This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here.
🧹 Five things to know Monday
- The Red Sox fired Alex Cora and five more coaches following a 10-17 start. Things quickly went from bad to worse in Boston as the Red Sox completely cleaned house by firing Cora and five members of his coaching staff on Saturday. Cora exits Boston with a record of 621-541 and a 2018 World Series title. Chad Tracy took over for Cora as the interim manager, and he’s one of the main candidates to be the next full-time manager. As for Cora, he will have no shortage of options to continue managing if he wants to get back into a dugout.
- Anthony Edwards is expected to miss multiple weeks with a knee injury. The Timberwolves may have won Game 4 against the Nuggets, but they lost their best player in the process. Edwards exited the game with an injury, and he will now miss multiple weeks with a bone bruise and hyperextended left knee. To make matters even worse for Minnesota, Edwards wasn’t the team’s only significant loss in Game 4. Donte DiVincenzo is out for the season after suffering a torn Achilles.
- Victor Wembanyama returned to the Spurs lineup in spectacular fashion. After exiting Game 2 with a concussion, Wembanyama was able to return in time for Game 4 against the Trail Blazers, and he didn’t miss a beat. The San Antonio superstar dropped 27 points while posting 11 rebounds and seven blocks in a 114-93 win to give his team a 3-1 series lead. As well as he played, Wembanyama expressed frustration with the NBA’s concussion protocol. Keep track of all the latest NBA playoff results here.
- The Hurricanes and Avalanche advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The ‘Canes and Avs made quick work of their first-round opponents over the weekend. On Saturday, Carolina swept Ottawa with a 4-2 win. Roughly 24 hours later, Colorado capped off its domination of Los Angeles with an emphatic 5-1 victory. Follow along for score and schedule updates as the remainder of the first-round nears its end.
- Matt Fitzpatrick went back-to-back with a win at the Zurich Classic. Suddenly the hottest golfer on the PGA Tour, Fitzpatrick has won two straight tournaments after finishing atop the leaderboard along with brother Alex in New Orleans. In the only team event on the PGA Tour calendar, the Fitzpatrick brothers combined to finish a record 31-under, beating the duos of Kristoffer Reitan/Kris Ventura and Alex Smalley/Hayden Springer by one stroke. In the process, Alex earned his PGA Tour card.
🏈 Do not miss this: 2026 NFL Draft grades
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NFL teams altered their futures — for better or worse — over the weekend in Pittsburgh. The NFL Draft has been over for a couple days, and that has given our experts the opportunity to digest and analyze each selection.
Our own Pete Prisco graded each team’s haul while also highlighting the best and worst picks. The 49ers went against consensus, and that raised some eyebrows, but there was a bigger surprise this year. The Jets … kind of crushed it? They got an A from Prisco, due in no small part to their three first-round picks.
- Prisco: “They killed it. Of course, it helped to have three first-round picks. Edge David Bailey, the second overall pick, will be a star. I wasn’t as high on Kenyon Sadiq as some, but I get taking him with pick 16 and receiver Omar Cooper Jr. with pick 30 is a good pick. It was a heck of a draft.”
If you were looking for something more granular, we have you covered there too. Draft gurus Mike Renner and Josh Edwards teamed up for pick-by-pick grades for each selection from No. 1 overall to Mr. Irrelevant.
Of course, the coverage doesn’t end there. John Breech identified the draft’s winners and losers. Spoiler: The 49ers’ draft day mismanagement is becoming an unfortunate pattern.
- Breech: “Kyle Shanahan has one of the smartest offensive minds in the NFL, but for some reason, the 49ers can never find players who fit his system early in the draft, and based on their picks this year, it feels like they could strike out again.”
Want more expert draft analysis? Of course you do.
🏀 NBA playoffs winners and losers
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Sunday was full of great NBA postseason action, and as always, our team of experts highlighted the biggest winners and losers. The Rockets got a bounce-back win in Game 4 to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Lakers, and that means the game’s biggest star wound up on the wrong side of our list.
Sam Quinn highlighted LeBron James as one of Sunday’s losers because he finally looked his age against a young Houston roster. Look, there’s no shame in having an off-night when you’re dominating the NBA playoffs as a 41-year-old, but sometimes you’ve got to call it for what it is.
- Quinn: “A 41-year-old playing against a team full of young, athletic wings wasn’t going to keep playing at a superstar level forever, and, finally, LeBron James had his bad game. In 33 minutes, James scored just 10 points on 2-of-9 shooting. It was the third-lowest scoring playoff game of his career, and he had nearly as many turnovers (eight) as he had assists (nine).”
Here’s how the Sunday’s action played out:
- Raptors 93, Cavaliers 89 | Recap
- Spurs 114, Trail Blazers 93 | Recap
- Celtics 128, 76ers 96 | Recap
- Rockets 115, Lakers 96 | Recap
With Portland now on the brink of elimination, the rest of the NBA is laughing at new owner Tom Dundon’s cost-cutting ways, but it’s no joke to the fan base.
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
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📺 What we’re watching Monday
⚽ Brentford at Manchester United, 3 p.m. on USA Network
⚾ Rays at Guardians, 6:10 p.m. on FS1
🏒 Flyers at Penguins: Game 5, 7 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ Mariners at Twins, 7:40 p.m. on FS1
🏀 Pistons at Magic: Game 4, 8 p.m. on NBC
🏒 Golden Knights at Mammoth: Game 4, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Thunder at Suns: Game 4, 9:30 p.m. on NBCSN
🏀 Timberwolves at Nuggets: Game 5, 10:30 p.m. on NBC
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