Major League Baseball has been trying for years to increase the number of Black players participating in the sport, creating such programs as the Compton Youth Academy and the DREAM Series. There were 59 Black players on opening day MLB rosters, a slight increase from the previous year but far from the numbers in the 1980s.
St. John Bosco's baseball team, which plays for a Southern Section Division 1 championship on Friday against Santa Margarita at Cal State Fullerton, offers hope for the future with five Black players in the starting lineup.
Southern Section championships in baseball and softball this weekend. Put in your pocket. pic.twitter.com/J0OVF5ef61
"Definitely something to be proud of," center fielder Miles Clark said.
The sports of football and basketball have been taking away Black athletes, but St. John Bosco's group of Clark, his twin brother James, Noah Everly, Jaden Jackson and Macade Maxwell have embraced baseball and put themselves in position to pursue college baseball and beyond.
Each player offers speed and athleticism. Maxwell had an RBI single in the semifinals against Seth Hernandez of Corona. James Clark and Everly lead the team in hitting at .394 and .347, respectively. St. John Bosco won its first Trinity League title since 2017 and is 24-5. …
Santa Margarita is much improved after getting players back from injuries, so ignore the fact it has 12 losses. Carter Enoch came back to add hitting to the Eagles' lineup and Brennan Bauer has been the winning pitcher in all four playoff games. Seventeen seniors are graduating at 10 a.m. at the Honda Center.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving was candid during his end-of-season media availability on Thursday, offering an honest assessment of the team’s shortcomings – including his own moves from the past year.
Specifically, he was open about the team’s performance and the risks that didn’t pay off, including the swing-and-miss that was defenseman Jani Hakanpaa.
“In Jani's case, we knew going into the summer and talking to him that there was risk,” Treliving admitted. “We went through that process, and we took a swing, and it didn't work out. But we'll always continue to look at if there's times to take swings, we're going to try to take swings. It didn't work out.”
Treliving on Hakanpaa: "There was always risk. We took a swing and it didn't work out."
The Maple Leafs signed Hakanpaa to a one-year, $1.47 million deal last offseason with the hope that his 6-foot-7, 225-pound frame would bolster a blueline looking to become tougher and more physically imposing.
On paper, the fit was there. But on the ice, Hakanpaa barely had the chance to make an impact.
He played just two games for Toronto, the last coming on November 16 against the Edmonton Oilers. He underwent minor knee surgery in hopes of returning in the second half of the season, but was placed on LTIR on December 2 and never returned to game action.
The 33-year-old also played two conditioning games with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies but failed to register a point in any of his four total outings. He was initially named to Finland’s 4 Nations Face-Off roster but had to withdraw due to his recovery timeline.
Concerns about his health were well-documented during the long process it took to finalize his contract.
According to a report from Postmedia's Steve Simmons at the time, Hakanpaa’s knee was essentially “bone-on-bone with not much knee left.”
Now an unrestricted free agent, the Finnish defender’s time in Toronto is almost certainly over – his lone season ultimately amounting to a costly rehab stint.
Forward Depth. Where does it stand?
While Hakanpaa was one of the more obvious examples of a miss, Treliving’s evaluation of the roster extends far past the backend. With the season officially in the books, Toronto’s front office now turns its attention to offseason decisions, many of which lie within the team’s forward group, particularly the bottom six.
The general manager spoke heavily about a change of identity on Thursday, and although likely referring to the ‘Core Four,’ that shake-up could also come in the bottom six with a list of players who are questionable to be back in the blue and white next season.
Three names that Treliving discussed as question marks heading into the summer and their future: Pontus Holmberg, Calle Jarnkrok, and Nick Robertson.
“The future we'll see, right? I'll do a little bit of different things. I like them,” said Treliving.
Starting with Holmberg, the 26-year-old Swede recorded seven goals and 12 assists for 19 points in 68 regular-season games. As a pending restricted free agent and arbitration-eligible, he’s coming off a quietly strong season under head coach Craig Berube.
