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There are five games on the NBA schedule on Thursday, which means plenty of NBA player props to choose from. Lakers vs. Bucks is a matchup between two potential title contenders, but LeBron James (groin) is out and Luka Doncic (ankle) is questionable for Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo (groin) and Damian Lillard (calf) are probable for Milwaukee. The injuries create opportunities to try your hand against oddsmakers with players who are stepping into larger roles.

The latest NBA odds from FanDuel SportsBook list Austin Reaves’ over/under for combined points and assists at 29.5. Kyle Kuzma is +490 to record a double-double, so is that a value for your NBA prop picks given the latest NBA injury report? The SportsLine Projection model can help you identify value in the NBA prop odds to build a slate of NBA prop picks that can get you in the game on Thursday.

SportsLine’s proven model, which has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons, has simulated every NBA game 10,000 times and revealed a projected over/under for each player in each matchup. Here are some of its favorite picks.

Alex Sarr over 11.5 points (-115 Bet365)
The Wizards are very clearly in the tank for Cooper Flagg in the 2025 NBA Draft, but developing younger players is also a priority and Sarr has already come a long way this season. The No. 2 overall pick in last year’s draft is averaging 13.7 points per game since the NBA all-star break and he’s averaging 14.0 shots per game in that span after averaging 11.0 during the first half of the season. The model acknowledges that he isn’t shooting the ball particularly well right now but predicts that he uses volume to hit the Over here, which you can get for -115 at Bet365.

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Nikola Vucevic double-double (+140 Bet365)
The Bulls are on a three-game winning streak and likely bound for the NBA play-in tournament with a 4.5-game cushion over the Raptors for 10th in the East, and Vucevic is having his best season in Chicago with the franchise in a state of flux. He’s averaging 19.0 points and 10.3 rebounds per game while piling up 37 double-doubles in 56 games. That makes the plus-money alluring here, and Bet365 is offering the best price at +140.

Dorian Finney-Smith over 7.5 points (-130 DraftKings)
The nine-year NBA veteran landed with the Lakers as part of the D’Angelo Russell trade and he’s moved into the starting lineup more often than not over the last two months. The stretch four is taking more than three-quarters of his shots from beyond the arc and he’s gone over 7.5 points in three of his last four games entering Thursday night. With Jaxson Hayes out against the Bucks, the model expect Finney-Smith to be even more active than usual tonight and it’s laying the juice (-130 at DraftKings SportsBook) to play this over.

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CJ McCollum over 25.5 combined points, rebounds and assists (-110 Hard Rock)
The frontcourt in New Orleans is thinned and that likely means a heavy dose of McCollum usage as the Pelicans take on the Magic on Thursday night. The veteran guard is averaging 21.4 points, 3.9 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game (29.0 PAR) and he cruised past this number on Tuesday night with 23 points, seven assists and three rebounds against the Clippers. He averages 30.5 PAR at home this year and has hit at least 26 on this line in 29 of his 50 games overall.

Want more NBA picks for tonight?
You’ve seen the model’s NBA prop picks for the most popular props on Thursday. Now, get NBA projections for every player prop at SportsLine.

If there’s one thing we know about a Tom Thibodeau-coached team it’s that he’s going to play his starters a ton of minutes. He’s been known to run with short rotations, relying heavily upon his starters to the point where there tends to be criticism about overworking his stars. It’s been a storyline this season, as three Knicks players rank in the top 10 in minutes played per game, with Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges occupying the top two spots on that list, respectively.

You could argue that if it’s not broken, don’t fix it, as the Knicks had a 41-23 record and sat third in the Eastern Conference entering play Wednesday, but Bridges has talked to Thibodeau about playing the starters fewer minutes.

“Sometimes it’s not fun on the body,” Bridges said via the New York Post. “You’ll want that as a coach but also talked to him a little bit knowing that we’ve got a good enough team where our bench guys can come in and we don’t need to play 48 [minutes], 47.”

Bridges and Hart are both averaging nearly 38 minutes a game, with Bridges leading the league in total minutes at 2,420 for the season.

“We’ve got a lot of good guys on this team that can take away minutes,” Bridges said. “Which helps the defense, helps the offense, helps tired bodies being out there and giving up all these points. It helps just keeping fresh bodies out there.”

No immediate changes were made Wednesday, as Bridges played 40 minutes in an overtime win against the Blazers. He was still fresh enough to hit the game-winning 3-pointer, too. Further more, Bridges and Thibodeau had a “productive” meeting before the win and after his comments were made public, per SNY.

Bridges has been an ironman of sorts, having never missed a single regular-season game over his seven-year career. He currently holds the league’s longest active streak of consecutive games played, an impressive feat given how instrumental he’s been on both sides of the ball throughout his career. He’s practically been the spokesperson for durability in the NBA, so when he makes a point to talk to Thibodeau about scaling back minutes, it’s worth listening.

“I think he’s not arguing about it. Sometimes I think he just gets in his ways and he gets locked in. He just wants to keep the guy out there,” Bridges said. “Sometimes you’ve got to tell him, like Landry [Shamet], for example or somebody, keep him out there, they’re playing well.”

We’ll see if Thibodeau takes Bridges’ words to heart, especially as the postseason nears. The last thing the Knicks need is guys entering the playoffs run down due to the number of minutes they’re playing, especially with Jalen Brunson already sidelined with an ankle injury. We saw how injuries wrecked the Knicks in the playoffs last season, as OG Anunoby and Josh Hart missed time due to various ailments.

