Yes. Are they still the worst team in the NFC? Yes, too.

Dalton isn't some savior. He's an over-the-hill, mediocre starting QB who only has looked decent in comparison to Bryce Young.

Defense, though, is the Panthers' biggest problem. Carolina is surrendering the most points in the NFL giving up 32.3 a game. The Panthers' defense is likely to get even worse as injuries take a toll. They are without their best defensive lineman, Derrick Brown, and just this past week lost their two best linebackers, Shaq Thompson and Josey Jewell.

The Bears have a top-10 defense. They are very opportunistic, too, ranking fourth in takeaways.

Caleb Williams is improving each week. The Bears displayed a balanced attack last week, which can only help Williams as he now faces the easiest defense of his early NFL career.

The Colts are 2-2. The Jaguars are 0-4, the lone winless team in the NFL. But Jacksonville isn't a terrible 0-4. The Jaguars are 2-2 ATS and have losses to the Dolphins, Browns and Texans by a combined margin of 12 points, an average loss of four points. A goal line fumble cost the Jaguars probably a sure win against Miami when the Dolphins were at full strength with Tua Tagovailoa.

The oddsmaker believes it's time for the Jaguars to win making them the favorite. I agree. 

The Colts, a dome team, haven't won at Jacksonville since 2014. Indy has dropped nine consecutive road games against the Jaguars, counting one in London. There is a high possibility of rain for this game. That's a plus in Jaguars' favor being an outdoor team. 

Jacksonville not only is due and in must-win mode win, but the timing is good. The Colts are severely hobbled. Jonathan Taylor is out and Anthony Richardson isn't likely to play leaving the Jaguars to defend against immobile Joe Flacco.

The Colts are even more banged-up on defense. They are down several defensive backs and linemen, including three-time Pro Bowler DeForest Buckner. The Colts rank 31st in run defense. The Jaguars are averaging 5.7 yards per run, which rates second in the NFL.

This isn't the good Troy teams of past years. The Trojans lost a lot of quality players from last season. They are 1-4 with their lone win coming against Florida A&M.

The Trojans average just 21.4 points a game. They don't have the firepower, nor defense, to keep up with high-scoring Texas State. Troy only has one defensive takeaway, too, so turnovers shouldn't be a problem for Texas State.

The Bobcats have Jordan McCloud, who I consider to be the best QB in the Sun Belt Conference. They also have a tremendous offensive-minded coach in GJ Kinne.

No way, though, does Texas State take the Trojans lightly. Not after the Bobcats blew a 22-0 lead in a 40-39 loss to Sam Houston State last week. I see the far more talented Bobcats taking out their frustrations on the hapless Trojans.

First-year head coach Mike Macdonald has gotten the Seahawks out to a 3-0 start. Macdonald is a defensive mastermind and appears to be a promising head coach.

But this is a bad spot for the Seahawks, who have been fortunate to have begun with three easy opponents: Broncos, Patriots - who they beat in overtime - and Dolphins minus Tua Tagovailoa getting Skyler Thompson and Tim Boyle instead. The Seahawks committed 11 penalties in their victory against Miami, but the Dolphins were done in by totally inept quarterback play. That won't be the case here with Jared Goff and his bevy of weapons and excellent offensive line.

The Lions hold Super Bowl aspirations. The Seahawks are far from that stage. This is a huge step-up game for Seattle.

Detroit has revenge for a 37-31 overtime home loss to the Seahawks last year. The Lions also catch Seattle down four key members of their defensive front seven. The Seahawks also might be missing starting linebacker Jerome Baker, who is questionable with a hamstring injury. Out for Seattle are Byron Murphy, Leonard Williams, Uchenna Nwosu and Boye Mafe. The Seahawks don't have much of a pass rush without Nwosu and Mafe.

The Seahawks do expect to get back running back Kenneth Walker III. But offensive right tackle George Fant remains out. Backup tackle Stone Forsythe replaces Fant and has the primary responsibility of blocking emerging superstar Aidan Hutchinson, who entered this week leading the NFL in sacks with 6 1/2.

Three days and counting for the Nationals. That's when their dreadful season will be finished. The Nationals are not exactly going out in style. They have lost nine of their last 10 games. Washington is averaging a puny 1.6 runs in its last six games.

The Phillies have motivation trailing the Dodgers by one game for the No. 1 seed in the National League. Philadelphia is 25 games better than the Nationals.

So I see this as a kill spot for the Phillies. The oddsmaker does, too. So to reduce the heavy juice, I feel confident laying 1 1/2 runs on the run line. Of the Nationals' last 13 losses, 10 have come by more than one run.

The Phillies rank fourth in runs and batting average. They are averaging 5.9 runs in their last seven games.

Ranger Suarez has been a dependable starter for Philadelphia with a 12-7 record, 3.15 ERA and 1.16 WHIP.

Washington's Trevor Williams has been injured for two months. This will be only his second start since July 25. He's a journeyman who has pitched for four teams since 2020. Williams has had an ERA above 5.00 in two of the past three years.

And so it will end tonight for Rookie-of-the-Year Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever. Thanks to Clark's generational talents, the Fever made the playoffs after going 13-27 last year.

I had the Sun in Game 1 and I'm backing them again after their, 93-69, rocking chair winner in Game 1 of this two-out-of-three series this past Sunday.

This is what I wrote before Sunday's game: There are four major factors working against the Fever now: Playoff inexperience, being on the road, facing the veteran Sun - the top defensive team in the WNBA - and the horrendous coaching of Christie Sides.

All of those factors were evident in Game 1.

The Sun are one of four elite teams in the WNBA along with the Liberty, Aces and Lynx. The rest of teams are tiers below, including the Fever. Connecticut opened this series having competed in 222 postseason games. The Fever's playoff experience consisted of 19 games, none from any of their starters. Indiana hadn't made the playoffs since 2016.

Connecticut led the WNBA in defense. Indiana ranked second-to-last. The Sun held the Fever 16 points below their season average. The magnificent Clark could manage only 11 points on 4-of-17 shooting from the field.

The Sun have now hosted the Fever three times this year. They've won all three games by margins of 17, 21 and 24 points. That's an average win margin of 20.6 points.

The oddsmaker only made a slight adjustment in the point spread. It's not nearly enough for the Fever to cover.

Do I expect Seattle to upset the Aces in Las Vegas and keep its playoff hopes alive down 1-0 in this best two-of-three series?

No. But it wouldn't shock me if the Storm pulled the upset. I'll certainly take this many points to find out.

Seattle is a savvy, veteran team that has a top-four defense and star power with Skylar Diggins-Smith, Nneka Ogwumike and Jewell Loyd, last year's WNBA leading scorer.

The Storm were right with the Aces in Sunday's Game 1 - until the fourth quarter. The Storm collapsed in the final period scoring only two free throws while going 0-for-12 from the field.

Yet the Aces still only won by 11 points, 78-67. Las Vegas shot 43 percent from the floor and 39 percent from 3-point range. Seattle shot 36.8 percent from the floor and missed 12 of its 16 3-point attempts for 25 percent.

You could tell from A'ja Wilson's postgame interview that Seattle was a tough opponent and that she and the rest of the Aces expect a much closer game.

I find this line short in a matchup of the defending Super Bowl champions against the Falcons, who are trying to avoid a seventh straight losing season.

The line is short because the Chiefs will be without their best running back, injured Isiah Pacheco, and the Falcons pulled off a dramatic road victory against the Eagles this past Monday night.

It means the Falcons are on a short week and in a letdown spot.

Andy Reid can mix and match running backs to replace Pacheco, who is not an elite player. Patrick Mahomes is. Mahomes has speedsters Rasheed Rice and Xavier Worthy to throw to on a fast track inside Atlanta's dome stadium. That makes Mahomes even more dangerous if that's possible.

Kirk Cousins played better than he did opening week coming back from his Achilles injury. Cousins isn't all the way back, though. His offensive line could encounter trouble from Kansas City's star defensive lineman Chris Jones, who could collapse the pocket on the immobile Cousins.

I don't see the Falcons being strong enough to trade points with Mahomes.

The Seahawks were getting stale under Pete Carroll. Mike Macdonald is a defensive whiz and a promising first-year head coach. I just don't trust his Seahawks laying more than a field goal in this spot. Seattle was fortunate to draw the Broncos and Patriots in its first two games. If it wasn't for a fourth quarter field goal miss by New England, the Seahawks probably would not have beaten the Patriots.

Yeah Tua Tagovailoa is out. I trust offensive guru Mike McDaniel to coach up Skylar Thompson. The Dolphins have had extra preparation time having played last Thursday, Thompson has been in Miami's system for the past three seasons and he has major weapons with De'Von Achane, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Raheem Mostert could be back this week, too, adding to the skill position speed.

Thompson isn't close to Tagovailoa's accuracy, but he's mobile and doesn't have to throw pin-point passes with the speedy stars he has around him.

Seattle is dealing with a major injury, too. Kenneth Walker III missed last week due to an oblique injury. That's likely to cause him to miss this game, too, forcing another top-heavy passing attack from Seattle. The Seahawks are much better off when they are balanced. Miami ranks fifth in pass defense.