His ability to play up and down the lineup made him a useful utility option, especially in the playoffs, where Holmberg appeared in 12 of 13 games.
“Pontus sort of bounced around, we've got to determine if he is a center or is he a winger, what that contract looks like. I like the kid. He's got some heaviness. I mean, he doesn't get pushed out of heavy games in the playoffs,” said Treliving.
Holmberg’s qualifying offer sits at $866,250, and while he’s likely due for a raise from his two-year, $1.6 million contract, the Leafs must determine where he fits long-term – both in position and in the budget.
Jarnkrok, meanwhile, is entering the final year of a four-year, $8.4 million contract he signed in 2022. The 33-year-old missed most of the 2024-25 season due to groin and sports hernia issues but returned in early March. He managed just one goal and six assists in 19 regular-season games and a single assist in 12 playoff appearances.
“Calle, When did Calle start playing? The last six weeks of the season, maybe or something like that. It was a tough year for him. He was out all year. So it's a hard one to really evaluate,” said Treliving. “Jarny's a smart player."
He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2025-26 season. There were rumblings last summer that the club might try to move off Jarnkrok’s deal to free up cap space. It’s a possibility that could resurface again, but we’ll see.
Then there’s Robertson, whose situation remains complex.
After requesting a trade in June 2024, he returned to Toronto on a one-year, $875,000 deal and went on to post career highs in games played (69), goals (15), and average ice time (12:00). Yet despite clear growth and improved two-way play, the 23-year-old never quite earned consistent trust under Berube. He was scratched for 10 of Toronto’s 13 playoff games, recording two points (1G, 1A) in the postseason.
“I give Robbie a lot of credit,” Treliving said. “He gets stretches. He can shoot the puck. His challenge is just becoming a regular. You can always debate that. Is it opportunity? And then it comes, or do it more regularly to get more opportunity.”
Robertson is also an arbitration-eligible RFA. His qualifying offer is $918,750, and while a return isn’t off the table, a trade or bridge deal also seem like realistic options. However, it’s unclear whether either side sees a clear future in Toronto.
“Those are all three guys we've got to kind of determine,” Treliving said when asked about all three depth forwards. “All three players, where do we go for it? Again, not to be elusive. I don't know.”
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Sabalenka in awesome form, 4-0 up, and Danilovic is in imminent danger of being bagelled.
Zheng hasn’t found it as easy in the second set, she serving to go 5-3 up but the Canadian is dragging her heels. Navone eventually took that first set off Musetti and he celebrated by grabbing a break in the opening game of the second set.
That was Buster Posey’s message to fans when asked about Willy Adames’ early-season struggles in his first season with the Giants on KNBR’s “Murph and Markus.”
“It’s not uncommon when superstar players sign a big deal and struggle out the gate,” Posey said Thursday.
What also hasn’t helped the cause is that Adames’ defense has struggled this season, too.
Adames currently has a .961 fielding percentage, which is fifth-worst among 30 qualified shortstops this season.
“I’ve gone through it as a player when you struggle,” Posey said. “It’s rough. I mean, I didn’t, you don’t sleep well, it’s on your mind all the time.”
Still, just over a third of the way through the season, Posey isn’t wavering in his belief in the 29-year-old and says that through it all, Adames has shown a positive attitude and been a mentor to the younger players.
“For this guy to show up and be the same each and every day, it’s pretty remarkable,” Posey said. “He’s truly a leader, and I’ve got belief that offensively he’s going to find his groove here. He’s always been a bit of a streaky hitter, so hoping that hot stretch is right around the corner.”
Buster Posey, president of baseball operations, spoke with KNBR 680 on Thursday regarding the staff changes and said that through the process, he has enjoyed seeing young players such as Hayden Birdsong and Kyle Harrison find their way as the season has gone on.
“I don’t think that it’s anything earth-shattering, but I do think the health of an organization is largely dependent on your young pitching and to have those guys, 23 years old, pitching with the confidence and stuff that they have is exciting,” said Posey.