Jalen Brunson injury: What is the Knicks’ short-term outlook without their star point guard?
Jack Maloney
Jalen Brunson injury: What is the Knicks’ short-term outlook without their star point guard?
You can’t draw a direct line from the number of minutes played to injuries, but at this point in the season, with a month left before the playoffs, it may be smart of Thibodeau to ease off the gas to allow guys like Bridges and Hart to rest up before what the Knicks hope to make a deep postseason run.

The Chicago Bulls will host the Brooklyn Nets for an Eastern Conference showdown on Thursday in the NBA. The Bulls are currently 10th in the East standings with a 27-38 record, while Brooklyn is 13th at 22-43 after losses in eight of its last nine games. The Nets have won and covered the spread in four of their last five head-to-head meetings with the Bulls, but Chicago is 8-2 against the number over its last 10 games.

Tipoff on Thursday night is at at 8 p.m. ET at the United Center in Chicago. The Bulls are favored by 1.5 points in the latest Bulls vs. Nets odds, per SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 230 points, an increase from opening at 226. Chicago is at -129 on the money line (risk $129 to win $100), with Brooklyn at +109 (risk $100 to win $109). Before entering any Nets vs. Bulls picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons. The model enters Week 21 of the 2024-25 NBA season on a sizzling 148-107 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning nearly $4,000. It’s also an outstanding 19-10 (65%) on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.

The model has set its sights on Chicago vs. Brooklyn. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Nets vs. Bulls:

Bulls vs. Nets spread: Chicago -1.5
Bulls vs. Nets over/under: 230 points
Bulls vs. Nets money line: Chicago -129, Brooklyn +109
Bulls vs. Nets picks: See picks at SportsLine
Bulls vs. Nets streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why the Bulls can cover
Chicago is on a three-game winning streak that has given the franchise a 4.5-game lead over the Raptors for the final spot in the NBA play-in tournament. The Bulls are coming off a dominant 121-103 win over the Pacers where they held Indiana to 39.6% shooting from the floor.

Josh Giddey and Coby White both had 29 points in the victory, and Nikola Vucevic recorded his 37th double-double of the season while coming off the bench with 11 points and 11 rebounds. The Bulls have covered the spread in four of their last five home games and are 6-2 against the number in their last eight games against Eastern Conference opponents. See which team to back at SportsLine.

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Why the Nets can cover
Meanwhile, the Nets suffered a 109-104 loss to the Cavaliers on Tuesday but did cover comfortably as 14.5-point underdogs against the best team in the conference. Brooklyn has now covered the spread in three of its last four games and is also 5-1 against the spread in its last six games played on a Thursday.

Cam Thomas led the Nets with 27 points in the loss to Cleveland, and Cameron Johnson added 17 points, five rebounds and five assists. These two franchises have split their two previous matchups this season both straight up and against the spread but haven’t played yet in this calendar year. Brooklyn could get a bit of a break tonight as Chicago may be without two key players in Lonzo Ball (wrist) and Giddey (ankle), both of whom are listed as doubtful. See which team to back at SportsLine.

How to make Bulls vs. Nets picks
The model has simulated Brooklyn vs. Chicago 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, projecting 224 combined points. It’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in over 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Bulls vs. Nets on Thursday, and which side of the spread hits in over 60% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Nets vs. Bulls spread to back, all from the model that has returned well over $10,000 on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.

Where to bet on NBA games
Here are some of the sportsbooks to bet on NBA games today, along with the various NBA sportsbook promos they currently offer.

It might not seem like it considering their embarrassing first-round exit (a 4-0 sweep to the Timberwolves), but the easiest historical comparison for the 2023-24 Phoenix Suns, by far, would be the 2010-11 Miami Heat. Just consider the surface-level similarities:

Both teams united three All-Stars in a very short span of time that had seemingly overlapping skill sets. This much was obvious where Phoenix was concerned, but it has largely been forgotten just how questionable the fit of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh looked on paper. All three ranked between 13th and 18th in mid-range shots per game in the season prior to uniting, and for their careers to that point, all three shot below 33% on 3-pointers.
Both teams were so committed to the idea of a star trio that they were willing to build their entire balance sheet around it. The 2010-11 Heat were only able to pay three players aside from James, Wade and Bosh a salary above the minimum (Mike Miller, Joel Anthony and Udonis Haslem). The Suns also entered the season with three players earning between a minimum and a maximum contract in Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen and Nassir Little, and they managed to cobble together enough minimum money to get a fourth (Royce O’Neale) at the deadline.
Both teams exhausted their asset bases to put these teams together. The Suns traded Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and control over five first-round picks to Brooklyn for Kevin Durant along with four first-round swaps to Washington for Bradley Beal. The Heat gave up two first-round picks apiece for James and Bosh in sign-and-trades that were necessary for salary structure, and they needed to trade all of their players except for Anthony to clear the cap space needed to add them in the first place.
Both star trios were built around one former MVP (James for Miami, Durant for Phoenix), one hometown player who had led that team to the Finals (Wade for Miami, Devin Booker for Phoenix) and one All-Star who had spent his career to that point playing for bad teams (Bosh for Miami, Beal for Phoenix).
Neither star trio featured a traditional, rim-protecting big man. While both included plenty of ball-handling, neither had a traditional point guard either.
You could argue about some of the finer points here. Miami’s trio had fewer age concerns, more of a defensive track record and was probably considered a shade more talented at the time, but the basic philosophy that guided both organizations to their superteams was the same. On a fundamental level, it was an attempt to out-talent the rest of the NBA.

