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🏀 Good morning to all, but especially to …
THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

You want a statement? The Thunder will give you one. Oklahoma City went into Boston and beat the Celtics, 118-112, in a potential NBA Finals matchup. (OKC also beat Boston, 105-92, back on Jan. 5.) Of course, lots will change between now and then — the Thunder didn’t have Jalen Williams or Alex Caruso, the Celtics didn’t have Kristaps Porzingis, and there are several other teams who could make the Finals (hello, East-leading Cavaliers!) — but this was a big one.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 34 points, and I was also super impressed by Chet Holmgren (23 points, 15 rebounds). The Thunder’s depth was on display, too, with Oklahoma City’s bench outscoring Boston’s 34-20.

Another big number? The Celtics attempted 63 3-pointers, tied for third-most in a game in NBA history. The Thunder have used the regular season for a lot of experimentation (and, to be fair, a lot of wins), and Sam Quinn assessed how this one worked out.

Quinn: “The Thunder could survive hotter Celtics shooting if the tradeoff at the rim proves worthwhile. In some ways it did. The Thunder outscored the Celtics by eight at the rim, and more importantly, they drew 23 more free-throw attempts. The Thunder foul a lot by design, it’s the nature of their ultra-physical defensive style, so winning the free-throw battle by that margin is notable.”
👍 Honorable mentions
The Players Championship is underway! Here are the nine players who can win.
Collin Morikawa’s caddie, JJ Stankovic, made a hole-in-one at the iconic 17th hole at Sawgrass.
The national anthem before Knicks-Trail Blazers was 22 years in the making …
… and the end of the game was just as epic (for Knicks fans).
The Bengals plan to make Ja’Marr Chase the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback.
McNeese (Southland) and Montana (Big Sky) are heading to the Men’s NCAA Tournament.
Two more automatic bids for the Women’s NCAA Tournament: San Diego State (Mountain West) needed triple overtime and Montana State (Big Sky) won on a buzzer-beater.
Kansas hit five straight home runs, tying a Division I record.
Spring Breakout, the MLB’s showcase of top prospects, begins today. Here’s who to watch.
These NFL players collected some cash via performance-based pay.
Happy retirement, Michael Pierce. We’ll always have this amazing big man interception.
🏈 And not such a good morning for …
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THE TEAMS WAITING ON AARON RODGERS’ DECISION

The new NFL year officially opened Wednesday, and with it, the Jets are moving on from Aaron Rodgers, planning to release him after two disappointing seasons. Everyone (including Brett Favre) seems to have an opinion on where he should play next.

Everyone, that is, except the one person who matters: Rodgers himself.

Reports have been all over the place — we’re keeping track of them here — but there’s one constant: The Steelers and the Giants seem to be the frontrunners. Beyond that, it’s murky. Are other teams interested? Is a decision nearing? Will he retire? Who knows!

Here’s what we do know: This can’t be fun for any team involved. Former NFL GM Doug Whaley thinks Rodgers is “holding the entire Steelers organization hostage,” and while I don’t know if it’s that dramatic, I do get where he’s coming from.

In this still-young offseason, Pittsburgh has been tied to …

Justin Fields (signed with the Jets)
Sam Darnold (signed with the Seahawks)
Russell Wilson (meeting with the Browns and Giants this week)
Rodgers
What if Rodgers doesn’t choose Pittsburgh? The Steelers have had conversations with Mason Rudolph. No, I’m not kidding. The quarterback market is thinning out rapidly. Frankly, Rudolph and similar-caliber quarterbacks are the guys available after Rodgers and Wilson.

I don’t think DK Metcalf, who just joined the Steelers and got a huge deal, would like that. I don’t think Darius Slay, who just arrived from the Super Bowl-champion Eagles and surely wants to contend, would like that. I don’t think defensive stars T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward and Minkah Fitzpatrick would like that.

This isn’t a shot at Rudolph, who is a perfectly capable backup. But the Steelers have been hamstrung by quarterback play for years — that includes Wilson last year — and somehow might be in even more dire straits now. They were a definitive “loser” in Jared Dubin’s Day 3 winners and losers.