Birdsong has found himself in the starting rotation as of late and boasts a more than respectable 2.48 ERA on the year, while Harrison, who just made his first start of the season on May 24 has also really impressed Posey.
“He looks like a different guy to me than what we saw this spring,” Posey said when speaking on Harrison’s conviction in his stuff.
It’s a move Posey says Hicks wasn’t thrilled about, but one he says the 28-year-old has been a true pro throughout.
“He was disappointed,” Posey said. “He’s been very clear that he wants to be a starter, but again, I think between myself, Zach [Minasian], Bob [Melvin] felt like we were putting the team in the best position to have him pitch out of the pen right now.”
Hicks posted a 6.55 ERA as a starter for the club this season but has only given up one run in three appearances out of the bullpen since making the move last week.
Jalen Brunson gave the Knicks life early in Game 5. He hit six of his first eight shots, scoring 14 points in the opening nine minutes. He was even better to start the second half, hitting five of six shots for 16 points in the frame.
But he couldn’t do it by himself. In those first and third-quarter scoring barrages, Brunson’s fellow starters supported him with strong team defense.
The Knick starting unit outscored the Pacers by 18 in 13 minutes on Thursday.
They held Indiana to 6 of 20 shooting in those 13 minutes with an effective field goal percentage of 37.5.
If the Knicks can get off to a strong start in Game 6 on Saturday and force a Game 7, Tom Thibodeau’s mid-series adjustments will be celebrated.
As it is, Thibodeau’s lineup changes have changed the series.
The new starting unit of Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson was key in Game 5. Thibodeau’s expanded rotation was key in both Knicks’ wins against Indiana.
Landry Shamet and Delon Wright helped stabilize things for the Knicks in the second half of Game 3. They played a similar role in Game 5.
Lineups featuring Shamet, Wright and Towns were a combined +8 on Thursday. Along with Mikal Bridges, Shamet and Wright and the rest of the Knick backcourt seemed to bother Indiana’s top offensive weapons on Thursday. Tyrese Haliburton took just eight shots. Pascal Siakam had, by his standards, a quiet game.
If Game 5 is any indication, Thibodeau may have found something with the new lineup/rotation.
“I thought the aggressiveness of Jalen and KAT to start offensively and then the group being tied together defensively (was significant). Then when the bench came in, they did the same thing,” Thibodeau said after the game.
If the Knicks can do the same things on Saturday, it will give them a good chance to bring the series back to New York for a Game 7.
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt is open to the idea of NSW State of Origin star Nathan Cleary switching to rugby union but is focused on the ongoing development of the national team’s current fly-half options, including Queensland Reds No.10 Tom Lynagh.
Jalen Brunson converted 12 of his 18 attempts [Reuters]
Jalen Brunson scored 32 points as the New York Knicks beat the Indiana Pacers to keep alive their hopes of reaching the NBA Finals.
Indiana remain one win from clinching the Eastern Conference finals but the Knicks claimed a 111-94 home win to cut their deficit to 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.
Karl-Anthony Towns played through a knee injury to record 24 points and 13 rebounds as the third-seeded Knicks led throughout.
"I looked at the game and it was 'game five, do or die'," Towns said. "That was pretty much all I needed to see."
Bennedict Mathurin registered 23 points and nine rebounds off the bench for the fourth-seeded Pacers, who host game six on Saturday (01:00 BST, Sunday).
"We have no room for error," Towns added. "Our backs are against the wall and every game is do or die. If we don't bring that energy or execution, our season will be over."
Towns had 17 points and 10 rebounds in the first half as New York led 56-45 at half-time, before pushing their advantage to 90-73 heading into the final quarter.
Indiana crept to within 12 points with just over eight minutes remaining, but Josh Hart answered with consecutive baskets and Mikal Bridges hit a jumper to make it an 18-point margin.
"Rough night for me," said the 25-year-old point guard. "I've got to be better setting the tone and getting downhill. I feel I didn't do a great job of that.