That was an achievable goal in 2010. Super-teams didn’t fully exist as a concept yet outside of Boston, whose three best players were all in their mid-30s. The league wasn’t nearly as deep, and it wasn’t as smart, either. The 2011 Rockets had a top-five offense with Kevin Martin as their leading scorer because they were one of the few teams to optimize their shot-selection. Miami’s fourth-leading scorer on the way to the 2011 Finals was Mario Chalmers at 7.8 points per game.

That number only looks crazier when you remember that the 2023 champion Nuggets had six players average double figures in the postseason. The Suns tried a 13-year-old trick in an older, wiser league. Miami’s investment in three stars was unprecedented at the time.

Today, you could argue that one-third of the league is as all-in as the Suns are. Heck, every team in Phoenix’s division has tried the super-team gambit in the last few years except for Sacramento. There are teams today like Boston that practically have entire lineups filled with All-Star-caliber players, and theirs were much more thoughtfully united with skill-set diversity in mind.

The league’s collective basketball IQ is lightyears ahead of where it was in 2011. Phoenix has one of the most talented offensive trios in NBA history. Its offense barely snuck into the top 10 because the Suns ranked second in the NBA in mid-range shot attempts, but 24th in 3-point attempts and 28th in restricted area attempts. As valuable as contested mid-range shot-making is late in games, we now know offenses fare far better when they avoid tough shots most of the time rather than make them. The modern NBA is simply too smart and too deep to be out-talented by three players who all do the same things.

In the end, the league was good enough even in 2011 to prevent itself from being dominated by three players alone. The Heat lost the 2011 Finals to the Mavericks. And that is where our two prospective super-teams fully diverge. The NBA of 2011 was designed to allow super-teams to improve and slowly accumulate depth over time. The Heat used the mid-level exception to sign Shane Battier, a starter on their two subsequent championship teams, in the summer of 2011. They followed that up by using their 2012 mid-level exception on Ray Allen, who went on to make arguably the biggest shot in Finals history. They included cash in their 2011 draft night trade for Norris Cole.

These aren’t tools that will be available to the Suns moving forward. The NBA’s new second luxury tax apron prohibits teams in Phoenix’s salary range from using a mid-level exception. They cannot include cash in trades, and trade rules in general become enormously restrictive. Moving forward, the Suns won’t be able to aggregate salaries in trades. They will have to send out at least as much money as they take in. They’ll even have to worry about future first-round picks getting frozen at the end of the first round if they stay in this salary range long enough.

The league learned from the super-team model that the Heat started, and now, the CBA specifically aims to make it harder for such teams to add or retain depth. While the Suns can use Bird Rights to retain their own players, it is worth noting that the luxury tax, especially at the repeater level, is about to get significantly more punitive on a purely financial level for teams that go deeper into it like the Suns have. Even keeping this version of their roster together is going to cost a small fortune.

Phoenix will have presumably late first-round picks (due not to their success but their incessant swapping) in even-numbered years moving forward, including No. 20 in this year’s weak class. Otherwise? Their only real avenue to adding talent will be minimum contracts. If that were a reliable way to build a supporting cast, well, the Suns wouldn’t be in this mess.

Every offseason features a few minimum-salary home runs. Kelly Oubre and Derrick Jones Jr. stand out from 2023 free agency. But most minimum signings turn out as Phoenix’s did to be low-end rotation players, if they can contribute at all. You’re going to hear quite a bit in the next few months about how the Suns need a true point guard and a defensive anchor to turn this around for next year. Short of breaking up their big three, they have no way of actually getting those players.

And that’s the dilemma facing the Suns right now. This super-team they’ve assembled doesn’t work. It’s never going to work. The league simply isn’t designed for it to work in the ways that it might have a decade earlier. Yet, there’s no real alternative here.

A second Beal trade seems unlikely. He’s about to turn 31, he has three years of super max money left on his deal, he comes with a number of injury concerns and also has a no-trade clause. Even if the Suns could move him, it’s hard to imagine them doing so for the kinds of players they need right now.

Durant would fetch more in a trade to be sure, but his size alone makes him the most important star to be kept in a possible two-star approach. His value today likely isn’t close to what it was in February, 2023, either. He will turn 36 before opening night of next season and has an even scarier injury history than Beal. He’s getting to the rim far less than he did at his peak. His 2022 and 2023 postseasons were relative disappointments, as his efficiency dipped significantly in both.

Durant improved slightly against Minnesota, but he is no longer creating good team offense for teammates out of thin air as he did in 2021. He’s still an All-NBA Player. His shooting suggests he still will be next year at least, provided he stays healthy. But any team acquiring him would need to believe itself ready to compete for a championship right now. How many such teams, with the assets it would take to make the Suns a contender as well, even exist? Maybe the Knicks?

And then there’s Booker. Players as good as he is and as young as he is do not get traded unless they ask to be. If winning is his sole goal, it’s not hard to imagine Booker looking at Phoenix’s desolate future and pulling the trigger now. But in the likelier event that he’s satisfied, there just isn’t isn’t a win-now package out there big enough to put a winner around the Beal-Durant duo in Booker’s absence. Heck, given the injury risks those two pose, Booker might be a necessity as a floor-raising regular-season player alone.