To be honest, the Steelers signed up for this sort of frustration and uncertainty when they got into the Rodgers business. It’s getting late early.

👎 Not so honorable mentions
The Rams released Cooper Kupp after they couldn’t find a trade partner. Here are landing spots. Elsewhere, the Jets released C.J. Mosley.
Mikal Bridges asked Tom Thibodeau to play his starters fewer minutes.
Rutgers will become the first team with two top-five recruits to miss the NCAA Tournament.
Bruce Bochy probably shouldn’t have admitted this potential strategy to keep Jacob deGrom fresh.
Trinity Rodman said it’s “just a matter of when” she’ll leave the NWSL for Europe.
Tobi Lawal admitted Virginia Tech was “ass” this season in a truly all-time quote.
Virginia parted ways with interim coach Ron Sanchez.
🏈 NFL free agency Day 3 winners, losers, grades
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Even though Wednesday marked the start of the new NFL year, free agency has been going on since Monday, so things are starting to slow down. In fact, 22 of the top 25 players in Pete Prisco’s Top 100 free agents have signed.

But that doesn’t mean the action has come to a stop. Not even close. Here are some headlines from Wednesday:

The Broncos signed Evan Engram to a two-year, $23 million deal.
The Cowboys continued making moves on the edges, trading for Kaiir Elam and Kenneth Murray in separate deals and reuniting Jack Sanborn with defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.
As for former Cowboys, DeMarcus Lawrence signed with the Seahawks (3/$42M), and Rico Dowdle joined the Panthers (1/$6.25M).
Remember, we’re tracking every move here, updating team-by-team hauls here and giving out team grades here.
In his Day 3 winners and losers, Jared loves Denver’s addition.

Dubin: “Winner: Engram and the Broncos — The production from the tight end position for Denver last season was nonexistent, and now it injects a player who has 100-catch upside into the offense. This is also great for Engram as he is poised to take over a central role within Sean Payton’s offense, which he called the ‘joker.’ In the past, that’s been manned by the likes of Jimmy Graham and Jeremy Shockey. That sets up what could be a career year for the 30-year-old.”
These are the top 10 players still available.

⚽ UEFA Champions League: Real Madrid wins in dramatic, controversial fashion
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At this point, I think I’ll just write when Real Madrid loses in the UEFA Champions League. Otherwise, just assume it won. Los Blancos added yet another thrilling victory to their ledger, defeating Atlético Madrid 2-2 (4-2 on pens) to advance to the quarterfinals.

Real Madrid won the first leg 2-1, but Connor Gallagher scored just 29 seconds in Wednesday. Neither team found the net again, and we went to a shootout.
Things appeared tied 2-2 through two rounds after Julián Alvarez converted. However, video review determined Alvarez accidentally touched the ball with his plant (left) foot as he slipped before scoring with his right. That’s not allowed, and the goal was dramatically waved off. Here’s our full explainer, with help from rules expert Christina Unkel.
After makes from both sides, Jan Oblak’s save gave Atlético life. But Marcos Llorente hit the crossbar, and Antonio Rüdiger won it for Real Madrid, sneaking his attempt past Oblak.
Rüdiger earned a spot on Francesco Porzio’s Champions League Team of the Week.

There wasn’t nearly as much drama elsewhere:

Lille 1, Borussia Dortmund 2 (Dortmund win 3-1 on aggregate)
Aston Villa 3, Club Brugge 0 (Aston Villa win 6-1 on aggregate)
Arsenal 2, PSV 2 (Arsenal win 9-3 on aggregate)
That sets up these quarterfinal matchups:

Arsenal vs. Real Madrid
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Aston Villa
Barcelona vs. Borussia Dortmund
Bayern Munich vs. Inter
James Benge has five observations from the round of 16, including …

Benge: “We’ve been sleeping on Bayern — Michael Olise is a star and it perhaps shouldn’t be a surprise that at the other end Vincent Kompany has got consistently impressive performances out of Dayot Upamecano, a defense that gives up the fewest shots per game in the competition further aided by restoring Joshua Kimmich to a midfield that absolutely dominates the possession game.”
Bayern is No. 4 in Chuck Booth’s Champions League Power Rankings.

