The morning line

MLB The marquee game of this two-day slate is the Los Angeles Dodgers visiting the Atlanta Braves — two of baseball's best clubs, with the Dodgers at 40-22 and the Braves at 42-20, so whoever the starters are, the heart of the order on both sides will get a serious test from a quality bullpen. Keep an eye on the Boston Red Sox trekking into Yankee Stadium on Friday night, the kind of rivalry game where a walk-off can happen any time the lineup turns over late. The Milwaukee Brewers at Coors Field is also worth a mention — that over/under sits at 11.5, which tells you the books expect plenty of balls to leave the yard in the thin Denver air.

NBA The only game on the slate tonight is a big one: the New York Knicks roll into San Antonio to take on the Spurs, who have been an absolute clinic all season at 62-20 and are laying five and a half at home. The Knicks at 53-29 have enough dogs to make it interesting, but they're going to have to earn every bucket in the paint just to keep it close against a Spurs team that has been eating everybody up on both ends. Catch it on ABC at 8:30 Eastern — if New York has any shot at stealing one on the road, this is the kind of game where you'll see somebody with ice in his veins either hit the dagger or take the L trying.

NHL Tonight's marquee matchup has the Vegas Golden Knights skating into Lenovo Center to face the Carolina Hurricanes in what should be a tight, grinding affair — Carolina comes in as heavy favorites at -162, backed by a dominant 53-22-7 record that screams defensive depth and a goalie who can steal games in the crease. The Hurricanes have built their identity around suffocating neutral-zone play and a penalty kill that makes opposing power plays look pedestrian, so watch whether Vegas can generate enough slot chances to get their snipers to the top shelf. If the Golden Knights can stay out of the box and force overtime, they've got the kind of talent that converts on an OT winner when the pressure is highest — but Carolina's home crowd at Lenovo Center will be making that an uphill battle all night.

WNBA The marquee matchup tonight is the Golden State Valkyries rolling into Target Center to take on the Minnesota Lynx, two of the hottest teams in the WNBA right now — Minnesota is a 3.5-point favorite and sitting at 7-2, so the Valkyries will need to bring buckets if they want to steal one on the road. Earlier, the Atlanta Dream (6-2) are already cooking at Gainbridge Fieldhouse against the Indiana Fever, and Atlanta's been an absolute clinic all season. Late-night, keep an eye on the Dallas Wings at the Los Angeles Sparks — Vegas has the over/under at 177.5, which means both squads are expected to get it going in the paint.