The nuclear option for most teams in Phoenix’s situation is a true blow up. Doing so when you don’t control your own picks, as Phoenix won’t for the rest of the decade, is an incredibly scary proposition. Sure, the Suns could get picks back for Durant and Booker… but those teams would have Durant and Booker, which would probably prevent the picks they send back from becoming all that valuable.

Even the distant future picks that actually might amount to anything of note leave you in purgatory while you wait. Imagine being the current Brooklyn Nets… only without Mikal Bridges or a glamour market with which to attract more stars. That’s probably the likeliest outcome for a Suns team that blows it up. Even if they get it right, half a decade of irrelevance is on the table while the pick up the pieces of this failed roster.

If this all sounds grim… well… yeah. It should. This is bleak. It is one of the bleakest sets of circumstances facing any team in the NBA right now. It’s only going to get bleaker. Just look at the bottom of the Western Conference this season. The Memphis Grizzlies are younger, better and more thoughtfully constructed than the Suns are. If they are healthy and whole next season, they’re passing Phoenix. Houston’s young roster finished eight games below the Suns, and the Rockets could easily make a significant trade this offseason if they so choose. In that case, the Rockets might leap the Suns as well. If the Spurs choose to go all-in? Well… you’ve seen Victor Wembanyama. If he isn’t already good enough to take a team into the playoffs by himself, he soon will be.

There just isn’t a good answer here. There’s no an obvious pivot or strategic approach that can fix this for the Suns. They misunderstood where the league was when they traded for Beal and they misunderstood where it was going when they traded for Durant. Sure, it’s possible that they nail minimum-salary free agency this summer. Maybe they unearth their undrafted equivalent to Austin Reaves or Naz Reid this summer, or someone makes an unexpected deal for the meager assets the Suns have left.

But the most likely outcome here is that the Suns were simply wrong. They built a team for an era that has ended and now they’re doomed to ride this one out as a fringe contender before eventually collapsing without reaching the height that the Heat did when they tried this 14 years ago. Pat Riley understood the league he was competing in. Mat Ishbia didn’t.

Looking for more NBA coverage? John Gonzalez, Bill Reiter, Ashley Nicole Moss and special guests dive deep into the league’s biggest storylines daily on the Beyond the Arc podcast.

Anthony Edwards stood at halfcourt with an ear-to-ear grin that would make the Cheshire Cat jealous. He crossed his arms, thrust his hips forward and commenced with the universal sign of disrespect popularized by WWE’s D-Generation X and jovially ushered into the NBA realm by Joel Embiid.

The beaming, jubilant Edwards aimed his bold gesticulation toward the Phoenix Suns and their crowd, as his Minnesota Timberwolves prepared to take an insurmountable 3-0 lead in their opening-round series.

Anthony Edwards hit the DX celly on the Suns 😅 pic.twitter.com/jR5wQw5MWD

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 27, 2024
With the symbol and its accompanying lewd, two-word epithet, Edwards might as well have been putting an entire generation of NBA legends on notice, warning them that the unstoppable wave of talent they all knew was coming — the changing of the guard that would eventually knock them off their pedestals — was officially here, brandishing its unwavering sentiment of youthful invincibility.

Even one of the targets of the spectacle, Kevin Durant, couldn’t tisk-tisk Edwards’ behavior. How could he? He was once himself an up-and-coming prodigy, unafraid of the aging stars whom he would one day supplant.

“You win the game, you do whatever you want,” Durant said.

The response is as simple as it is prophetic, as the 35-year-old Durant — ever the student of basketball and its history — must increasingly feel the crushing weight of basketball mortality pressing upon him and his contemporaries. This postseason has made it impossible to ignore.

Kevin Durant? Swept in the first round as a six-seed.

LeBron James? On the verge of a first-round exit as a seven-seed.

Stephen Curry? Eliminated in the Play-In Tournament as a 10-seed.

Meanwhile, the youth movement is thriving, starting with Edwards in all his charismatic bravado. The top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, led by 25-year-old MVP finalist Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, became the first team in NBA history to have all of their points scored by players age 25 or younger in a playoff game. Another 25-year-old MVP finalist, Luka Doncic, helms what was the hottest team in the Western Conference entering the postseason.

Moving to the East, exuberant Indiana Pacers engine Tyrese Haliburton just turned 24 and already had his “I’m here” playoff moment with a game-winning floater. Second-year Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero, barely above legal drinking age, is already taking on the superstar burden in the postseason, performing feats only previously accomplished by The King himself. And then there’s Jayson Tatum, who seems like a wily veteran due to his playoff experience, but is marching a historically great Boston Celtics team toward a championship at the ripe age of 26.

Nikola Jokic, reigning owner of the “best player in the world” moniker, along with his chief competition — Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo — straddle the two generations.

Rest assured, the intent here is not to disparage the stars who brought the NBA to where it is today. The fact that James, Curry and Durant — the heliophysical marvels who vacuumed in the entire basketball universe for the better part of the past two decades — have continued to play at All-NBA levels at this stage of their careers is a testament to their talent, work ethic and limitless competitive vigor. The sunset of their careers has been as enjoyable as their first acts, even if their mere presence is no longer sufficient to produce a championship contender.