📺 What we’re watching Thursday
⛳ We’re watching The Players Championship. Here’s how.
🏀 We’re watching the men’s basketball conference tournaments: ACC | Big 12 | Big East | Big Ten | SEC
🏀 Mountain West quarterfinal: San José State vs. New Mexico (M), 3 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏀 Mountain West quarterfinal: Boise State vs. San Diego State (M), 5:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏀 Lakers at Bucks, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Mountain West quarterfinal: Nevada vs. Colorado State (M), 9 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏀 Kings at Warriors, 10 p.m. on TNT/truTV
🏀 Mountain West quarterfinal: UNLV vs. Utah State (M), 11:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network

Is it just me or does the NBA’s “silly season” seem to arrive earlier and earlier each year? It would make sense that tanking teams would start to truly throw in the towel even sooner this season due to the plethora of potentially franchise-changing talent at the top of the 2025 draft, but we used to at least get through March before seeing the likes of A.J. Lawson, Johnny Juzang and Daquan Jeffries lighting up the scoreboard.

This is just the way things are going to be until losing is no longer rewarded with a better chance at a top pick, but it’s unfortunate that it can affect the outcomes for teams that are embroiled in actual, competitive playoff races. You just have to hope that the teams in the remaining part of your schedule are less incentivized to win than those of your competition.

One team that’s plowing through any competition whatsoever is the Golden State Warriors, who are now 12-1 with Jimmy Butler in the lineup. It’s hard to recall one single player having this much effect on winning and losing this quickly, especially without going out and scoring 30 points every night. Golden State now has the league’s third-best defense and fifth-best offense since Butler’s first game and has finally cracked the top 10 in this week’s Power Rankings after consistent upward movement.

Heading in the opposite direction are the Los Angeles Lakers, who saw LeBron James go down with a groin injury and have struggled because of it. James and Luka Dončić were starting to develop some real chemistry, and that will now be delayed for as long as James will have to sit out. It affects the standings as well, because the Lakers are jam-packed toward the top of the West with the Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets. Any extended period of losing could take them from No. 2 to No. 5 real quick.

The top of the rankings remains steady, with the juggernaut Cleveland Cavaliers at the top once again, followed by the Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics. Those aforementioned Grizzlies were the week’s biggest risers, moving up three spots to No. 4.

The show that Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry and New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu put on at All-Star weekend in 2024 was unforgettable, so it seemed like a missed opportunity when there was no encore performance this year. There were rumors that Caitlin Clark and Klay Thompson could have been involved in another special 3-point contest in San Francisco, but Clark declined and, according to NBA spokesperson Mike Bass, plans for a rematch were scrapped because the league was not “able to land on a plan we thought would raise the bar.”

This does not, however, mean that 2024 was a one-time thing. Curry said in an interview on 95.7 The Game on Wednesday that he thinks it will be revisited.

“We were trying to get the ‘Me and Sabrina Part 2’ back, and it just didn’t work out,” Curry said. “I think we’ll come back to that at some point.”

It remains bewildering that the league couldn’t figure out a way to get Ionescu, who grew up in the Bay Area, and Curry, the star of the host team, to face off at this particular All-Star weekend. During his press conference in San Francisco, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said that “we just weren’t collectively feeling it” and “it just felt forced.” Maybe it will feel different leading up to next year’s All-Star weekend in Los Angeles.

The Kansas City Chiefs will be playing without running backs Isiah Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire when they face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football. Rookie Carson Steele only has nine carries through the first two games of the season, but he is in line to be the early-down back in this game. Steele has a rushing yards over/under of 45.5 in the Week 3 NFL odds, while Samaje Perine has a rushing yards total of 17.5. Should you back either of those running backs to go Over with your Chiefs vs. Falcons prop bets?

The expected lack of rushing means Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes could be in for a high-volume passing performance. His passing yards total is 269.5, which is a number he has surpassed in just two of his last eight games. Before betting any NFL props for Sunday Night Football or entering NFL predictions on sites like PrizePicks, you need to see the Falcons vs. Chiefs NFL prop predictions powered by SportsLine’s AI PickBot.