Don't be fooled by Edmonton's 5-8 record. The Elks are 5-1 SU, 6-0 ATS in their last six games, peaking at the right time. Their ground game has picked up and speedy dual threat Tre Ford is back at quarterback.

The Elks are averaging 35.1 points in their last six games. They are the best offensive team in the CFL now ranking first in points, rushing yards and No. 2 in total yards. The Elks are playing with tremendous confidence. Being at home is another plus.

Winnipeg can't match Edmonton's speed. The Blue Bombers are averaging 22.7 points in their last seven games. 

It is telling that five of the six writers on CFL.com, the official web site of the CFL, pick Edmonton to win. I concur. 

It was a great night for Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers Thursday night in Miami. Ohtani smacked three homers and stole two bases, thus becoming the first player in MLB history to hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases in a season. The Dodgers clinched a playoff spot with a 20-4 massacre of the Marlins.

Now the Dodgers play again - in Los Angeles. That means an early-morning cross country flight to take on a lowly opponent, the Rockies.

Colorado was idle Thursday. So the Rockies already were in LA ahead of the Dodgers - rested and ready. Colorado is 5-2 in its last seven games.

The Rockies will be pitching Kyle Freeland, who is in good form. Freeland has allowed two or fewer earned runs in four of his last five starts. He has a 2.00 ERA in his last three starts.

The Dodgers haven't announced their starting pitcher. He's not likely to be good since Jack Flaherty pitched last night and injuries have robbed the Dodgers of many of their former excellent starters. It probably will be a bullpen game for the Dodgers.

There would be a huge class difference in favor of the Jets if there weren't an injury factor and situational element to this game. But there is, making it even worse for New England.

The Patriots are traveling on a short week with a rookie head coach following an overtime game. Not only do the Patriots lack a downfield passing game - none of their wide receivers have averaged more than 31 receiving yards - but they have a cluster injury problem in their offensive line, which wasn't good to start.

New England will be missing the starting left side of its offensive line. They also could be down their center and right tackle. The Jets have defensive injuries. But their defense is deep enough to take advantage especially when they can stack the line knowing their secondary has no fear of Jacoby Brissett.

Aaron Rodgers has enough weapons to rely on to push the Jets' offense to win by more than a touchdown.

The Falcons have had six straight losing seasons. They don't look any better this season with an aging Kirk Cousins off major surgery and a weak defensive front seven.

I put the Eagles right up there with the 49ers as the best team in the NFC. Saquon Barkley upgraded an already stellar Eagles offense. Philly's defense should keep improving as the players get more acclimated to new and highly respected defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.

It's a drop in class for the Eagles' defense going from the Packers to the Falcons, especially given how bad Cousins looked opening week. Rusty from not having played in nearly a year, Cousins could throw for only 155 yards and threw two interceptions in an 18-10 loss to the Steelers. It wasn't just Cousins' poor statistics. He looked extremely shaky in the pocket, maybe not fully comfortable with his repaired torn Achilles injury.

Perhaps the Falcons could get away with a poor performance if they were playing one of their horrible NFC South Division opponents. But they're not. They are going to need their "A" game to stay close to the rested Eagles on the road and I don't see that happening.

Sure the Jets were a major disappointment opening week failing to step up against the 49ers. But now the Jets drop way down in class knowing they can't open the season 0-2.

Aaron Rodgers showed me enough that I'm confident he'll make a big difference in the Jets' offense. He's aided by a top-three running back in Breece Hall and a top-10 wide receiver, Garrett Wilson.

The Titans don't have anyone nearly that good at the skill positions. What they do have is a boneheaded second-year gunslinger quarterback in Will Levis. Not only is Levis inexperienced and inaccurate, but he's mistake-prone and not careful with the football.

The Jets have an elite defense despite not having holdout Hasson Reddick and looking bad against the 49ers. I expect the Jets' defense to dominate an overmatched Levis and a youthful Titans offensive line.

UCLA is down this season and Indiana is a rising team under new coach Curt Cignetti, who made James Madison a power before coming to Indiana. The Hoosiers have an underrated QB in Kurtis Rourke, who played in the MAC last year and thus wasn't that publicized.

UCLA barely got past a bad Hawaii team, 16-13, in their opener. Indiana is a big step up for the Bruins and I don't see them making that step up against an underrated Hoosiers squad that is much better than perceived.

I have to believe the Sky show up and play hard here after an embarrassing, 89-58, home loss to the Mystics this past Wednesday. Chicago has a one game lead on Washington and Atlanta for the final playoff spot. So there is incentive.

It's a weird scheduling spot for Minnesota. The Lynx last played at home on Sept. 1 when they defeated the Sky, 79-74. The Lynx then played three straight road games before returning home for this one game before heading back on the road to face the Liberty in New York on Sunday. That's a much bigger matchup for Minnesota. So it wouldn't be surprising if focus and concentration aren't all there for the Lynx.

Angel Reese is out for the season. However, the Sky still have three other good players with Chennedy Carter, rookie center Kamilla Cardoso, who draws more of the spotlight with Reese out, and underrated Isabelle Harrison, who has looked good since returning from injury.

Would I really go with a Sun Belt Conference team against a former Pac-12 now Big 12 team in a pick-type game?

Darn right when the matchup is Texas State hosting Arizona State and it's on Thursday. Texas State is a rising program under offensive guru G.J. Kinne. The Bobcats beat Rice in a bowl game last season in Kinne's first year as head coach.

The Bobcats feature a big-time quarterback, Jordan McCloud. He was the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year with James Madison last year and the second overall pick in my Sun Belt Conference fantasy football draft gobbled up by me. The 2-0 Bobcats just destroyed USTA, 49-10.

This may be Texas State's biggest game in school history hosting a Power-Four team in a stand-alone college game that will be nationally-televised by ESPN.

Second-year Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham has a sharp offensive mind, too, but he's still cleaning the manure left by former Sun Devils coach Herm Edwards. ASU was 3-9 last season, its second consecutive three-win season.

Dillingham has the Sun Devils off to a 2-0 start with victories against Wyoming and Mississippi State. The Sun Devils were touchdown favorites against those foes. Dillingham says Texas State is the best team his Sun Devils have faced so far. He's right.

It's a brutal travel spot for the Sun Devils after playing this past Saturday at home. They barely were able to get two practices in. ASU also opens Big 12 action next week on the road against Texas Tech.

ASU quarterback Sam Leavitt isn't close to being as good as McCloud. Instead, the Sun Devils rely on running back Cam Skattebo. He was tremendous last week rushing for 262 yards against Mississippi State. Skattebo did that on 33 carries. Dillingham can't burn out his star runner before conference play even begins. So Skattebo's role could be diminished.

Must-win time for the Mystics as they trail the Sky by two games for the final playoff spot in the WNBA with five games to play.

Washington is 2-1 vs. Chicago this year. Angel Reese played in all three of those games for the Sky. Reese is now out for the season following a wrist injury. Reese is one of the best rebounders in the league and the Sky's second-best player next to Chennedy Carter.

Chicago has won its last two games. Those games, though, were against the two worst teams in the WNBA, the Wings and Sparks. The Sky had lost seven in a row before getting to play Dallas and Los Angeles.

Scoring is a problem for the Sky. They rank 10th out of 12 teams in scoring, field goal percentage and 3-point percentage. Chicago also is last in free throw percentage.

The Mystics have been underrated by the oddsmaker all season. They have the league's best spread mark at 23-11-1 (67 percent) ATS. This includes covering seven of their last eight games.

Never mind the trend of the Super Bowl loser, which in this case is the 49ers, being 4-20 ATS in Week 1 since 2000.

I like the Jets because they have the better defense and skill position stars. This isn't a knock on the 49ers. But I rank the Jets as having the best defense in football.

The Jets ranked third in total defense and No. 2 in pass defense last season despite being on the field nearly all the time because of an inept offense that had terrible quarterbacking.

The Jets still have their defense stars, but now have Aaron Rodgers back healthy to take the pressure off. It's easy to forget just how good Rodgers is after he played only four plays last season. He's not vintage by any means. But I like his accuracy, veteran savvy and leadership more than Brock Purdy.

Garrett Wilson gives the Jets the most talented wide receiver on the field. Christian McCaffrey may still be the premier running back in football, but Breece Hall is a close second.

The Jets have much to prove. Here's their chance on the national stage. The combination of Rodgers and the Jets' defense makes taking a field goal worthy of an investment.

The Bears are being overhyped because of rookie Caleb Williams and his trio of excellent wide receivers: D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze.

There is more to this matchup than just the Bears' flashy passing game. The Titans no longer have Derrick Henry. But they picked up a lot of talent in free-agency that has largely gone beneath-the-radar. This includes upgrading at cornerback with L'Jarius Snead and strengthening their wide receiver depth with Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd.

Will Levis isn't drawing nearly the publicity of Williams. But he flashed in his rookie season last year and should do better this season with improved offensive line play. The Titans brought in maybe the best of the free agent centers, Lloyd Cushenberry. They have first-round picks JC Latham and Peter Skoronski, too, in their offensive line, which is now coached by legendary offensive line coach Bill Callahan.