During this postseason, the sunrise of the league’s youth movement has clearly reached midday, relentlessly lasering its rays down upon the old guard until they’re eventually brought to submission.

The transition, however, isn’t necessarily a hostile takeover. While players like James, Curry and Durant desperately value winning and the mastery of their craft, there’s a genuine respect for the young Padawans following in their gargantuan footsteps.

“You see Luka, [Edwards], Shai, guys that are really coming into their prime and are highly decorated already as All-Stars and All-NBA guys,” Curry said during February’s All-Star Weekend. “The league is in pretty good hands when it comes to young talent that gets it and understands the magnitude of the platform we all have and will respect it as they come into their own.”

As Shakespeare wrote in The Merchant of Venice, “With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come.” It’s about time for the LeBron-era superstars to start embracing that sentiment, if they haven’t already, because their time for winning titles — at least as the unquestioned alpha — appears to have come to an ignominious end during their latest postseason run.

James’ desire to play with his son, Bronny, could provide the motivation to keep playing, knowing that his four championships and list of accolades that could fill Grand Lake St. Marys have cemented his place as one of the best — if not the best — to ever play the game. Curry has already hinted at a run at a PGA Tour card following his retirement from the NBA. Durant, given his penchant for unfiltered fan interaction, could probably start a social media content empire tomorrow if he wanted to.

No matter how it finally ends, we should all offer our gratitude for a generation of superstars who elevated the game through their rivalry, resilience and rarity.

“I’m on the other side, obviously, of the hill, so I’m not gonna play another 21 years. That’s for damn sure.” James said in late March. “I don’t know when that door will close as far as when I’ll retire. But I don’t have much time left.”

Looking for more NBA coverage? John Gonzalez, Bill Reiter, Ashley Nicole Moss and special guests dive deep into the league’s biggest storylines daily on the Beyond the Arc podcast.

Now that the 2024 NBA postseason has begun, the basketball betting market is hotter than ever. CBS Sports will be providing daily picks for the duration of the postseason. Sam Quinn will make at least one pick for every game between now and the NBA Finals.

Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics
Derrick White has been one of Boston’s most reliable sources of offense in this series. He’s hit the over on this line in all three games, he’s shot 50% or better from the field in all three games, and the matchups favor him quite a bit, as Miami’s starting lineup has to be offense-centric with Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier injured. Boston’s shooting draws Bam Adebayo away from the rim, and that makes navigating the court for a smaller guard like White far less treacherous. Expect him to keep up his strong series in Game 4. The Pick: White Over 12.5 Points

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Brandon Ingram has gone under this points line in all three of his games against the Thunder, and it’s not hard to tell why. Nobody wants to spend 48 minutes in the Dorture Chamber, but the fact that Ingram only recently came back from a knee injury makes the matchup with Oklahoma City’s star defender even more difficult. Ingram isn’t playing nearly aggressively enough as a result, averaging under 14 shot attempts per game, and while he earned eight free throws in Game 2, he has combined for just five attempts in the other games. This isn’t his series. The Pick: Ingram Under 21.5 Points

Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Lakers
This series almost feels like a spiritual successor to the 2017 NBA Finals. LeBron James facing off with a familiar foe that clearly has a superior roster. That team takes the first two games at home. James fights back and makes things a bit closer at home, and manages to win Game 4 at home to stave off a sweep. But once that series shifted back to Oakland, the Warriors took care of business. Even with Jamal Murray questionable, it’s hard to imagine the Nuggets messing around in their home building. The last place they want to be is in Los Angeles for a Game 6, and then, in the absolute nightmare scenario, a winner-take-all matchup against James in Game 7 (which he hasn’t lost since 2008). No, expect the Nuggets to go all-out from the start and assert themselves as defending champions in this one. The Pick: Nuggets -7.5

Looking for more NBA coverage? John Gonzalez, Bill Reiter, Ashley Nicole Moss and special guests dive deep into the league’s biggest storylines daily on the Beyond the Arc podcast.

The 2024 NCAA Tournament officially got its start on Tuesday in Dayton, Ohio, with two First Four games. There are two more First Four games on Wednesday. The first games each day will tip off at 6:40 p.m. ET with all four showdowns on truTV and March Madness Live.

No. 16 seeds Grambling and Montana State will meet first, with the winner facing No. 1 seed Purdue in the Midwest Region. The next game will see No. 10 seeds Colorado and Boise State battling their way into the main bracket. The winner advances into the first round to face No. 7 seed Florida on Friday.

The First Four has been a mixed bag over the years, but generally the games serve as a perfectly tasty appetizer to the main course that is the first round of March Madness, which begins Thursday at noon.

Let’s take a look at each of the First Four games along with who our experts are predicting will not only advance to the first round but potentially cover the spread.

