10 CFB, NBA and NHL Bets to Watch + Where Bettors Have Money in Tonight’s Biggest Men’s CBB Matchups

We rank the top contenders for the NBA Cup as play continues tonight

In today’s newsletter…

1. Leading Off: Alcaraz is No. 1

2. Bets to Watch: Power 4 Friday Night matchups, NBA mismatches

3. Top 10: Contenders for the NBA Cup

4. By the Numbers: Both Clemson and Louisville are 3-6 ATS

5. Overtime: NFL owners don’t like their report cards from players

1. Leading Off

Carlos Alcaraz is back on top of the tennis world. The Spanish star beat Lorenzo Musetti yesterday in Turin to lock up the year-end No. 1 ranking. It marks the second time Alcaraz has finished a season at the top: He also did it in 2022 when he was just 19 years old.

This year's race came down to the wire with Jannik Sinner. The two young stars have split the past eight Grand Slam titles evenly between them. Each won two majors in 2024. Each won two more in 2025. Alcaraz took the French Open and U.S. Open this year, while Sinner claimed the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

The rivalry has given tennis fans plenty of drama. It also created some betting intrigue heading into the ATP Finals. Alcaraz entered the tournament as the slight favorite to secure the top spot. He needed to win just three matches to clinch it and went 3-0 in his group to get the job done. At 22 years old, Alcaraz now has six Grand Slam titles. Sinner has four at age 24.

Sinner, who won the past two Australian Opens, is the early favorite to earn a three-peat at next year’s first tournament at +100 (with Alcaraz at +145). Their back-and-forth battles will shape the sport for years to come.

— Abe Rakov

2. Bets to Watch

No. 8 Oregon’s Top-15 Offense Should Get Plenty of Reps Tonight

By Todd Cordell

Oregon RB Noah Whittington over 78.5 rushing yards (-114 at FanDuel)
Whittington has had more and more put on his plate in recent weeks. He has carried the ball…

3. Top 10

The Contenders to Win the NBA Cup, Starting With the Heavy Favorites

The Thunder look nearly unbeatable to start the season and are likely going to win the NBA Cup — Oklahoma City is the heavy favorite at +160 on FanDuel. But every team can have a bad game (the Thunder’s lone loss of the year came by two points at Portland), so it’s worth looking at the rest of the contenders with nine NBA Cup matchups on tap tonight.

1. Thunder (+160): Oklahoma City is 12-1 with an NBA-high 15.5 point differential — it was only 12.9 in last year’s regular season. The Thunder also have one of the easier groups, giving them an advantage they don’t need.

2. Lakers (+1100): The LeBron James-less Lakers are playing well, their blowout loss to OKC on Wednesday aside, and they’ve already beaten the toughest opponent in their very soft group (Grizzlies) — which is the reason we’re ranking them this high. An undefeated group stage would set up LA well for a run for their second Cup, and James could be back for the knockout round.

3. Nuggets (+1500): Denver has won six in a row and Nikola Jokic has scored 32+ in five of those matchups. The Nuggets’ problem is they already have a loss in their very tough group and still have the 8-3 Spurs and 7-3 Rockets to come. If they can make it into the knockout round, they are likely Oklahoma City’s biggest threat.

4. Cavaliers (+800): Cleveland’s loss to Toronto in group play means it has no margin for error going forward. The Cavs shouldn’t have a problem with the 1-10 Pacers, but their matchup against Atlanta could be tricky. Even with two wins, the Cavs will likely be competing for the East’s one Wild Card spot.

5. Pistons (+2200): The market hasn’t caught up with the Pistons yet, winners of eight in a row with only one bad game all season (a 116-95 beat down by the Cavaliers). Their group is full of mediocrity (Celtics, Magic, 76ers and Nets), so it wouldn’t be a surprise if they go undefeated and head to the knockout round.

6. Knicks (+1600): Losing the Bulls doesn’t kill New York’s chances, but the East’s Group C isn’t a cakewalk. They’ll likely need to beat both the Heat and Bucks to have a chance at advancing, but their 0-3 road record doesn’t bode well for their knockout chances.

7. Raptors (+1700): The Raptors are the only 2-0 team in Cup play and have beaten the two toughest teams in their group. With games against the 1-11 Wizards and 1-10 Pacers left, it will take a big letdown for Toronto not to win its group. And if you win your group, you have a shot.

8. Spurs (+2500): San Antonio has been one of the surprises of the season with its 8-3 start. They have become a very balanced team and Victor Wembanyama can keep them in any game. We only have them this low because they are in a tough group and their matchup with the Nuggets is in Denver.