The Bears' offensive line is far more of a question mark than the Titans. Don't get caught up in hype for the Bears. At least not yet.

Washington has the second-worst record in the WNBA at 10-23. However, the Mystics have the best point spread mark at 21-11-1 (66 percent).

The Mystics are playing well winning four of their past five games, including road victories against the Storm, Sky and Wings during this span.

Phoenix is 2-4 SU, 1-4-1 ATS in its last six games. Yet the Mercury just clinched a playoff spot by beating Atlanta at home this past Tuesday. This is Phoenix's third game in five days and the team doesn't have a strong bench. It's also a major letdown spot for the Mercury having just fulfilled their goal by earning a postseason berth after going a miserable 9-31 last year.

Yes, the Mercury are better coached this season. But they are not one of the powerhouses of the league. They are 17-17 and their intensity is likely to be down after gaining a playoff spot.

Up until this game, the most Indiana has been favored by is seven points. Now the Fever are laying double-digits and they're doing it on the day they clinched their first playoff spot in eight years.

The Fever clinched a postseason berth because the Sky and Dream were eliminated following losses last night.

Indiana has earned the right to celebrate. So it could be hard for the Fever to have their full concentration and intensity especially being at home.

The Sparks have the worst record in the WNBA at 7-25. They are off an embarrassing blowout home loss to the Dream this past Sunday. But the game before that they upset the Liberty, which owns the best record in the league at 27-6.

So the Sparks are capable. They have covered seven of their last nine road games. They have talent with Dearica Hamby, Rickea Jackson - probably the third-best rookie in the league - and sparkplug veteran Odyssey Sims, who recently signed with them.

The Sparks aren't going to lack motivation off an embarrassing defeat and going against Caitlin Clark.

Usually my first look is backing a Big Ten Conference team against a mediocre American Athletic Conference opponent, which is what we have here. However, Michigan State is not a good Big Ten team. The Spartans were 4-8 last season, 2-7 in the Big Ten.

Florida Atlantic is rebuilding in Tom Herman's second season. The Owls, though, have a respectable defense ranking 59th in scoring defense and 64th in run defense last season. The Owls should be improved this season returning eight defensive starters.

The key takeaway is that Michigan State isn't very good offensively. In fact, Michigan State's offense is downright horrible. The Spartans ranked 121st in offensive success rate, 128th in total yards and 131st in scoring averaging a meager 15.9 points a game in 2023. Sophomore QB Aiden Chiles is set to make his first college start for the Spartans.

Florida Atlantic's offense wasn't that much better statistically than Michigan State's. But the Owls upgraded their roster through the transfer portal bringing in QB Cam Fancher from Marshall, where he accounted for 15 TD's last season.

No Grayson McCall at quarterback for Coastal Carolina. No backing the Chanticleers. That along with Jacksonville State's superior defense, home field and having revenge makes me comfortable backing the Gamecocks.

A rare national TV home game and revenge for last year's loss to Coastal Carolina should have Jacksonville State sky high for this matchup. The Chanticleers defeated Jacksonville State, 30-16, at home last season but the score was misleading. The Gamecocks had more first downs and only had six fewer yards. The Gamecocks won't have to deal with star passer McCall, who transferred to NC State.

There's a huge drop from McCall to Coastal Carolina's new quarterbacks, Noah Kim and Ethan Vasko. Jacksonville State went 9-4 in its first year in the FBS. Rich Rodriquez's defense was the best in Conference USA last season giving up 21.2 points and recording 39 sacks.

Jacksonville State is a team on the rise in Rodriguez's third season. Coastal Carolina has been on the decline the past two years.

Rodriguez's teams are known for running. Coastal Carolina's is weak against the run and must replace its three top tacklers from last season.

Back to full strength, the Dream are making a playoff push. They are 3-1 coming out of the Olympic break with two of the victories coming against the 18-10 Storm and 22-7 Sun. 

Atlanta has a top-five defense and has been especially sharp defensively in its last three games giving up an average of 71.6 points. That's nine points below its season average. 

The Dream go on the road for four consecutive games following this matchup. So this is a crucial game for them. They are the more rested team as the Fever are playing their second road game in three days. 

I rate Caitlin Clark already as one of the 10 best players in the WNBA. But some of her value is negated by the egregious coaching of Christine Sides, the worst coach in the league. Atlanta doesn't have a superstar like Clark. But the Dream have four excellent players in Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Tina Charles and much underrated Jordin Canada. 

Montreal has the best record in the CFL at 9-1. I'm not fading the Alouettes. This is a play on Edmonton, which has won three in a row for the first time in six years.

The Elks have battled into playoff contention by posting impressive victories against Saskatchewan on the road, BC at home and on the road vs. Hamilton. They've done this by finding a strong ground attack averaging 199.3 rushing yards during the past three games. The Elks lead the CFL in scoring at 29.6 points per game.

The Elks can keep this game close by staying on the ground, keeping the ball away from Montreal. The Elks were playing much worse when they lost to Montreal earlier this season, 23-20, as a four-point home 'dog.

The Fever have covered nine of their last 13 games and are in a great spot to extend their ATS hot streak to 10-4. Indiana catches Phoenix playing without rest after the Mercury rolled past the Sky in Chicago on Thursday night. The Mercury caught a break when Chicago's Chennedy Carter was scratched hours before tip-off because of illness.

Indiana should be well-rested and ready. Not only did the Mercury play last night, but their three best players - Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi and Kahleah Cooper - all helped the U.S. win the Olympic Gold medal by beating France this past Sunday in Paris.

The Mercury have a short bench. They played only eight despite beating the Sky by 20 points. All of Phoenix's starters logged more than 29 minutes.

The Fever have matched up well to the Mercury. They are 2-0 vs. Phoenix winning, 88-82, at Phoenix on June 30 and defeating the Mercury, 95-86, at home on July 12.

Jordan Love and Green Bay's first-string offense will see action. Browns starting QB Deshaun Watson won't play.

So why the Browns?

Depth and quarterback rotation are the main reasons for getting on board with the home Browns.

Matt LaFleur isn't going to play Love much. I'd be surprised if he played more than one series. The Packers have outstanding wide receiver depth, but their two best running backs, Josh Jacobs and rookie Marshawn Lloyd - who is out - are banged-up.

Green Bay's backup quarterbacks are Sean Clifford and rookie Michael Pratt. Clifford is having a terrible camp in this, his second season.

I like the Browns' overall depth more than the Packers, especially at quarterback. Cleveland's backup QB's are Jameis Winston, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Tyler Huntley. All three of them are better than Clifford and Pratt.

No Lamar Jackson, no Jalen Hurts. The stars aren't playing in this one.

So what do we have to go on? My major look is to the coaches. John Harbaugh is the greatest preseason coach of all-time. He's 44-14, including 24-2 in his last 26 games. Harbaugh has covered 69 percent of his 58 preseason games!

Nick Sirianni is 1-6-2 SU, 2-6-1 ATS in preseason during his first three years as Eagles coach.

The home Ravens opened as an underdog. The Ravens, under Harbaugh, have won 76 percent of their preseason games, including defeating the Eagles last year.

Clinching the deal for me is I like the Ravens' backup skill position players more than the Eagles' skill position reserves. The Eagles have very strong starters, while the Ravens have the more quality depth from top to bottom plus Harbaugh's insane motivation to win preseason games.

Aside from upsetting Montreal, Toronto has done nothing on the road this season. The Argonauts, plagued by the worst passing attack in the CFL, lost to Saskatchewan and Hamilton in their other two away games. They were favored in both of those games, too.

Calgary is 3-0 SU and ATS at home this year. The Stampeders upset BC in their previous home game two weeks ago.

The Stampeders also have won and covered the past two seasons at home against Toronto winning, 20-7, last year and 29-2 in 2022.

Calgary has the second-most takeaways and the second-fewest giveaways in the CFL.

The Argonauts have been relying on defense and kicker Lirim Hajrullahu. But that won't be enough to score an upset road win here.

Toronto is last in passing yards and second-to-the-bottom in total yards per game. Argos quarterback, Cameron Dukes, has thrown just one TD pass in his last five games. Backup Nick Arbuckle isn't any good either. He has one touchdown pass and one interception on 42 attempts this year.

There's a player in this Fever-Wings game who is the No. 3 scorer in the WNBA, leads the league in steals per game and is tied for second in averaging the most made 3-pointers per game.

And her name isn't Caitlin Clark. It's Dallas' Arike Ogunbowale.

But it's not because of Ogunbowale that this game is a sellout and being televised nationally by ESPN.

Clark's presence is sure to arouse passion and an all-out effort from the underachieving Wings, who have better talent than their 5-19 record indicates.

Dallas is 2-2 in its last four home games with wins against Atlanta and Minnesota. However, the Wings are off a disappointing home loss to the Sparks in their last game this past Saturday. They have had ample time to rest and prepare for a rare nationally televised sold-out home game.