Odds via SportsLine consensus | All times Eastern

(10) Colorado vs. (10) Boise State
Wednesday, 9:10 p.m. | truTV, March Madness Live: Few teams enter the NCAA Tournament with better vibes and renewed optimism as Colorado, which has won seven of its last eight games thanks to finally landing on the right side of some injury luck. Coach Tad Boyle has a talented squad stacked with future NBA talent playing with a lot of confidence going into March Madness. Pick: Colorado -2.5

(16) Grambling State vs. (16) Montana State
Wednesday, 6:40 pm. | truTV, March Madness Live: Grambling State is dancing for the first time in school history after taking down the SWAC regular-season and tournament titles. The Tigers are 18-4 since a 2-10 start, and they are led by two standout guards in Kintavious Dozier and Tra’Michael Moton, who I think have the goods to at least keep this one within the number. Pick: Grambling State +4

Get every pick, every play, every upset and fill out your bracket with our help! Visit SportsLine now to see which teams will make and break your bracket, and see who will cut down the nets,

all from the model that beat over 92% of CBS Sports brackets players three of the last five years.

The Boise State Broncos (22-10) and Colorado Buffaloes (24-10) meet in the 2024 First Four on Wednesday. The winner of the game will be the No. 10 seed in the South Region and take on the No. 7 seed Florida Gators in the first round on Friday. The Buffs went on an eight-game winning streak to close out the regular season and bolster their NCAA Tournament resume before losing to Oregon in the Pac-12 Tournament title game. The Broncos finished the regular season in a tie for second place in the Mountain West, but lost to New Mexico in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. Boise State is making its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance under head coach Leon Rice, while CU will be making its sixth appearance under Tad Boyle.

Tipoff from UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio is scheduled for 9:10 p.m. ET. The Buffs are 3.5-point favorites in the latest Boise State vs. Colorado odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 143.5. Before making any Colorado vs. Boise State picks, be sure to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Jimmie Kaylor.

Kaylor is a betting and DFS expert for SportsLine, who has covered college sports and the NFL for close to a decade as a member of the Pro Football Writers of America. His background as a former high level athlete — he was a Division-I All-American and professional athlete — gives him a unique perspective when building his fantasy lineups and locking in his betting picks. He has his finger on the pulse of the college basketball landscape and has been cashing in big for SportsLine members for the last two years.

Kaylor enters the 2024 NCAA Tournament on a 19-9 run on his college basketball picks for SportsLine. He is up 10.1 units, returning a profit of $1,010 for $100 bettors. In Tuesday’s First Four matchup between Virginia and Colorado State, Kaylor went 3-1, returning a profit of $190 for $100 bettors and running his overall streak to 22-10. Anyone who has followed his picks this season is way up.

Now, the Kaylor has his sights on Boise State vs. Colorado in the First Four 2024 and just locked in his picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Colorado vs. Boise State:

Colorado vs. Boise State point spread: Colorado -3.5
Colorado vs. Boise State over/under total points: 143.5
Colorado vs. Boise State money line: Colorado -179, Boise State +149
CU: KJ Simpson leads the Buffs in scoring at 19.6 points per game.
BSU: The Broncos rank 18th in the country in strength of schedule.
Colorado vs. Boise State picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Colorado can cover
Colorado is athletic and has the potential to be one of the most explosive offensive teams in the March Madness field. Tad Boyle’s team averages 79.3 points per game, with five players averaging 10.2 or more points per game. The trio of KJ Simpson, Tristan da Silva, and Cody Williams will give opposing teams fits, and center Eddie Lampkin Jr. is an imposing presence on the inside.

Simpson, a 6-foot-2 junior, leads the team in scoring (19.6 ppg) and assists (4.9) to go with 5.7 rebounds per game. Williams, a 6-foot-8 wing and future NBA lottery pick, is back from an ankle injury that slowed him down during the Pac-12 Tournament and averages 12.6 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. Da Silva averages 15.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game for the Buffs. All three players will likely be on NBA rosters in the future. See which team to pick at SportsLine.

Why Boise State can cover
Boise State is another Mountain West team that feels like it was disrespected by the Selection Committee. The Broncos put together an impressive regular season resume en route to earning their third straight NCAA Tournament bid. Leon Rice’s team finished in a tie for second place in the Mountain West during the regular season, before being upset by eventual champion New Mexico in the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament.

The Broncos enter March Madness ranked 26th in the country in NET after played the 18th-most difficult schedule in college basketball. BSU has four players averaging 12.5 points or more per game, and it is one of the most efficient offensive teams in the March Madness field. Forwards O’Mar Stanley (13.0 points, 6.4 rebounds) and Tyson Degenhart (17.0 points, 6.2 rebounds) lead the way for the Broncos. See which team to pick at SportsLine.

How to make Boise State vs. Colorado picks
Kaylor has analyzed Boise State vs. Colorado from every angle and he’s leaning Over on the point total. He has also discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He’s only sharing what it is, and which side to back, at SportsLine.

I never fill out my bracket until the First Four is over. After all, First Four teams have a well-established propensity to go further than just one game, and this year’s bunch — especially the No. 10 seeds from the Centennial State, Colorado and Colorado State — could add to that.

That also gives me more time to research and distance myself from championship week. That’s the upside. The downside is it gives me more time to fret. What am I missing? What am I looking into too much?

What am I doing?

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But eventually Thursday comes, and my bracket is due. So I boil it down to one sentence for every matchup. It’s part adages I believe in (great, experienced guard play and NBA talent are requisites), part research and part “I need to get this done.” So here’s the result: 63 picks, 63 sentences and too many reasons to worry (and be excited) to count.