"They picked up the pressure a little bit and applied more as the game went on. Put it on me, I've got to be better in game six."
You'd be hard-pressed to find a team that plays better than the Knicks with their backs against the wall.
Just one loss away from their season coming to an end, the Knicks stepped up with arguably their best game of the Eastern Conference Finals to this point. They outhustled, outdefended and were simply better than the Pacers on Thursday night in their 111-94 win. While a lot of the credit will go to the offense -- Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns did combine to score 56 points -- it was their defense that deserves its flowers.
Including Thursday, the Pacers played 15 games this postseason and Game 5 was the first time they were held under 100 points.
"I thought we came out great defensively," OG Anunoby said after the game. "We were getting stops, flying up and down the floor."
Not only did the Pacers score below 100, they shot just 40.5 percent (33 percent from three) and turned the ball over 20 times. Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers star who has become the face of dismay for Knicks fans, had his worst game of the series. The guard scored just eight points on 2 of 7 shooting after averaging 24 points per game entering Game 5. He was a minus-23 on the court. Pascal Siakam was the only starter to score in double figures, with bench players Obi Toppin (11) and Benedict Mathurin (23) the only others to hit that mark.
So, what changed? Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau didn't say it was just one thing, but praised his team's defense as a whole.
"Sometimes it’s a combination of [Haliburton] missing some shots he normally makes, but our guys were tied together and tried to make him work for everything," he said. "That’s what you have to do. You have to fight to win every possession."
"I feel like we picked up our intensity a little bit. I think we paid attention to detail better as a team," Brunson said of the defense on Haliburton. "The little things go a long way. Paying attention to the minute things, and things that don’t seem like a huge deal, they really do help.”
After Game 4's loss, a lot of the attention was on Brunson and how the Pacers seemingly were targeting him on defense. Forcing the All-Star to foul and exploit his defensive weaknesses.
If that was the Pacers' plan in Game 5, it didn't work, especially when Haliburton had the ball.
"[Brunson] did an amazing job. That's something that cap always does - he answers the call every time," Towns said of Brunson's defense. "We win as a team, we lose as a team. I'm never going to allow cap -- he does so much for us and we ask so much out of him every game -- he’s never going to go out there and take all the blame. We all do. Family and brothers never let someone go out there and take all the blame. We all got to be willing to lose together and win together."
"That's our guy, we know he's going to bring it offensively but I feel like he dug in defensively and had great intensity," Josh Hart said of Brunson.
"He's our leader," Miles McBride said. "When we see he's playing like that, we all just want to do anything we can to get the win."
Haliburton was asked if he was surprised by how the Knicks turned up the ball pressure on him and the team, and the Pacers star said he wasn't and wants to look ahead to Game 6.
"We’re up 3-1, their season was on the line today. I understand they are going to come out and play hard, increase the pressure, do whatever they have to do to win," Haliburton said. "And they did a great job of that and now it’s up to us to respond in Game 6. When you get here to this point, there’s no such thing as surprises... Kudos to them, they played better than us today. We've got to be prepared for Game 6."
The Knicks will look to shut down Haliburton and the Pacers offense again in Game 6 on Saturday night to force a decisive Game 7 back at MSG.
(This article was written with the assistance of Castmagic, an AI tool, and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy. Please reach out to us if you notice any mistakes.)
From high-octane lineups to crafty pitching, this Yankees-Dodgers battle is baseball’s main event of this weekend. As Jordan Shusterman and Jake Mintz of the "Baseball Bar-B-Cast" podcast put it: “I don’t think we have to explain why Dodgers-Yankees is compelling … There is some stuff here, people.”
Here is some of the stuff:
Both teams are riding high entering this matchup
As pointed out in the latest episode of "Baseball Bar-B-Cast," there’s a different energy compared to their last showdown. This isn’t just a rehashing of last year’s World Series vibe. Both the Yankees (35-20) and Dodgers (34-22) are entering the weekend as true contenders, but, if anything, the Yankees look stronger this time around.