These are the two-worst defensive teams in the league. Dallas, however, is the better rebounding team with a height advantage on Indiana.

I have the utmost respect for the Lynx and their coach, Cheryl Reeve. The overachieving Lynx have the third-best record in the WNBA at 16-6.

But the Lynx aren't good enough to beat Seattle on the road without their superstar, forward Napheesa Collier. She's expected to miss her third straight game because of a foot injury. Collier is arguably one of the five best players in the league.

Minnesota is 2-0 since Collier has been out. Those wins, though, were against the Mystics and Sparks, whose combined record is 11-34. Now the Lynx step way up in class and are on the road.

Seattle has a star-studded lineup that has come together to win 13 of its last 18 games. Take away Collier and the Storm will have four of the five best players on the court in Nneka Ogwumike, Jewell Loyd, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Ezi Magbegor.

Caitlin Clark returns to Vegas on Tuesday. That's motivation enough for the two-time defending champion Aces. The timing is good for the Aces to bury Clark's Fever team like they did in the first meeting. Las Vegas won that home game, 99-80, on May 25.

The Aces accomplished that blowout victory despite not having star point guard Chelsea Gray.

Gray has been back for four games now after missing the first 12 games of the season. No coincidence the Aces have gone 4-0 while playing their most consistent ball of the season. Gray is off her best game, too, making 8-of-9 shots from the floor in the Aces' 88-77 road win against Washington this past Saturday.

Not only does Indiana catch the Aces playing well, but this marks the end of a five-game road trip for the Fever. The Fever upset Phoenix this past Sunday in a nationally televised game. It was the first time they had beaten an above .500 team all year.

The Mercury are a mid-tier WNBA team. They are a level higher than the Fever, playing at home with major incentive.

That incentive is a rare nationally televised (ESPN) game for the Mercury courtesy of the network's fascination with rookie Caitlin Clark.

Hardened 41-year-old veteran Diana Taurasi, the WNBA's all-time leading scorer, isn't going to let Phoenix get embarrassed by hotshot Clark.

Clark is a generational talent. I already find her the best passer and 3-point shooter in the league. But Clark is going against a double whammy - extremely motivated opponents and the egregious coaching of her head coach, Christie Sides. Clark is rarely put into favorable situations because of Sides' ineffective coaching.

Phoenix is much stronger at home going 7-2. This includes victories against Seattle and New York during the last two weeks. The Fever lost by 12 points to the Storm in their last game this past Thursday.

This marks the Fever's fourth consecutive road game. Phoenix has a winning record. The Fever have yet to beat an above .500 team. Phoenix is 3-0 this month against below .500 teams with the average victory margin being 13.3 points.

Indiana is the worst defensive team in the WNBA giving up 87.9 points per game. The Mercury have the scorers to take advantage with Taurasi, Kahleah Cooper and Brittney Griner.

The Sparks have lost six in a row and are dealing with key injuries. Their excellent rookie center, Cameron Brink, is out for the season and rotation guard Lexi Brown will miss the game. 

But laying this many points with the Mercury is a bridge too far. Phoenix is 8-8. Only once have the Mercury beaten an opponent by more than 10 points. 

Los Angeles is well-coached by Curt Miller, who twice has been named WNBA Coach of the Year. The Sparks have had nearly a week to rest and prepare for this game. They've played extremely tough opponents in five of their last six games going against the Liberty twice, Sun, Lynx and Storm. All on the road and in a span of 11 days. Those four teams have a combined record of 53-16. 

The Sparks' defense has gone downhill without Brink, an excellent defensive center. But LA still has Dearica Hamby, one of the better all-around players in the league. Rickea Jackson is one of the top rookies. She's been overshadowed by Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese so you don't hear that much about her. Backup center Li Yueru has been drawing more minutes and displaying potential. 

The Mercury are the second-worst shooting team in the league and rank ninth out of 12 teams defensively. The Mercury also will be hosting Clark and the Fever on Sunday in a rare nationally televised game for them. So this is a look-ahead spot for Phoenix, which isn't good enough to cover this number without playing at a high level. 

The wonderful Caitlin Clark continues to soak publicity. But her team, the Fever, is last in the WNBA defensively and has the worst coach in the league in Christie Sides. 

The Fever haven't defeated an above .500 team all season - and they won't until Sides is gone. 

Seattle added more firepower in the offseason. After a slow start, the Storm have gelled going 9-3 in their last 12 games. They just beat Connecticut, 72-61, in their last game this past Sunday. The Sun are tied for the second-best record in the WNBA at 13-3. 

The Storm aren't just one level above the Fever, but two levels. That should be enough to win by double-digits at home. Seattle's past eight victories have all been by eight or more points. The Storm's average victory margin during this span is 15.2 points.

The Storm buried the Fever, 103-88, when they last played. That was in Indiana on May 30.

The Sky and Fever have become a rivalry because of Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. There certainly is no love lost between these teams.

The teams have met twice this season: The Fever nipped the Sky, 71-70, on June 1 and won 91-83 last Sunday. Both games were in Indiana. Now the Sky get to host the Fever. I see a Chicago victory here.

Indiana has a four-game win streak. Those victories, though, were against the 3-13 Mystics and twice against the below .500 Dream. The other was against Chicago where the Fever shot 56.5 percent from the floor and attempted five more free throws than the Sky. Chicago shot 40.7 percent from the field.

So I'm not that impressed with Indiana's win streak. The Sky got a much-needed confidence boost in their last game, defeating Dallas this past Thursday. The Sky are an improving team with center Kamilla Cardoso fully back from injury and Reese proving a serious challenge to Clark for rookie-of-the-year honors.

This is going to be an intense game. I don't trust the Fever on the road and I certainly don't trust their coach, Christie Sides, who I regard as probably the worst coach in the WNBA.

This is a kill spot for the Phillies in a pitching matchup of Tommy Henry vs Zach Wheeler.

The Diamondbacks irked the Phillies edging them, 5-4, Friday night. But Arizona lost Gabriel Moreno (thumb) and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (elbow) to injuries in that game. Both of those players had homered in the game.

Henry has a 6.23 ERA. This will be his first start since April 29. He gave up five runs on five hits in four innings of relief against the weak-hitting White Sox during his last appearance, which was a week ago. Henry has an 8.79 career ERA against the Phillies in three previous starts. Philadelphia has a top-five offense.

Wheeler isn't going to lack motivation after he allowed a career-high four homers and eight runs in 4 1/3 innings against the Orioles this past Sunday. He had an eight-game win streak entering that game. Wheeler is 6-3 with a 2.96 ERA lifetime against Arizona in 11 career regular season starts. He went 2-0 vs the Diamondbacks with a 1.84 ERA in three postseason games last year.

I hold no doubt that come the playoffs, the two-time defending champion Aces will be right back as a formidable force, probably the team to beat again.

But the Aces are not at that stage yet. Connecticut and New York are the two best teams in the WNBA right now and Connecticut has the best record at 13-1. The Sun are 5-0 on the road.

Las Vegas should not be this high of a favorite against the Sun. The Aces will be fortunate to win the game straight-up. The Aces are 7-6, including 4-4 at home with home losses to the Mercury, Storm, Lynx and Liberty.

The Aces will get rolling when star point guard Chelsea Gray returns to top form. Gray made her season debut this past Wednesday helping spark the Aces to a 94-83 home win against the Storm. That was a revenge spot for the Aces and the team was pumped to finally get Gray back from her foot injury.

Gray played 15:30. She scored only one point while attempting only two shots. Gray averaged 15.2 points last year. Her minutes likely will go up in this game, but there's plenty of rust. So the timing isn't that good for the Aces to draw this elite opponent right now.

Connecticut is the top defensive team in the league, holding opponents to 70.7 points per game. The Aces have yet to get their defense straightened out allowing 83 or more points during their last five games.

Boston ran away with the best record in the NBA at 64-18. The Celtics have continued their dominance in the postseason going 15-3. However, that third playoff loss came this past Friday when the Mavericks stayed alive burying the Celtics by 38 points in Dallas.

The Celtics responded from their previous two playoff losses winning by 20 points against the Heat and winning by 13 points against the Cavaliers. Those were road games. Now the Celtics return to Boston properly chastised and embarrassed for their non-show appearance in Game 4 after winning the first three games of the series.

Overconfidence certainly won't strike the Celtics now. Look for Boston to close out the series regardless if Kristaps Porzingis plays or not. The Celtics have won their past five home games, including defeating the Mavericks by 18 and seven points, respectively, in this championship series.

Dallas' role players stepped up in Game 4. That's been the Mavericks' rotation history, though. Their rotation and bench players have performed statistically better at home in the playoffs than away. The Celtics have too much depth and versatility for Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to overcome unless they get sufficient help, which hasn't been the case when playing in Boston.

The Mavericks scoring 122 points in Game 4 was an outlier. A case of pouring it on at home long after the Celtics had surrendered. Boston had held the Mavericks to an average of 95.3 points during the first three games of the series.

Joe Mazzulla has grown as a coach. I trust him to make good adjustments and have the Celtics mentally ready and refocused to close out the series in this Game 5.