First round
East
No. 1 UConn over No. 16 Stetson: The Hatters’ first NCAA Tournament trip is a short one as UConn just has too many options.
No. 8 Florida Atlantic over No. 9 Northwestern: If Northwestern was healthy, I’d take the Wildcats, but Florida Atlantic wins a high-scoring one with Johnell Davis and Boo Buie going back and forth.
No. 5 San Diego State over No. 12 UAB: Jaedon LeDee is the best player on the court.
No. 4 Auburn over No. 13 Yale: The Tigers’ depth, athleticism and length overwhelms the Bulldogs.
No. 6 BYU over No. 11 Duquesne: The Cougars are third in 3-pointers made this season.
No. 3 Illinois over No. 14 Morehead State: Behind Terrence Shannon Jr. and Marcus Domask, the Illini are the first Big Ten Tournament champion to make the second round since 2021.
No. 10 Drake over No. 7 Washington State: Darien and Tucker DeVries are the latest father-son duo to lead an upset.
No. 2 Iowa State over No. 15 South Dakota State: The Cyclones flex their defensive muscle.
South
No. 1 Houston over No. 16 Longwood: The Cougars bounce back from a rough Big 12 Tournament title game loss.
No. 9 Texas A&M over No. 8 Nebraska: The Aggies’ massive advantage on the boards proves the difference.
No. 12 James Madison over No. 5 Wisconsin: The Dukes are experienced and explosive, and they defend the 3-pointer exceptionally well.
No. 4 Duke over No. 13 Vermont: Jon Scheyer’s club should be well-rested and refocused after losing its ACC Tournament opener.
No. 6 Texas Tech over No. 11 NC State: The Wolfpack are a popular upset pick, but Pop Isaacs leads a Red Raiders team with five double-digit scorers.
No. 3 Kentucky over No. 14 Oakland: Greg Kampe and the Golden Grizzlies are one of the great stories in this tournament, but Kentucky has too much offense.
No. 7 Florida over No. 10 Colorado: The Gators have great guards, active bigs and terrific size across the board, making things tough on KJ Simpson and Co.
No. 2 Marquette over No. 15 Western Kentucky: The Hilltoppers will push the Golden Eagles to their limits, especially with the nation’s fastest tempo, but Tyler Kolek’s return pays huge dividends.
Midwest
No. 1 Purdue over Grambling State: the Boilermakers are back and on a mission.
No. 9 TCU over No. 8 Utah State: The Horned Frogs have a ton of experience, and Jameer Nelson Jr. or Emanuel Miller will make some big shots late.
No. 5 Gonzaga over No. 12 McNeese: This will be a tight one, and in a battle of great guards (Ryan Nembhard plus Nolan Hickman vs. Shahada Wells), big man Graham Ike powers the Bulldogs.
No. 13 Samford over No. 4 Kansas: The Jayhawks, especially without Kevin McCullar Jr., don’t have the firepower or depth to keep up.
No. 6 South Carolina over No. 11 Oregon: One of the hardest calls of the first round goes the Gamecocks’ way thanks to better guard play.
No. 3 Creighton over No. 14 Akron: I named Akron my favorite No. 14 seed to win, but Creighton is just too experienced and composed to fall this early.
No. 7 Texas over No. 10 Colorado State: Max Abmas and Dylan Disu get the inconsistent but talented Longhorns off on the right foot.
No. 2 Tennessee over No. 15 Saint Peter’s: The Peacocks will have major trouble on the boards and against Dalton Knecht.
West
No. 1 North Carolina over No. 16 Wagner: RJ Davis fuels the Tar Heels in their opener.
No. 9 Michigan State over No. 8 Mississippi State: The Spartans have won nine of their last 10 first-round games.
No. 5 Saint Mary’s over No. 12 Grand Canyon: The Gaels are really, really solid up and down the roster, and their defense is terrific, too.
No. 4 Alabama over No. 13 Charleston: This game will feature a ton of points, but Mark Sears will be the difference.
No. 11 New Mexico over No. 6 Clemson: Get ready to know the names Jaelen House, Jamal Mashburn Jr. and Donovan Dent.
No. 3 Baylor over No. 14 Colgate: The Raiders’ close-but-no-cigar first-round tradition continues.
No. 10 Nevada over No. 7 Dayton: The Wolf Pack have the backcourt and, at long last, the defense to get their first NCAA Tournament win since 2018.
No. 2 Arizona over No. 15 Long Beach State: The Wildcats avoid a repeat of last year’s 2-vs.-15 loss to Princeton.
Second round
East
No. 1 UConn over No. 8 Florida Atlantic: The Huskies pass their first major test of the tournament, with their excellent offense tearing up a poor FAU defense.
No. 4 Auburn over No. 5 San Diego State: The rugged Aztecs are used to wearing opponents down, but the Tigers are too deep and talented for that.
No. 3 Illinois over No. 6 BYU: The Illini get to the second weekend for the first time since 2013, with the guards dominating.
No. 2 Iowa State over No. 10 Drake: Keshon Gilbert continues his breakout season, and that Cyclones defense leads the way again.
South
No. 1 Houston over No. 9 Texas A&M: The Aggies just don’t make enough perimeter shots to keep up with Jamal Shead, L.J. Cryer and Emanuel Sharp.
No. 4 Duke over No. 12 James Madison: Duke beats the Dukes with Kyle Filipowski continuing a strong postseason.
No. 3 Kentucky over No. 6 Texas Tech: Antonio Reeves, Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard carry the Wildcats.
No. 7 Florida over No. 2 Marquette: Shaka Smart hasn’t made it past the first weekend since VCU’s 2011 First Four-to-Final Four run, with 10 first-weekend exits since.
Midwest
No. 1 Purdue over No. 9 TCU: The Boilermakers are just too much inside (Zach Edey) and outside (country’s second-best 3-point shooting percentage vs. a suspect TCU perimeter defense).
No. 5 Gonzaga over No. 13 Samford: This isn’t Mark Few’s best team, but having two composed guards against Bucky Ball’s press is a huge advantage.
No. 3 Creighton over No. 6 South Carolina: Ryan Kalkbrenner is the perfect defensive anchor against the Gamecocks’ hard-driving guards.
No. 2 Tennessee over No. 7 Texas: The Volunteers have the length, strength and versatility to limit Abmas and Disu, and the Longhorns don’t have enough consistent answers elsewhere.
West
No. 1 UNC over No. 9 Michigan State: Tyson Walker and AJ Hoggard vs. Davis is a great guard matchup, but the Tar Heels are too good offensively all-around.
No. 4 Alabama over No. 5 Saint Mary’s: The Crimson Tide’s length, pace and athleticism overwhelm the Gaels.
No. 3 Baylor over No. 11 New Mexico: The Bears’ 3-point edge (39% vs. 33%) is too much for the Lobos to overcome.
No. 2 Arizona over No. 10 Nevada: In a game against his former conference rival, Keshad Johnson’s toughness, athleticism and improved shooting (39% from 3-point range) are key.
Sweet 16
East
No. 1 UConn over No. 4 Auburn: I trust the steady Tristen Newton more than I trust Auburn’s many guards.
No. 3 Illinois over No. 2 Iowa State: The Cyclones have seen a lot of good offenses, but they haven’t seen anything quite like the Illini’s.
South
No. 1 Houston over No. 4 Duke: The Blue Devils struggle against really physical, tough teams, and Houston might be the nation’s best at both.
No. 3 Kentucky over No. 7 Florida: These two split their regular-season meetings, decided by five points combined, and Sheppard makes some big ones to win this one.
Midwest
No. 1 Purdue over No. 5 Gonzaga: The redemption tour continues as Edey gets Ike in foul trouble early, and the Zags have no interior answer after that.
No. 2 Tennessee over No. 3 Creighton: This was the only pick I crossed out and re-picked, and I did so because Knecht’s status as the best player on the floor overcomes Creighton’s balanced attack.
West
No. 4 Alabama over No. 1 North Carolina: Alabama has the widest range of outcomes this tournament, and in an up-tempo battle, the Crimson Tide are just a little better getting the shots they want.
No. 3 Baylor over No. 2 Arizona: Scott Drew and his bevy of guards are too much for an Arizona team that struggles to defend the 3.
Elite Eight
East
No. 1 UConn over No. 3 Illinois: Both of these teams can really score, but the Illini have too many defensive lapses against the Huskies’ intricate offense.
South
No. 1 Houston over No. 3 Kentucky: In a battle of contrasting styles, the Cougars’ physicality wins the day.
Midwest
No. 2 Tennessee over No. 1 Purdue: The Volunteers can put together a solid gameplan against Edey thanks to their size, and Knecht’s rampage through the tournament continues.
West
No. 4 Alabama over No. 3 Baylor: The Bears finally meet their match in the 3-point shooting department, and Alabama’s 2-point proficiency helps the Crimson Tide win a thriller to make their first Final Four.
Final Four
No. 1 UConn over No. 4 Alabama: The Huskies have the interior defense to protect the rim, the athleticism to defend the perimeter and the composure to end the Crimson Tide’s run.
No. 1 Houston over No. 2 Tennessee: Both teams are excellent defensively and can struggle offensively, but I trust Houston’s backcourt a little more to get big buckets down the stretch.
National Championship
No. 1 UConn over No. 1 Houston: The Huskies are the complete package and pull off the first repeat since 2006-07 Florida.

