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⚾ Five things to know Thursday
- The Rays swept the Yankees, and the NLCS is set. Tampa Bay went into Yankee Stadium and completed its sweep of the Bronx Bombers with a 4-3 win in Game 3. Fan interference may have cost the Yankees in a critical sixth-inning sequence, and Aaron Boone faces even more pressure. In the NL, the Dodgers finished off the Braves with a 4-1 victory, and it prompts big questions about the offseason in Atlanta. Los Angeles will play the Brewers in the NLC as they held on to defeat the Padres, 3-1, in Game 4. The only divisional series still going is in the AL because the Guardians staved off elimination against the White Sox. It was a night full of winners (and losers) in the MLB postseason.
- Semifinal thrillers headlined the WNBA Playoffs. What a night in the WNBA! First, the Dream pulled out a 101-98 overtime thriller over the Liberty. Jordin Canada and Angel Reese combined for 46 points, and there was some clock controversy in the closing seconds. Out in California, the Valkyries held off the Aces as Kiah Stokes came up with a clutch block to seal the 83-81 win. Now, the last two WNBA champions face will face elimination on Friday night as they try to do what no team has ever done before -- come back from 2-0 down in a best-of-5 series.
- The Ravens acquired C Cam Jurgens from the Eagles. After losing Tyler Linderbaum in free agency, the Ravens had a clear void at center, but not anymore. Baltimore acquired Jurgens -- a two-time Pro Bowler -- from Philadelphia in exchange for a pair of draft picks. The trade makes plenty of sense for the Ravens, a team going all-in as they chase a Super Bowl. It also prompts a serious question about the Eagles: Are they about to begin a full-scale rebuild? We'll find out in the coming weeks.
- Oregon QB Dante Moore has been ruled out vs. UCLA. Despite Moore's presence at practice this week, he will not be suiting up for the Ducks when they take on the Bruins this weekend. Oregon listed Moore as out on its Wednesday availability report, which means Dylan Raiola will get his first start for the Ducks. He'll face UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who landed inside the top 40 of our latest CFB QB Power Rankings.
- Oregon men's basketball coach Dana Altman has retired. It was a newsy day in Eugene as Altman announced that he is retiring immediately, less than a month before the 2026-27 season tips off. Altman walks away from coaching just eight wins shy of 800 for his career, which begs the question, "Why now?" The usual suspects -- NIL and the transfer portal -- were certainly part of the equation, but so was the fact that Oregon's roster just isn't very good.
🏈 Do not miss this: NFL Week 5 picks
Is it just me or did the first month of the NFL season fly by quickly? Week 5 begins tonight, and our own Tyler Sullivan has his against-the-spread picks and score predictions for each game on the slate.
One of the weekend's marquee games features the NFC North rivalry between the Bears and Packers. Chicago will try to keep its strong start rolling, and Green Bay will attempt to steady the ship with a massive win.
Caleb Williams won't suit up for the Bears, but that hasn't mattered much over the last two weeks. That's because Chicago can run the ball with the best of them, and Green Bay's defense isn't exactly stout when it comes to stopping the run.
That's why Sullivan has the Bears winning and covering.
- Sullivan: "Chicago has persevered amid Caleb Williams' injury, and both Case Keenum and Tyson Bagent (who'll start on Sunday) have performed at a high level in his stead. The Bears have leaned on their running game with D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai, and the team leads the NFL with 196.3 rushing yards per game. That strength could once again be an X-factor as Green Bay is tied for the second-most rushing touchdowns (7) allowed this season."
Here are a few more of Sullivan's score predictions, but you can see them all here.
- Lions 33, Cardinals 30
- Vikings 23, Saints 20
- Texans 27, Titans 17
- Bengals 27, Dolphins 16
Still itching for more Week 5 predictions? I know you are. Pete Prisco has also logged his game-by-game picks for the weekend.
One team that absolutely needs a win in the worst way is the 0-4 Texans, and they have a great opportunity to get on the board against the 0-4 Titans. In a desperate attempt to get his defense back on track, coach DeMeco Ryans is taking control of the play-calling duties.
🏀 Eight burning questions about NBA season
The 2026-27 NBA season is less than two weeks away, and we have some questions. Well, we have eight eight of them, to be exact.
Our own John Gonzalez posed eight burning questions about the upcoming NBA season. Can the Knicks repeat? How will the LeBron James experiment work out in Philly? How soon will Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Heat become contenders?
Those are all worth pondering, but one of the more intriguing queries was about how much gas the Warriors have left in the tank. Steph Curry and Draymond Green are old. The rest of the roster is old and hurt.
- Gonzalez: "Curry is the best shooter of all time, but he played just 43 games last season -- the fewest he's managed in the last seven years -- and he'll turn 39 in March. Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody won't be ready to start the season due to injuries and it's unclear when they'll be available. Kristaps Porzingis was limited to only 32 games last season. And when training camp opened, Porzingis was listed as out indefinitely with a health issue. Al Horford is 40. Draymond Green will turn 37 in March."
The dynamic among the 76ers locker room will certainly be worth watching, and it's already been at the center of some controversy. Knicks announcer Mike Breen recently apologized for an anecdote about James calling out Joel Embiid at practice, which James refuted.
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
- Teams keep exploiting this one glaring flaw the Cowboys have on special teams.
- If the Cardinals did trade Marvin Harrison Jr., here's what they could get for the former No. 4 overall pick.
- The weather forecast for Georgia vs. Alabama isn't looking very pretty.
- Browns WR Denzel Boston is playing like a first-round pick, even if he wasn't.
- Jon Rahm just dealt a major blow to LIV Golf 2.0.
- BYU will be without star RB LJ Martin when it faces Notre Dame later this month.
- The floundering Flyers have fallen off a cliff in our NHL Power Rankings.
- Arizona and Kansas are the Big 12 teams to beat in college basketball this season.
- Napheesa Collier could land with one of these five teams if she leaves the Lynx.
- USMNT has an exciting wave of budding stars on the way.
📺 What we're watching Thursday
🏈 Sam Houston at Liberty, 7 p.m. on ESPNU
🏈 Missouri State at WKU, 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏀 NBA Preseason: Wizards at Knicks, 7:30 p.m. on NBA TV
🏈 South Florida at UTSA, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 South Alabama at Arkansas State, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2
⚾ Game 4: Guardians at White Sox, 8 p.m. on TBS
🏈 Buccaneers at Cowboys, 8:15 p.m. on Prime Video
