
Jamal Murray scores 30, LeBron adds 19 points and 12 assists as defending champion Nuggets and Lakers open with wins; Thunder blow out Suns
AI-generated summary
The 2026 NBA playoffs began with the Denver Nuggets defeating Minnesota Timberwolves 116-105 as Jamal Murray scored 30 points and Nikola Jokic recorded his 22nd postseason triple-double. The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Houston Rockets 107-98 despite Kevin Durant's absence, with LeBron James recording 19 points, 12 assists and 8 rebounds. The Oklahoma City Thunder routed the Phoenix Suns 119-84 in the most lopsided Game 1 of the weekend.

The College Football Playoff selection process will highlight a revised metric evaluating conference opponent strength this season to address scheduling disparities after realignment, particularly responding to SEC concerns about strength of schedule and rankings, though its real-world impact remains uncertain.

The Green Bay Packers (1-1) host the Atlanta Falcons (0-2) in Week 3 of Thursday Night Football, with both teams dealing with injuries and uncertainty. The Falcons will start Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback after Cooper Rush's ineffective starts, while the Packers face multiple offensive absences including Josh Jacobs. Key questions revolve around Penix's effectiveness and Green Bay's struggling offense against improved Falcons pressure.

SportsLine expert Eric Cohen provides Week 3 NFL exact score predictions, highlighting a trend in Seahawks vs. Commanders games where one team has scored exactly 17 points six times in their last nine meetings. He recommends Panthers (-2.5, 42.5) to defeat Browns 22-16 on the road, citing Cleveland's offensive struggles and Deshaun Watson's recent performance. Cohen also identifies two underdog upsets as key to profitable picks, available exclusively at SportsLine.

Dave Richard provides a Week 3 PPR fantasy football cheat sheet with start/sit recommendations based on a 1-10 confidence scale, listing player rankings by team matchup and advising managers to trust proven stars or evaluate early breakouts for lineup decisions.

SportsLine's predictive model released Week 3 2026 NFL Fantasy football rankings, highlighting injuries to Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Jaxson Dart, while favoring Jaguars' Parker Washington and an unnamed quarterback over Dak Prescott and Joe Burrow, and advising fading Aaron Jones due to tough matchup.

BetMGM promotes its bonus code CBSSPORTS offering new users up to $1,500 in bonus bets alongside SportsLine projections and expert picks for the Thursday Night Football matchup between the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons, including against-the-spread, over/under, and player prop recommendations.