A healthy Tyler Glasnow is one of the best pitchers in baseball. Glasnow is healthy and pitching in a day game. He's 3-0 with a 1.33 ERA in day games this season.

The Dodgers are 43-28. That's to be expected. The Royals have been a major surprise with a 40-31 record. But regression is starting to hit the Royals. Even after their upset victory against the Dodgers on Saturday night, they still are 2-5 in their last seven games.

The Royals opened this series with their two best pitchers, Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo. Now, though, they are dropping way down in class going with Brady Singer. He's going against an LA offense that ranks in the top-four in many major offensive categories.

The Royals aren't likely to have their star catcher Salvador Perez either. He's been out with knee inflammation.

The Celtics didn't sweep their playoff series against the Heat. Nor did they sweep their playoff series against the Cavaliers. I don't see them doing it again against the Mavericks, who have come close in the past two games despite making only 15 of 51 shots from beyond the arc for 29.4 percent during this time span.

The open looks for Dallas have been there. The Mavericks just haven't converted. The Celtics are the superior team, but that edge is negated by the Mavericks at home in must-win mode and Kristaps Porzingis unlikely to play, or not be at 100 percent if he does.

Luka Doncic is a superstar. But he's also thuggish and a whiny crybaby always griping and gesturing about calls he thinks he's not getting. It's disgusting to watch someone that talented sink that low. However, he's likely to get the benefit of the doubt in this Game 4 after he fouled out of the last game.

Kyrie Irving should have his confidence back after scoring 35 points in Wednesday's Game 3.

The last time there was a championship series sweep in the NBA was 2018 when the Warriors took out a decimated Cavaliers team. Before that you have to go back to 2007 when the Spurs swept the Cavaliers. It's just not that common. There's too much pride at stake.

The Mavericks are the healthier team with Porzingis probably out. This is their game to win.

Pity the poor Mystics. They just got their best all-around player, guard Brittney Sykes, back in their last game against Atlanta. Sparked by Sykes' return, the Mystics beat the Dream, 87-68, for their first win of the season after 12 consecutive losses. However, Sykes suffered a foot injury in the victory and is out indefinitely again after missing eight games.

Shakira Austin is the Mystics' top low-post player and she's out, too, with a hip injury. I don't see the 1-12 Mystics beating the 4-7 Sky minus those two players and in a letdown spot after finally achieving their much-needed first victory of the year. Washington is 0-5 at home.

Chicago is the better team, especially with highly-touted rookie center Kamilla Cardosa back in shape and not limited anymore with a minutes restriction. Cardosa and Angel Reese give the Sky a big front-court edge. Reese is proving to be a tremendous talent in her rookie season with four straight double-doubles. She had a season-high 20 points and 10 rebounds in Chicago's last game, an 83-75 loss to Connecticut, the best team in the WNBA with an 11-1 record. Now the Sky are going from being competitive against the best team to playing the worst team.

The Sky and Mystics met in Washington just eight days ago. The Sky shot just 38 percent from the floor and made only 1-of-14 shots from 3-point range. Yet the Sky still beat the Mystics, 79-71.

The excitement Caitlin Clark brings to Indiana can't offset that the Fever isn't very good. They are poorly coached, have the worst defense in the WNBA and rank third-from-the-bottom in scoring despite having Clark.

I don't see the Fever staying within single digits of Connecticut, which is 9-1.

The Sun aren't going to lack motivation playing the 3-9 Fever at home having suffered their first loss of the season. That came to the Liberty, 82-75, two days ago at home.

Connecticut should have plenty of energy to go with motivation. This only is the Sun's second game in six days. Before losing to the Liberty, the Sun had blowout victories in three of their previous four games defeating Phoenix by 23 points, Atlanta by 19 points and Washington by 17 points.

The Fever were just barely able to get past the 0-12 Mystics in their last game, winning by only two points. Before that, the Fever had lost by a whopping 36 points to the Liberty.

This is the third meeting between the two teams. The Sun buried the Fever by 21 points at home and beat them by four points at Indiana.

The Sun are the No. 1 defensive team in the WNBA. They have far more depth than the Fever. Alyssa Thomas is one of the few players in the league better than Clark.

Considering the Sun are the WNBA's lone unbeaten team at 8-0 and the Mystics have the worst record in the league at 0-8, this large point speed seems justified on the surface. 

But it's not really. 

Connecticut has padded its record against lower-tier opponents. The Sun have yet to play the Aces or the Liberty, who they will host in their next game. The toughest team the Sun have played is the Lynx. Connecticut won that game in overtime by one point. 

Despite their easy schedule, the Sun haven't dominated in most of their victories with five of their past seven wins coming by seven or fewer points. This includes beating the Wings by two points, Fever by four points and Sky by four points. Connecticut has a losing ATS mark. 

Washington and Connecticut have met this season with the Sun winning, 84-77, failing to cover as an 8-point home favorite.

 
The Mystics are 0-8, but 4-3-1 ATS. They've lost by more than 11 points only once. 

Washington has been idle since Friday, while the Sun enter this matchup fat and happy after a blowout road victory against Atlanta this past Sunday. 

The Sun have averaged just 71 points per game during their last three games. The Mystics are the lowest-scoring team in the league, but still average 74.4 points a game.

There is just one undefeated team in the WNBA - and it's not the two-time defending champion Aces or the Liberty. It's 7-0 Connecticut.

The Sun put that mark on the line against Atlanta. I see Connecticut covering a short road number here. The Dream has played an easy schedule and are in a letdown spot following a home upset of the Aces, 78-74, this past Friday. The Aces had an off-shooting night making only 36 percent of their shots from the floor.

Before knocking off the Aces, the Dream had played just one tough team this season. That was Minnesota and the Dream lost to the Lynx, 92-79, at home.

Connecticut is not a good matchup for Atlanta, especially given the letdown spot. The Sun are the slowest tempo team in the league. Atlanta prefers to run-and-gun. Connecticut won three of the four meetings last season with the winning margin being by an average of 10.3 points.

Reynaldo Lopez recorded a season-high eight strikeouts in the Braves', 4-2, home win against the A's on Friday. That doesn't bode well for Oakland in today's game because now the A's draw lefty Chris Sale.

Sale has returned to his pre-injury superstar status with an 8-1 record, 2.12 ERA and 0.85 WHIP in 10 starts. Sale's 78 strikeouts rank 10th in the majors. He's had eight or more strikeouts during his last five starts. The White Sox rank 29th in batting vs southpaws hitting just .211.

Oakland has scored three or fewer runs in six of its last seven games. The A's rank third-from-the-bottom in runs. The A's also are without injured Lucas Erceg, one of the more underrated setup pitchers in the league.

The Braves should do plenty of damage against Aaron Brooks, who is 0-2 with a 3.63 ERA and is due for regression. Brooks has had ERA's of 7.71, 5.65 and 6.67 during the last three years he has pitched in the majors. His lifetime ERA is 6.29 with a 1.51 WHIP.

The record is 155-0. That's the mark of NBA playoff teams winning a best-of-seven playoff series after falling behind, 3-0. I don't see the Timberwolves putting a halt to that 155-series losing streak.

The Timberwolves stayed alive with a 105-100 road win against the Mavericks this past Tuesday. Minnesota shot 53 percent from the floor and 46 percent from 3-point range. Dallas was missing big man Dereck Lively II, who was out with a sprained neck. He's likely to play in this game. Luka Docic and Kyrie Irving were a combined 13-for-39 from the floor and missed 17 of 22 3-point shots. Yet the Timberwolves only won by five points.

Dallas is 2-0 at Minnesota in the playoffs and 6-1 SU and ATS in its last seven road playoff games. Only once in their last 15 games, have the Mavericks lost by more than five points.

Minnesota is 1-4 SU and ATS in its past five home contests.

I don't trust the Timberwolves as home favorites where all the pressure is on them. Maybe the Timberwolves will force a Game 6, but I'll take this many points to find that out.

I'm looking for a big performance from the Fever as they return home following three consecutive road games. Indiana has played five tough games out of seven - Liberty twice, Sun twice and Aces once - and now get to step way down in class.

The rebuilding Sparks are the worst team in the Western Conference. Los Angeles is 1-4. Its lone victory was at home against the 0-6 Mystics by two points. If the Mystics aren't the worst team in the WNBA than the Sparks are.

This is only the Sparks' second road game of the season. Their only other away game was back on May 18. It was a short one, just an hour flight to Las Vegas.

Indiana's 1-6 record is deceiving because of the tough schedule it has played. The Fever can expect great support as this is only their third home game and first since May 20. The Fever has played the most games in the league. But they were able to get two full days of rest having last played this past Saturday.

The Fever's lone victory came against the Sparks, 78-73, this past Friday at Los Angeles. A record Sparks crowd of 19,103 turned out for the game.

It's not just Caitlin Clark for the Fever. Indiana center Temi Fagbenle has emerged, giving the Fever another low-post presence and energetic force to go with Aliyah Boston, one of the better inside players in the league. Boston and Fagbenle combined to make 14-of-26 shots from the floor against the Sparks.