Mintz summed it up like this: “Last year it was pretty clear pretty quickly that the Yankees were playing worse baseball than the Dodgers. That’s not the case right now. There’s a strong argument the Yankees are better than the Dodgers.”
The Yankees' run differential is nearly double that of the Dodgers (+113 to +65), and their recent form has been more consistent across the board.
Shusterman's take: "The Yankees are playing much better, basically, across the board, they’ve been way more consistent. The run differential speaks for itself. They have a lot more of their team clicking.”
Pitching matchups to watch
The arms on display promise some compelling duels:
Friday — Max Fried vs. Tony Gonsolin Saturday — Will Warren vs. Landon Knack Sunday — Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. Ryan Yarbrough
Mintz points out the intrigue around pitchers: “Will Warren I’m interested in. He was not a character during the World Series last year. Neither was Max Fried. I’ll take Max Fried against Shohei Ohtani. Thank you very much.”
It’s also a series full of new faces — like the Yankees' Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham and Paul Goldschmidt.
Broadcast bingo: Get ready for the highlights
As Shusterman jokes, expect the networks to lean heavily into World Series nostalgia. Will we see countless replays of Freddie Freeman’s grand slam in the World Series opener? Probably. The over-under, according to the "Bar-B-Cast" is set at 12.5. But don’t let that distract from the fact that this series is packed with new storylines and fresh drama.
Freddie Freeman unlocked legendary status after hitting a walkoff grand slam in the World Series opener last year against the Yankees. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Title favorites: The defending champion Dodgers have the best odds to win the World Series (+240 at BetMGM), and the Yankees aren’t too far behind (+550).
The Tigers (+900), Mets (+900), Phillies (+950), Cubs (+1500) and Mariners (+1800) are the only other teams with better than 20-1 odds.
MVP favorites: Reigning MVPs Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani are mashing. If the season ended today, they would both be virtual locks to win the awards again, which would be three in four years for Judge and four in five years for Ohtani.
Judge leads the AL in every part of the triple-slash (.391/.488/.739), runs (51), hits (81), total bases (153) and WAR (4.2). He’s also second in HRs (18), RBI (47) and walks (38).
Ohtani leads the NL in HRs (20), runs (59), slugging (.648) and total bases (140), is second in WAR (2.8) and OPS (1.042) and is top 10 in BA (.292) and steals (11).
Looking ahead: There’s still a lot of baseball left, but if the Yankees and Dodgers each make it back to the Fall Classic it will be just the 10th World Series rematch ever, and the first since these same two teams did it nearly 50 years ago (1977-78).
Although he may not always be one for the prying public eye, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will hit fans' TV screens in a different format than what they're used to this fall.
It was announced Thursday that Crosby - along with Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, Dallas Stars superstar Mikko Rantanen, former Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, and more - will be featured in season two of Amazon Prime's original series titled, "Faceoff: Inside the NHL."
"Faceoff" gives a candid, unfiltered glimpse into the everyday lives of NHL players both on and off the ice, from their training regimens all the way to their personal lives.
So, in a rare opportunity, fans will get the chance to see - firsthand - a day in the life of Crosby, the game's biggest name and biggest star for the better part of the last two decades. It is quite a change of pace for the notoriously private Crosby, as the cameras were following him around for most of the 2024-25 NHL season as well as for the 4 Nations Face-off tournament in February.
Season 2 will also follow Fleury - first overall draft pick by the Penguins in 2003 - during what was his final NHL season.
Laura Kane demoted and Tanya Hosch to depart organisation
Movements are ‘the right thing for the AFL’, says Dillon
AFL chief Andrew Dillon insists there’s nothing personal in the demotion of Laura Kane while brushing off fierce criticism of the umpiring standard.
Dillon has gone on the Friday hustings after his reshuffle of the AFL executive cost Indigenous identity Tanya Hosch her role and pushed Kane down the pecking order.