Built using cutting-edge artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques by SportsLine’s Data Science team, AI Predictions and AI Ratings are generated for each player prop. The AI predictions are determined by statistically learning from each player’s historical data and then quantitatively evaluating the strength of the opponent’s defense by assigning a numeric value out of 100 called a matchup score.

Once a prediction is formulated, the AI rating is generated using the prediction, the matchup score, and the odds of the market. Last season, the AI PickBot hit a whopping 1,674 4.5- and 5-star prop picks. Anybody who followed those picks was way up.

For Falcons vs. Chiefs NFL betting on Sunday Night Football, the AI PickBot has evaluated the NFL player prop odds and provided Chiefs vs. Falcons prop picks for every available prop market. You can only see the AI player prop predictions for Atlanta vs. Kansas City here.

Top NFL player prop bets for Falcons vs. Chiefs
After analyzing Chiefs vs. Falcons props and examining the dozens of NFL player prop markets, the AI PickBot says Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins goes over 232.5 passing yards. Cousins is coming off a fantastic performance against Philadelphia, completing 20 of 29 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns in a comeback win. He ranked seventh in yards per attempt and 12th in highly accurate throw rate last week, and he is facing a Kansas City defense that ranks in the middle of the league in most advanced statistics.

The Chiefs are also allowing the second-most passing yards per game (256.5), and Cousins went over 270 passing yards in six of his eight games last season. Kansas City will rely heavily on its passing attack, which means there will be plenty of quick drives and clock stoppages. All of this adds up to a high-volume day for Cousins, and the AI PickBot has him finishing with more than 275 passing yards on Sunday night. See more NFL props here.

How to make NFL player prop bets for Atlanta vs. Kansas City
In addition, the AI PickBot says another star sails past his total and has four more NFL props rated four stars or better. You need to see the AI PickBot’s analysis before making any Chiefs vs. Falcons prop bets for Sunday Night Football.

Late in the second quarter of their Week 3 game against the Arizona Cardinals, the Detroit Lions faced third-and-12 near midfield. It was right then that disaster seemingly struck. Jared Goff dropped back to pass, and got absolutely clobbered by an Arizona defender, popping the ball up into the air.

It landed in the waiting arms of Mack Wilson, who took it all the way back to the house.

“The key is the officials killed it, so there’s nothing we can do in replay after the fact.”@DeanBlandino talks about why they couldn’t review if the ball was snapped before the 2-minute warning pic.twitter.com/7ITYbGHBQL

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 22, 2024
Or so we thought. After Wilson made his way to the end zone, the officials informed the crowd and the broadcast crew that the two-minute warning actually hit before Detroit snapped the ball, negating the play. Except, that did not actually appear to be the case, as many, many viewers noticed.

Oh the Cardinals just got SCREWED!!

Pick 6 off pressure, officials claimed the 2 minute warning hit first.

Ball clearly snapped before it hit 2.00 pic.twitter.com/l3RcPmyac2

— Sam Monson (@SamMonsonNFL) September 22, 2024
An alternate view on the broadcast once they came back from the two-minute warning seemingly showed the clock ticking down to 2:00 just as the ball was being snapped, but considering how often the play clock hits zero and teams not getting called for delay of game, it was certainly curious to see this play blown dead and overturned.

On the ensuing third-and-12 snap, Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs took a draw 14 yards past the line to gain and picked up a first down. Three snaps later, Detroit dove into offensive coordinator Ben Johnson’s bag of tricks.

What looked like a short pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown over the middle, was anything but.

Little hook n ladder shenanigans for the score 😈#DETvsAZ | 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/EBUcoJeBn5

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) September 22, 2024
That’s right, folks. The DESIGNED hook-and-ladder play for the touchdown with St. Brown catching the ball and flipping it to Jahmyr Gibbs, who ran it in for the score! You might not see a more beautifully designed touchdown all season. The Lions certainly got lucky with the overturned pick six, but they did a great job of taking advantage once they got the ball back.