Los Angeles is not a deep team relying mostly on a six-player rotation. The Sparks will be without veteran guard Layshia Clarendon, one of those six rotation players. She's out with a head injury.

Minnesota is down 2-0 to Dallas in this Western Conference Finals series. Worse for the Timberwolves is the two losses were at home.

But don't write off Minnesota yet.

Luka Doncic is the best player on the floor. But the Timberwolves own the better and deeper roster. They also are 5-1 on the road in the playoffs.

Dallas nipped the Timberwolves, 108-105, in Game 1. Minnesota was emotionally and physically drained after winning the last two games of its series against the defending champion Nuggets, including winning at Denver in Game 7.

The Mavericks shot 49 percent from the floor in Game 1. Minnesota shot 43 percent. Dallas again made 49 percent of its field goals in Game 2, while the Timberwolves shot just 41 percent from the floor. Yet the Mavericks needed a late 3-pointer by Doncic to pull out a 109-108 victory.

The Timberwolves are due to shoot better, especially Anthony Edwards. He's 11-for-33 from the floor in the series for 33.3 percent.

The Mavericks are due for shooting regression against a defense this good. Minnesota was the No. 1 defensive team in the NBA both in fewest points allowed and defensive field goal percentage at 45 percent. The Timberwolves are giving up only 94.2 points in their last four games.

Phoenix is much improved from its disastrous 9-31 season of a year ago. The Mercury upgraded both their roster and coaching staff. So it wasn't a total shock Phoenix upset defending WNBA champion Las Vegas, 98-88, as 13 1/2-point road 'dogs this past Tuesday night.

Washington, on the other hand, is 0-4 and in for a long season with its superstar, Elena Delle Donne, choosing not to play this season. Brittney Sykes, the Mystics' best all-around guard, is out with an ankle injury.

So why get involved with the Mystics on the road against the Mercury here?

Because there's more than meets the eye.

The Mercury returns to Phoenix fat and happy after holding off the Aces, who railed from 15 points down with 5 1/2 minutes to pull within two points. This is a huge letdown spot for a team that didn't do much winning last year and remains without its top rim protector and rebounder, injured Brittney Griner.

The Mercury made an unbelievable 16 of 33 shots from 3-point range in upsetting the Aces. Highly unlikely they repeat that shooting performance against Washington, which ranks No. 2 in the league in 3-point defense.

The Mystics have yet to win, but they were ahead in the fourth quarter in three of their four games. This includes leading the Liberty by eight points with 9:25 left and the Sun by seven points with 9:20 to play. Those are two of the three best teams in the league. Washington also led Seattle in the fourth quarter and was nip-and-tuck in a 70-68 road loss to Los Angeles this past Tuesday.

The Dream has had this game circled ever since Dallas knocked them out of the playoffs last season, 2-0, with both of the Wings' victories coming at home.

Now Atlanta gets Dallas at home. It's the Dream's first home game of the season and the Wings' first road contest.

The Dream are at full strength. Dallas is not. The Wings are without starting guard Jaelyn Brown (broken nose) and star forward Natasha Howard (broken foot).

The Wings hosted rebuilding Chicago for their first two games. Dallas was favored in each game, but could only manage a split against one of the lower-tier teams in the league.

Atlanta beat the Sparks by 11 in Los Angeles, but lost as a short road favorite to the much-improved Mercury.

The Dream have too much firepower for the Wings, which heavily rely on Arkie Ogunbowale for the bulk of their scoring. Ogunbowale is a prolific scorer, but is only shooting 37.3 percent from the floor.

Atlanta is No. 1 in the WNBA in field goal and 3-point shooting percentage. The Dream rank No. 3 in scoring, averaging 88.5 points per game. Rhyne Howard and Alish Gray give the Dream one of the top scoring backcourt tandems in the league. Veteran Tina Charles still remains highly effective averaging 13.5 points and 8.5 rebounds. Charles could be in line for a big game with Howard out.

I'm going with the Zig-Zag theory here, figuring the Pacers to tie this series at 3-3 after being embarrassed, 121-91, at New York this past Tuesday. 
The Pacers are 5-0 at home in the playoffs. This includes a pair of victories against the Knicks with an average winning margin of 18.5 points. 

The Knicks are extremely short-handed with Julius Randle, Bojan Bogdanovic, Mitchell Robinson and now OG Anunoby all ruled out. Jalen Brunson is playing hurt. The Knicks are effectively down to just seven players. The Pacers' bench has been taking advantage. The Knicks are wearing down this late in the season and as this series goes deeper. 

So the Knicks just might pull the plug on this game if it gets out of hand looking ahead to Game 7 at home on Sunday.

Help. The Timberwolves have fallen down and I don't see them picking themselves up. The Timberwolves' lack of big-game playoff experience is showing in lost composure and immaturity.

After falling behind 0-2 in this series, the Nuggets have won the last three games by an average of 16.7 points. Denver is 2-0 in Minnesota winning those games by eight and 27 points, respectively.

The momentum is clearly with Denver. The Timberwolves hadn't lost three straight games all season. Now Minnesota faces adversity they never had to deal with all season.

I don't see the Timberwolves having enough poise to force a seventh game by winning this matchup. Nikola Jokic has gotten off to average 33 points during the last three games. I trust him more than any of the Timberwolves' stars.

Mike Conley missing Tuesday's Game 5 with a sore right Achilles really hurt the Timberwolves not just with his heady point guard play, but also his veteran leadership on the court. Conley is the one player who can keep the Timberwolves' emotional temperature at an even keel. He's questionable for Thursday's game.

I'm not panicking about the Timberwolves losing two straight home games to the Nuggets. The Timberwolves have played better on the road in the playoffs. It could be because their young team feels less pressure when they're not expected to win.

Minnesota has been an underdog four times this postseason - twice at Phoenix and twice at Denver. The Timberwolves are not just 4-0 ATS in those games, but they won each of those games straight-up!

I see that pattern continuing here.

Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert are elite players. They are due to play better. Meanwhile, Denver's Aaron Gordon is due for a huge regression.

Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are going to get their points. Just as Anthony Edwards will for the Timberwolves. But I don't see Gordon continuing with his unbelievable shooting. He's 16-of-19 from the floor for 84 percent during the last two games.

Oklahoma City wasn't just the best team in the Western Conference. The Thunder had far and away the top record in the West, six games better than the next closest team.

But after sweeping the Pelicans in the first round and burying Dallas by 22 points in Game 1, the Thunder have dropped the past two games.

Aside from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder are getting underachieving scoring from their four other starters. Dallas, on the other hand, is getting shocking offensive production from P.J. Washington. He's averaging 28 points in the past two games after averaging fewer than 13 points per game during the regular season. He is 12-for-23 (52 percent) from 3-point range in the last two games after shooting 32.4 percent from beyond the arc in the regular season.

Washington's surprising hot hand has covered up that Luka Doncic is not nearly at 100 percent bothered by both a knee sprain and ankle soreness.

I expect the Thunder to step up their game, make a necessary adjustment on Washington and even the series with a win today. The Thunder had their chance leading by 10 points in the third quarter in Game 3. They weren't sharp and poised enough, though, to hold that lead. Lesson learned. Oklahoma City is the better team and will prove it here.

I get that the defending world champion Nuggets don't want to fall to 0-2 in this series, especially being the home team.

However, the Timberwolves are playing their best ball, while the Nuggets are not, and Minnesota matches up well to Denver.

Minnesota is 5-0 in the playoffs with each victory being by at least six points. This includes a 106-99 road win against the Nuggets this past Saturday.

The Timberwolves rank first in fewest points allowed and defensive field goal percentage. They have an emerging superstar in Anthony Edwards and big athletic skilled defenders to bother Nikola Jokic with Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid. Jokic shot just 11-of-25 from the floor in Game 1.

Minnesota easily was the superior team in Game 1. There is no reason the Timberwolves can't repeat that. The Nuggets are 0-4 ATS the past four times they've been favored. Denver and the Lakers scored the same amount of points during the last four games of their series.

While Edwards is averaging 39.6 points in his last three games, Denver's key scorer, Jamal Murray, hasn't been 100 percent because of a calf strain. Murry is shooting just 40.3 percent from the floor in the playoffs compared to 48.1 percent during the regular season.

We may not see a point spread this high the rest of the series. These teams are more even than perceived. Minnesota outscored Denver during the 2-2 split the teams had during the regular season.

The Timberwolves are the No. 1 defensive team. They gave up the fewest points per game and also were first in defensive field goal percentage. The Timberwolves are brimming with confidence after sweeping the Suns in four games with a winning margin of 15.5 points. Minnesota is rested and healthy.

The Nuggets did what they had to do in taking out the Lakers in five games. But they weren't sharp. The points were even during the final four games of the series. Denver went 0-3 ATS the last three times it was favored against the Lakers. 

Minnesota matches up well to the Nuggets because of its size and physical defense. Anthony Edwards is emerging into a superstar. Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns can make things difficult for Nikola Jokic. 

