22 games played, by sport.
MLB Tonight's lone marquee slate has the Cleveland Guardians heading to Rate Field to face the Chicago White Sox, with Cleveland sitting as the slight road favorite at -117. Both clubs are hovering right around .500 territory, so this one is really about pride and getting the rotation and bullpen lined up heading into a getaway day. Keep an eye on whether Cleveland's starter can go seven and spare the pen, because if the heart of the order gets into a southpaw's stuff early, this could turn into a laugher fast.
NBA Marquee game is Celtics at Cavaliers, with Cleveland favored by 3.5 at home and looking to show their depth of buckets can hang with Boston's shooters from day one. Lakers and Kings closes the night on ESPN2, and all eyes are on whether Sacramento can keep pace in the paint with LA's size. Keep a side-eye on Sixers at Nets too, since Philly's PPG swing could turn into a dagger if Brooklyn's defense can't buy a stop.
NCAA Football The marquee matchup tonight is South Florida at UTSA on ESPN, a battle of two 4-1 teams jockeying for American Conference position, with UTSA favored by five and a half and the total sitting near fifty. Keep an eye on whether South Florida can establish time of possession early, because if they can't move the ball on the ground, UTSA's offense should pile up garbage-time stats late and cover easily. Saturday's unbeaten BYU hosting Iowa State is the other must-watch, a smashmouth Big 12 clash where BYU is favored by ten and a half to protect their perfect record.
NFL Thursday night football puts the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium, and it is a desperation spot for Tampa Bay, who are winless at 0-4 and need to find a way to move the ball against a Dallas defense that will be sitting back with the lead if things go their way. Dallas is favored by 8.5 points, so watch whether they can pull away early and force Tampa Bay into third-and-long situations all night, or whether this turns into another game where the Buccaneers can't cover and the over, set at 48.5, gets hit in garbage time. Keep an eye on time of possession, since if Dallas controls the clock behind a strong rushing attack, Tampa Bay's banged-up roster could be chasing points from the first quarter on.
NHL The headliner tonight is Toronto Maple Leafs at Vegas Golden Knights, a late slot that pits two legitimate contenders against each other with the Golden Knights favored at home. Also worth watching is New York Rangers at Washington Capitals, where a hot 4-1 Rangers squad visits a Capitals team that will need its penalty kill sharp if it wants to avoid giving up a power play snipe. If either game is tight late, keep an eye on the third period, since a team pulling the goalie for an extra attacker with three minutes left can turn a quiet night into an OT winner conversation fast.
WNBA The nightcap is the marquee here: Golden State Valkyries at Las Vegas Aces, a battle of two of the league's best records with the Aces favored at home but the Valkyries riding in hot and looking to prove their gaudy record isn't a mirage. Earlier, Atlanta Dream head to Brooklyn as slight underdogs against a Liberty squad that needs buckets in the paint to hold serve at home. Either game could turn into a track meet with that over-under sitting near 170, so expect some splash shooting and maybe a dagger or two late.