9. Timberwolves (+1900): The good news for Minnesota is that it is playing in a weak group. The bad news is that the Wolves are likely going to have to hope for the West’s Wild Card spot because the one team they have to worry about is the Thunder. They have a decent shot of making it to the knockout because the other group members (Suns, Jazz, Kings) should lead to a high point differential.

10. Bucks (+2200): Milwaukee is in a very competitive group, and although we give the Knicks a better chance overall, the Bucks could definitely find their way into the knockout round — where they’d likely be quickly knocked out.

4. By the Numbers

Bettors are Behind Slight Favorite No. 20 Louisville (-2.5) at Home Against 4-5 Clemson

CFB

• Clemson vs. No. 20 Louisville

  • Spread — Clemson (+2.5, -108), Louisville (-2.5, -112)

    • 64% of the money and 74% of the bets are with Louisville

    • CLEM: 3-6, LOU: 3-6

  • Moneyline — Clemson +112, Louisville -132

  • Total (51.5) — Over -104, Under -118

    • CLEM: 4-5, LOU: 5-4

• Minnesota vs. No. 8 Oregon

  • Spread — Minnesota (+25.5, -110), Oregon (-25.5, -110)

    • 68% of the money and 56% of the bets are with Oregon

    • MIN: 2-7, ORE: 5-4

  • Moneyline — Minnesota +1600, Oregon -4500

  • Total (44.5) — Over -110, Under -110

    • MIN: 4-5, ORE: 4-5

NBA

• Heat (+5.5, -108) vs. Knicks (-5.5, -112): 66% of the money and 58% of the bets are with New York

  • Spread — MIA: 8-3-1, NYK: 7-4-0

  • Total (238.5) — MIA: 8-4, NYK: 8-3

• Lakers (-10.5, -108) vs. Pelicans (+10.5, -112): 75% of the money and 69% of the bets are with Los Angeles

  • Spread — LAL: 8-4-0, NOP: 5-5-1

  • Total (227.5) — LAL: 9-3, NOP: 6-5

• Trail Blazers (+8, -108) vs. Rockets (-8, -112): 64% of the money and 60% of the bets are with Houston

  • Spread — POR: 6-5, HOU: 7-3

  • Total (235.5) — POR: 8-3, HOU: 8-2

• Warriors (+3, -108) vs. Spurs (-3, -112): 85% of the money and 67% of the bets are with San Antonio

  • Spread — GSW: 6-6-1, SAS: 4-5-2

  • Total (235.5) — GSW: 8-5, SAS: 7-4

NCAAM

• No. 6 Michigan (-9.5, -106) vs. TCU (+9.5, -114): 87% of the money and 83% of the bets are with Michigan

• No. 5 Arizona (-3.5, -104) vs. No. 15 UCLA (+3.5, -118): 70% of the bets and 73% of the money are with Arizona

• No. 19 Gonzaga (-14.5, -102) vs. Arizona State (+14.5, -120): 71% of the money and 67% of the bets are with Gonzaga

5. Overtime

In the News 

• The NFL wants the Players Association to stop issuing annual report cards for each team, ESPN reports. The report cards have received a lot of attention in recent years, and some of the league’s most powerful owners (including Jets’ Woody Johnson, Steelers’ Art Rooney and Patriots’ Robert Kraft) got a D or worse for their ownership grades.

• Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud will miss a second game due to a concussion. Backup Davis Mills will get the start again. He was 27-45 for 292 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception in Houston’s 36-29 upset over Jacksonville last week.

• Major League Soccer announced it will change its schedule beginning in 2027 to align with the rest of the soccer world. The MLS season currently runs from February to November, creating difficulties in the global transfer market and forcing their playoffs to end up head-to-head with the NFL. Starting in two seasons, play will start in mid-July with May playoffs and include a winter break from mid-December to mid-February.

• After firing their general manager, the Mavericks could decided to completely rebuild. CBS Sports took a look at possible trade destinations for every eligible Dallas player except rookie Cooper Flagg.

• The Rays are headed back to Tropicana Field for the 2026 season after being forced to play at the Yankees spring training facility this past year. Tampa Bay’s home stadium was severely damaged by Hurricane Milton, which caused the team to play 45 minutes away at Steinbrenner Field, where they were 41-40 (they went 42-39 at home in 2024).

What to Watch (times are ET)

• 7pm: Heat vs. Knicks on Prime Video

• 7:30pm: Clemson vs. No. 20 Louisville [CFB] on ESPN

• 9pm: Minnesota vs. No. 8 Oregon [CFB] on FOX (or No. 6 Michigan vs. TCU [NCAAM] on ESPN2)

• 9:30pm: Warriors vs. Spurs on Prime Video

• 10pm: No. 5 Arizona vs. No. 15 UCLA [NCAAM] on Peacock

• 11pm: No. 19 Gonzaga vs. Arizona State [NCAAM] on ESPN2