Denver is banged-up. Jamal Murray is dealing with a calf injury. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a defensive ace who likely will cover Edwards, isn't 100 percent of a sprained ankle sustained against the Lakers in Game 5 this past Monday.

I'm betting that desperation, excellent defense and fine coaching will keep the Heat inside of this large number in this Game 5 playoff matchup. Miami is eliminated by a loss.

The Heat have held Boston to an average of 102.3 points during the past three games. I regard the Heat's Eric Spoelstra as an elite coach.

The Celtics will be without their star big man, Kristaps Porzingis. He's out with a calf injury.

Miami lost by 14 points in the last game. The Heat shot just 41 percent from the floor, 27 percent from 3-point range and only got to shoot 12 free throws. I expect the Heat to shoot better this game.

Down 2-0 in the series and fresh from hearing Minnesota fans screaming, "Wolves in four! Wolves in four," I expect a monster effort here from the Suns.

Phoenix won all three regular season games against the Timberwolves. The Suns won those games by an average of 15.7 points.

But the Suns have struggled against the Timberwolves during the first two games of this playoff series with both games being in Minnesota. Now, though, the Suns are back in Phoenix in must-win mode.

Devin Booker and Bradley Beal are overdue for big performances especially Booker.

I've never seen Joel Embiid more mad than after the Knicks', 104-101, Game 2 win this past Monday.

Embiid has good reason to be fuming: The Knicks stole the game. The referees blew several calls in the final seconds that cost the 76ers that game as the home Knicks scored eight straight points in the final 30 seconds to pull out the victory.

That puts the Knicks up 2-0 in the series. But now the scene shifts to Philadelphia where the fired-up 76ers will be in Circle-The-Wagons mode in this must-win spot.

Embiid and emerging star Tyrese Maxey will have had two full days to get healthy. The next game isn't until Sunday. So the 76ers will be laying it all on the line here. I want them going for me.

Can Boston just turn it off and on? I'll take this many points with Miami to find out.

Since clinching home-court, the Celtics have covered only once going 1-3-2 ATS. Their straight-up victories during their final six regular season games were by one point against the Kings and wins against the Trail Blazers, Hornets and Wizards whose combined record is 57-189. Boston lost by 13 points to the Bucks and by nine points to the Knicks during their two other games. 

It has been a week since the Celtics last played. 

No such rust, or lack of intensity, with the Heat. Miami had to defeat the Bulls, 112-91, this past Friday in a play-in tournament elimination game to get to this series. The Heat won that game despite not having Jimmy Butler, who remains out.

The Heat made the playoffs as a No. 8 seed last season. They proceeded to win the Eastern Conference, including taking out the Celtics.

No Butler, but the Heat still are the Heat. That means excellent coaching, big-game experience, tough defense and both physical and mental toughness.

I know why the Kings are a road favorite against the Pelicans in this loser-goes-home play-in game. New Orleans won't have injured Zion Williamson, the Pelicans are off two losses to the Lakers and the Kings looked great in eliminating the Warriors, 118-94, at home this past Tuesday.

But these reasons aren't valid enough to change my mind that New Orleans is better than Sacramento and will prove it here. It's an added bonus the Pelicans are home and in an underdog role.

Yes, the Pelicans are off consecutive defeats to the Lakers. They have trouble matching up to LA. Sacramento doesn't have LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The Pelicans play with far more confidence against the Kings. They are 5-0 vs Sacramento this season, including a 12-point road victory a week ago.

The Pelicans know how to win without Williamson. They've done it before. This isn't to downplay Williamson's absence, but the Kings have their own injury woes. Starter Kevin Huerter is out for the season with a shoulder injury and sixth man Malik Monk is sidelined with a knee injury.

The Kings smashed the Warriors. But even with that victory, Sacramento is just 5-7 in its last 12 games.

A big reason why the Pelicans are 5-0 against the Kings is superior defense. New Orleans ranks eighth in scoring defense, seventh in defensive field goal percentage and No. 2 in 3-point defense. Sacramento, by contrast, is 17th in scoring defense, 21st in defensive field goal percentage and 29th in 3-point defense.

There's a reason the Bucks and other NBA teams didn't want to draw Philadelphia in the playoffs. The 76ers are the hottest team in the league winning and covering each of their last eight games. This includes a four-point win at Miami on April 4. The 76ers have covered the past nine times they've been favored.

Superstar center Joel Embiid returned this month after being out since February. Philadelphia is 6-0 SU and ATS in the six April games Embiid has played. It's not just Embiid. Tyrese Maxey shot up Miami's zone defense averaging 27.3 points and 8.3 rebounds against the Heat this season.

Miami has a history of stepping up come playoff time. But that perception doesn't fit this season, especially against a 76ers team the Heat have trouble matchup up against. The Heat rank 26th in scoring. They can easily beat the Raptors, but they don't have it in a step-up playoff game such as this one.

Surprised the Bulls opened such a short favorite against the Wizards?

Don't be. The spot sets up extremely well for Washington. The Bulls played last night in Detroit. They were intense, highly-motivated and routed the Pistons, 127-105. That victory was significant in that it clinched the No. 9 seed for Chicago and allowed the Bulls to claim home court edge against the 10th-seeded Hawks. That was what the Bulls were aiming for since that's the best they could finish during the regular season.

So this road game against the Wizards is meaningless. It's also Chicago's fourth game in six days and the Bulls will be playing without rest - at least the Bulls who Billy Donovan chooses to play. As the Bulls coach could be sitting out his key starters, or at least heavily cutting back their minutes in anticipation of the playoffs. 

The Wizards are 15-65. This is their chance to at least finish their home schedule with a victory. Washington is 3-2-1 ATS in its last six home games, including upsetting the Bucks 10 days ago.

(Update: The favorite has flipped since I released this play early in the morning. Still, while some line value has been lost, I expect the Wizards to soundly win this game. The Bulls already have ruled out Andre Drummond and Ayo Dosunmu. DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso are questionable.) 

It's a bonus if Cade Cunningham is available to play. He's questionable after missing the last three games due to knee soreness.

Regardless of his status, though, this is too many points for the 76ers to be laying this late in the season when they carry a high fatigue rating and need to be careful in doling out minutes to their starters.

It's the 76ers' third game in four days and fourth matchup in six days.

The 76ers nearly were upset by the Spurs in their last game this past Sunday, needing overtime to win.

This is Philadelphia's first home game in a week having played its last three games on the road.

Joel Embiid is questionable after missing the Spurs game. If he does suit up, the 76ers are likely to be careful in monitoring his minutes. Same with Tyrese Maxey, who scored 52 points against the Spurs, but logged 54 minutes. The 76ers could get Tobias Harris and Kyle Lowry back, but aren't expected to have De'Anthony Melton and Robert Covington.

By virtue of winning six of their last eight games, the Hawks have clinched a play-in berth. So they don't have huge incentive here.

The Nuggets, on the other hand, are going for No. 1 seeding in the West trailing the Timberwolves by half-a-game for that distinction. Denver won't play again until Tuesday. That should ensure a strong, all-out effort especially since the Nuggets are off a 102-100 loss to the Clippers on Thursday.
 
Denver's previous loss was to the Timberwolves at home eight days ago. The Nuggets followed that defeat by burying the Cavaliers at home by 29 points. 

The Hawks haven't beaten the Nuggets in Denver since 2019.

I understand the Kings just blew a 21-point lead in suffering a 120-109 road loss to the Knicks Thursday night.

But this is a great spot to back the Kings - and yes it's against the Celtics.

This is Boston's first game since clinching home-court throughout the playoffs. The Celitcs will talk about staying motivated, but they can't help relaxing and taking their foot off the gas now that their regular season goal has been achieved.

Boston's priority is to be cautious with its stars. No reason to risk injury, or burn any of them out, now that the rest of the regular season has become meaningless.

The Kings are an underrated adversary.

Even with that defeat to the Knicks, the Kings are 21-17 on the road. They are trying to chase down the Pelicans and Suns for the sixth playoff spot in the West.

Sacramento has quietly, below the radar, picked up its defense holding 11 of its last 13 opponents to 109 or fewer points. During their last 16 games, the Kings have lost by more than eight points just twice.

Sparked by Joel Embiid's return after missing nine weeks due to knee surgery, the 76ers beat the Thunder, 109-105, at home on Tuesday. The 76ers are going to be careful with Embiid. This is going to be a much tougher task for the 76ers playing the Heat in Miami. It's Philadelphia's fourth straight different venue. 

Erik Spoelstra has Miami peaking again at the right time. The Heat have won four of their last five games, including the past three.
 
The Heat should be pointing to this matchup as they go on the road following this game for their next three games facing the Rockets, Pacers and Hawks. 

Terry Rozier has been hot for Miami averaging 27.6 points in his last three games. The Heat's rotation gets a boost with the return of Kevin Love. The 76ers have Embiid back, but may be minus two important cogs, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris. Both are questionable.

The Hawks are riding high after an important, 113-101, win against the Bulls two days ago. The Hawks are at the Mavericks on Thursday night in a challenging matchup.

But first the Hawks need to take care of business at home against the lowly Pistons.