While the duo combined for 56 points on 22-for-38 shooting and got plenty of cheers from The Garden crowd, guard Landry Shamet also heard his name chanted by Knicks fans on Thursday night, including a standing ovation -- and deservingly so.
Shamet played 14 minutes in Game 5, the most he's played in a playoff game this year, and scored five points to go along with two assists and an offensive rebound. After the win, the 28-year-old gave his appreciation back to the New York fans for their support throughout the must-win game and all season long.
"I love New York. I love these fans. I've seen how they ride the wave with us, the highs, the lows," Shamet said. "It's just important for me to give everything I've got to them. I appreciate it. We got more to do."
"I love New York. I love these fans. I've seen how they ride the wave with us - the highs, the lows. It's just important for me to give everything I've got to them."
He credited Brunson and Towns for carrying the team and setting the tone offensively, but his defense and energy off the bench pressured the Pacers guards and helped create a couple of turnovers. Overall, the Knicks forced a series-high 20 turnovers against the Pacers in the Game 5 win, as Shamet noted their awareness and energy all night long.
"I think just our intensity, our attention to detail, that's a sense of desperation which is what we needed," Shamet said. "And we're gonna have to go do it again. That was the biggest thing, just our energy. Our communication was great. Did a better job in transition. Still, some other things we got to clean up, we'll get to that tomorrow."
Shamet was asked if they could tell the Pacers were frustrated by the Knicks defense, but said that's not their job. Instead, the team will look to replicate their performance on Saturday in Game 6 to force a Game 7.
"I could sense a competitive game, there's waves like I said," Shamet said. "Our job is not really to pay too much attention to that. We just got to focus on us and do what we can do. We know they're a hard team to guard, play fast. If we take care of what we have to take care of, hopefully we see results like tonight."
Pittsburgh's GM and POHO Kyle Dubas is conducting in-person interviews this week, and - according to Josh Yohe of The Athletic - a final decision could come as soon as the end of this week.
The Reds (28-29) are in Chicago Friday to open a series against the Cubs (35-21).
Andrew Abbott is slated to take the mound for Cincinnati against Colin Rea for Chicago.
Thursday was an off day for each of these clubs. The Cubs are coming off a three-game sweep of the Rockies. Pete Crow-Armstrong homered and Matthew Boyd allowed a single, unearned run over six innings to earn his fifth win of the season in Wednesday's 2-1 win.
The Reds took two of three from the Royals to begin the week. They did lose Wednesday, though, 3-2. Tyler Stephenson and Spencer Steer each picked up three hits in the loss.
Lets dive into the series opener and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Reds at Cubs
Date: Friday, May 30, 2025
Time: 2:20PM EST
Site: Wrigley Field
City: Chicago, IL
Network/Streaming: FDSNOH, MARQ, MLBN
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
Odds for the Reds at the Cubs
The latest odds as of Thursday:
Moneyline: Reds (+144), Cubs (-172)
Spread: Cubs -1.5
Total: 8.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Reds at Cubs
Pitching matchup for May 30, 2025: Andrew Abbott vs. Colin Rea
Reds: Andrew Abbott (4-0, 1.77 ERA) Last outing: 5/24 vs. Cubs - 5.2IP, 1ER, 6H, 2BB, 2Ks
Cubs: Colin Rea (3-1, 3.28 ERA) Last outing: 5/24 at Cincinnati - 5IP, 6ER, 7H, 3BB, 8Ks
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Reds at Cubs
The Cubs have won 4 of their last 5 home games against National League teams
Each of the last 3 games between the Cubs and the Reds have gone over the Total
Kyle Tucker saw his 7-game hitting streak (13-28) snapped Wednesday
Elly De La Cruz is riding a 6-game hitting streak (9-25)
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions for Friday’s game between the Reds and the Cubs
Rotoworld Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Friday's game between the Reds and the Cubs:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Chicago Cubs on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Chicago Cubs at -1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 8.0.
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