The Kansas City Chiefs will look to continue their hot start to the season when they battle the Atlanta Falcons in a key interconference matchup on Sunday Night Football. Kansas City has opened with wins over Baltimore (27-20) and Cincinnati (26-25). Atlanta, meanwhile, opened with an 18-10 loss to Pittsburgh, before rebounding to defeat Philadelphia 22-21. The Chiefs, who can claim their ninth consecutive AFC West crown, are looking to make their fifth Super Bowl appearance in the last six years. The Falcons, who last made the postseason in 2017, are looking for their first win over Kansas City since a 40-24 triumph in 2012.

Kickoff from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta is set for 8:20 p.m. ET. Kansas City is a 3-point favorite in the latest Falcons vs. Chiefs odds via SportsLine Consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 46.5. Before you make any Chiefs vs. Falcons picks or predictions, you need to see what proven SportsLine NFL expert Larry Hartstein has to say, given his mastery of picks involving the Falcons.

A former lead writer for Covers and The Linemakers, Hartstein combines a vast network of Vegas sources with an analytical approach he honed while working for Pro Football Focus. Hartstein tied for 52nd place (out of 1,598 entries) in the 2022 Westgate Las Vegas SuperContest, going 53-34-3 ATS. Larry’s weekly Vegas contest selections form the basis of his NFL best bets column, which is 79-48-2 (62.2%, +25.95 units) since its inception in 2022. Entering the 2024 season, Hartstein is 739-599 all-time on NFL sides and props (plus $4,860 for $100 players, every bet 1 unit) at SportsLine, including 547-452 ATS (55% long-term).

In addition, Hartstein has gone an incredible 49-23-2 on his last 74 NFL picks involving the Falcons, returning $2,155. Anyone who has followed him is way up.

Now, Hartstein has locked in on Chiefs vs. Falcons from every angle and just locked in his picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several NFL odds on the spread, over/under and money line for NFL betting on Falcons vs. Chiefs:

Falcons vs. Chiefs spread: Kansas City -3
Falcons vs. Chiefs over/under: 46.5 points
Falcons vs. Chiefs money line: Kansas City -169, Atlanta +142
KC: Chiefs have hit the fourth-quarter game total under in 17 of their last 19 games (+14.75 units)
ATL: Falcons have hit the third-quarter total under in five of their last seven games at home (+2.25 units)
Falcons vs. Chiefs picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Chiefs can cover
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes can set a couple of marks against Atlanta. He has 76 wins in 98 career starts, tied with Tom Brady and Hall of Famer Roger Staubach for most wins ever by a quarterback in his first 100 starts. He also has 222 career TD passes, tied with Aaron Rodgers for most-ever in his first 100 starts. For the year, Mahomes has been solid. He has completed 38 of 53 pass attempts (71.7%) for 442 yards and three touchdowns.

Tight end Travis Kelce, who has been relatively quiet so far this season, has four receptions for 39 yards, including one explosive play of 23 yards. In the opener against Baltimore, he caught three passes for 34 yards. Kelce has been a weapon throughout his career. In 160 regular-season games, he has 911 receptions for 11,367 yards (12.5 average) and 74 touchdowns. See which team to back here.

Why the Falcons can cover
Thirteen-year veteran Kirk Cousins is coming off a brilliant Monday Night Football performance. In the win over the Eagles, he drove Atlanta 70 yards in less than two minutes as the Falcons pulled out the improbable win. He completed 20 of 29 passes (69%) for 241 yards and two touchdowns in the game. For the year, he has completed 36 of 55 attempts (65.5%) for 396 yards and three touchdowns. He has been intercepted twice and has a rating of 89.7.

Wide receiver Darnell Mooney continues to be explosive. He has four receptions for 103 yards (25.8 average) and one touchdown. He has three receptions of 20 yards or longer, including a 41-yarder. He has 37 yards after the catch and has converted four first downs. The former Chicago Bear is in his fifth year in the NFL and has played in 62 games, making 217 receptions for 2,696 yards (12.4 average) and 12 touchdowns. See which team to pick here.

How to make Falcons vs. Chiefs picks
Hatstein has analyzed Chiefs vs. Falcons from every possible angle and while we can tell you he’s leaning Under the point total, he has also discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He’s sharing what it is, and which side to back, only at SportsLine.