This is Atlanta's fifth game in eight days. The Hawks remain without superstar Trae Young. So I find value in a point spread this high to back Detroit.

The Pistons are much more respectable with Cade Cunningham in the lineup. He's averaging 22.7 points and 7.5 assists.

Detroit has a winning ATS mark in its last eight road games and has played the Hawks tough during its two meetings this season, losing by six points each time.

The timing is right for the Bulls to cover this road number - if not pull off a surprising upset.

The Timberwolves return home fat and happy after an impressive, 111-98, road win against the defending champion Nuggets Friday night.

The Bulls enter this matchup off an embarrassing, 125-108, road loss to the Nets Friday night.

Chicago defeated Minnesota earlier in the season. The Bulls can do it again. Even with that loss to the Nets, the Bulls are 9-5 SU and ATS in their last 14 away games.

The Timberwolves are 0-5 ATS the past five times they have been favored by eight or more points. There's a chance, too, Minnesota could be minus Rudy Gobbert and Anthony Edwards. Both are questionable with injuries.

The teams met just six days ago in LA. The Lakers won a wild, 150-145, shootout. But it wasn't so much the Lakers winning that irked the Pacers, it was how Los Angeles prevailed.

There were 31 fouls called on the Pacers in that game. The Lakers made 38 of 43 free throws. Only 14 fouls were whistled against the Lakers. The Pacers shot just 16 free throws, which were 27 fewer than the Lakers!

The Pacers are doubly mad after losing by 26 points to the Bulls on the road this past Wednesday. They are home now and rested having been idle the past two days.

The Lakers are very much in a situational disadvantage and not just because of the short revenge angle. This marks LA's third game in four days and fourth in six days. It's also the Lakers' third consecutive road game.

There's also the possibility of LeBron James not playing. He's questionable with a sore ankle.

Notice the low total here. It's justified. Houston is the top defensive team in the nation. Texas A&M also is strong defensively. The pace is going to be extremely slow. It means points are going to be hard to come by. So grabbing double-digits is the way to go especially given the line value and various edges that are in favor of the underdog Aggies.

Texas A&M has picked up its offense at the right time averaging 90.2 points in its last five games. The Aggies rank third in the nation in offensive rebounding and are a better free throw shooting team than Houston.

It takes good guards to beat Houston. Texas A&M has that. The Aggies also are healthier than the banged-up Cougars.

The two teams played each other this season. The game was played in Houston and the Cougars won, 70-66, failing to cover as a 7-point favorite. Now the game is at a neutral site and the point spread is much higher.

The Aggies have proven themselves against some elite opponents beating Tennessee, Kentucky and Iowa State. The Cougars just met Iowa State in the finals of the Big 12 Tournament championship game and lost big, 69-41.

I have tremendous respect for Creighton. The Bluejays are strong on both sides of the ball and have an elite defensive center in Ryan Kalkbrenner. But I'm going to ride Oregon's momentum. The Ducks are at their peak, have a tremendous coach, Dana Altman, and a dominant center, N'Faly Dante.

Sparked by Dante stepping up the past few weeks as he's gotten fully healthy, the Ducks won the Pac-12 tournament - beating Arizona in the semifinals - and then knocking off South Carolina by 14 points in their opening NCAA Tournament game.

This game holds special meaning for Altman, a native of Nebraska who spent 16 seasons coaching Creighton leading the Bluejays to seven NCAA Tourney appearances.

Akron couldn't handle Creighton's height and shot poorly in losing to the Bluejays in the first round. Creighton, though, is stepping up in class with Oregon.

The Bluejays have to contend not only with Dante, but Oregon's hot-shooting guards. Dante missed the start of the season, but he's averaged 19.9 points on 84.1 percent shooting from the floor during his last seven games.

Florida Atlantic was ranked as high as No. 7 this season in The Associated Press Top 25 before slipping out. The Owls were superior to Northwestern back then and they still are much the better team especially given the Wildcats' injury situation.
 
The Owls reached the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament last season before losing to San Diego State by one point on a buzzer beater. Florida Atlantic returns that experience and is in an angry mood after a stunning upset loss to Temple in the American Athletic Conference Tournament. 

Northwestern was fortunate to even be picked for the NCAA Tournament. I have Florida Atlantic ranked way ahead of the Wildcats in my power ratings. Not helping matters for Northwestern is injuries. Senior guard Ty Berry is out. He's the Wildcats' fourth leading scorer and center Matthew Nicholson is dealing with a knee injury.

Tremendous kudos for North Carolina State to win the ACC Conference Tournament as a No. 10 seed. The Wolfpack accomplished that by winning five games in five days. Great feat, but reality catches up to North Carolina State here. The NCAA Tournament committee did the Wolfpack no favors by making them play in Pittsburgh on Thursday.

Grant McCasland continued a recent Texas Tech tradition of strong coaching. The Red Raiders were riding a hot streak until running into second-ranked Houston in the Big 12 Conference Tournament semifinals.

The Big 12 may be the best conference in the country this season, while it was a down year for the ACC.

Some teams aren't happy to have to settle for playing in the NIT. Appalachian State isn't one of those teams. The Mountaineers are excited to compete and even more excited to go against a bigger name in-state school, Wake Forest, a team they have never beaten. It's a quick 80-mile trip for the Mountaineers to meet the Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem, N.C.

"Playing in the postseason is a huge deal,'' Appalachian State coach Dustin Kerns was quoted as saying. "This is another stair taken upwards in the evolution of our program. No one on our team has ever played in the NIT, so this will be a great experience for everyone."

Appalachian State has the motivation and is good enough to upset Wake Forest straight-up. The Mountaineers rank 30th defensively and fourth in defensive field goal percentage. Each team averages 78 points a game. The Mountaineers are the stronger defensive team.

The Mountaineers can contain Wake Forest's pick-and-rolls and they have elite rim protector Justin Abson, who was the NCAA's fourth-leading shot-blocker. The Mountaineers defeated James Madison, a team getting a lot of love in the NCAA Tournament, twice this season.

The Mountaineers have won 16 of their last 18 games. Wake Forest is 2-4 SU and ATS in its last six games. Appalachian State and Wake Forest last met two years ago and Wake Forest won by one point.

No Donovan Mitchell for the road Cavaliers. But that doesn't justify this high of a line.

Cleveland is better than Indiana. The Cavaliers have lost five fewer games and rank in the top-five defensively. Cleveland gives up an average of 109.6 points per game. Indiana ranks second-to-last in points allowed and defensive field goal percentage. The Pacers surrender an average of nearly 12 more points per game than the Cavaliers.

Cleveland has covered five of the last six times it has been an underdog. During their last seven games, the Cavaliers have beaten three teams with better records than Indiana - the Celtics, Timberwolves and Pelicans in New Orleans.

So I find this line out of whack.

It took a layup at the buzzer to force overtime and then a great effort in overtime for Wisconsin to upset Purdue, 76-75, in a Big Ten Conference Tournament semifinal game Saturday.

But now the Badgers go from getting past the best big man in the Big Ten in 7-foot-4 Zach Edey to perhaps the most talented player in the conference, Illinois' Terrence Shannon Jr.

The Badgers entered the Big Ten Tournament losing eight of their last 11 games. The Badgers beat Maryland and banged-up Northwestern. Their victory against Purdue was a gutty effort. However, I don't see the Badgers pulling off a second straight upset in two days with some of their energy zapped from such a physical and emotional tussle with the Boilermakers.

Illinois also is not a good matchup for Wisconsin. The team's met once this season at Wisconsin on March 2. Illinois won, 91-83. Now the teams are on a neutral court in Minneapolis.

The Illini are explosive and talented, none more than the dynamic Shannon. Illinois is going to get its points. The Illini rank 12th in the country in scoring at 83.9 points a game. The way to beat Illinois is exploit its weak 3-point defense that ranks 259th.

Wisconsin, though, is a below average 3-point shooting team. The Badgers rank 192nd in 3-point accuracy at 33.9 percent. The Illini didn't have nearly the tough time with Nebraska in their semifinal Saturday game as the Badgers did in upsetting Purdue.

I'm going to roll with Nevada, which has won 10 of its last 11 games. The Wolf Pack also won both regular-season games against Colorado State, 77-64, at home and, 77-74, on the road where they led nearly the entire game. Nevada defeated the Rams on the road minus Kenan Blackshear, its best all-around player. Blackshear is healthy now.

The Wolf Pack get a scheduling edge, too, with the Mountain West Conference Tournament being in Las Vegas.

Matchup-wise, Nevada has a size advantage in the low post with Nick Davidson and has a trio of excellent defensive guards to hound Colorado State's star point guard Isaiah Stevens.

Colorado State has been out of sync when playing Nevada due to the Wolf Pack slowing things down and playing excellent perimeter defense. The Rams were just 12-of-41 (29 percent) from 3-point range in their two games against Nevada while the Wolf Pack made 14-of-31 shots from beyond the arc for 45 percent. This isn't surprising since Nevada is a top-50 3-point shooting team while the Rams ranked second-to-last in the Mountain West in 3-point accuracy.