The San Antonio Brahmas helped kick off the latest rendition of the XFL on Sunday. Their city will also help the 2023 XFL season culminate by hosting the inaugural championship game. Minutes before Week 1’s showdown between the Brahmas and St. Louis Battlehawks, the league announced that the Alamodome will feature the title contest on May 13.

“We are thrilled to announce that San Antonio and the Alamodome will be the host of this season’s inaugural Championship Game,” XFL chairwoman and co-owner Dany Garcia said in a statement. “I have been so impressed by the level of enthusiasm and commitment from the fans in San Antonio. We can’t wait to bring together the best of the XFL North and XFL South to compete for the Championship title in an event that will celebrate our players, coaches, and the revival of professional football in San Antonio.”

Dwayne Johnson, Garcia’s XFL co-owner, said the host site also has a special connection to his past.

“I started my wrestling career in San Antonio, specifically at the Alamodome,” he said in an XFL statement. “This was my very first Royal Rumble. The city, the fans, San Antonio and the state of Texas helped shape my career.”

The first annual XFL Championship Game is officially scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on May 13, with ABC set to broadcast.

Besides hosting the Brahmas, a new franchise in the latest spin on the XFL, the Alamodome also serves as the home stadium for the NCAA’s Alamo Bowl and the UTSA Roadrunners. The venue previously served as the home of the San Antonio Commanders, one of the eight teams in the now-defunct Alliance of American Football League.