The sports schedule for Thursday is light due to the MLB and WNBA All-Star breaks, but there still is action to be found on the gridiron and hardwood.
Week 7 of the 2025 CFL season begins with a matchup between East Division rivals, as the reigning Grey Cup champions Toronto Argonauts visit the Montreal Alouettes. These teams, who both are coming off a bye, are squaring off for the second time this year after Montreal (3-2) posted a 28-10 home victory over Toronto (1-4).
There are also eight games on the NBA Las Vegas Summer League slate on the final day of the preliminary round before the semifinals take place on Saturday. Perhaps the most intriguing contest is the one between the Boston Celtics (2-1) and Los Angeles Lakers (1-2) at the Thomas & Mack Center. Second-year guard Bronny James, son of Lakers superstar LeBron James, is coming off his best performance in the competition as he recorded 17 points, five rebounds and five assists in the Lakers’ 67-58 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.
Perhaps the most important game on Thursday’s Summer League schedule is the showdown between a pair of undefeated teams. The San Antonio Spurs and Charlotte Hornets both enter with 3-0 records and are vying for a spot in the semifinals.
Montreal is a 10.5-point favorite against Toronto at FanDuel Sportsbook and the total is set at 50.5. The Celtics are 3-point favorites in their game against the Lakers with the total of their contest set at 175.5, while the Hornets are 2.5-point favorites against the Spurs and the total is set at 181.5.
Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Thursday, July 17.
CFL best bets, where to watch
Argonauts at Alouettes
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET | Location: Montreal | TV: CBS Sports Network
SportsLine picks — Expert: Argonauts +10.5
Both teams are well-rested as they were idle last week. Toronto has won just one of its five games thus far and suffered an 18-point loss at Montreal in its season opener but the Alouettes have taken a step backward of late, losing back-to-back contests after beginning the campaign with a three-game winning streak. SportsLine football expert Emory Hunt sees this spread being too high for Montreal to cover, should the team manage to pull out the victory.
NBA Summer League best bets, where to watch
Spurs vs. Hornets
Time: 7 p.m. ET | Location: Las Vegas | TV: ESPN
Charlotte has the best chance of the two to advance to the semifinals as it currently holds the tiebreaker (quarters won) over the other four 3-0 teams seeking a berth. If the Hornets win the game and a few quarters along the way, they should move on. Guard KJ Simpson, who averaged 7.8 points over 36 games with Charlotte in 2024-25, has been an offensive force in the Summer League as he scored 21 points in the opener to finish one behind Liam McNeeley for the team lead. He was the Hornets’ top scorer in each of their next two contests with 19 and 18 points respectively. Spurs guard Dylan Harper, the second overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, has been shut down for the remainder of the Summer League, but David Jones-Garcia has been San Antonio’s most dangerous player with team highs of 24, 21 and 28 points in its three wins.
Celtics vs. Lakers
Time: 9 p.m. ET | Location: Las Vegas | TV: ESPN
Bronny James has gradually increased his production in the Las Vegas Summer League, scoring eight points in the Lakers’ opener and 14 in their next game before recording 17 last time out. The 20-year-old was 6-for-10 from the field against the Clippers and sank three of his five attempts from 3-point range after going 4-for-18 from beyond the arc over his previous four games – including two in the California Classic. Forward Cole Swider has had a strong showing for the Lakers in Sin City thus far, posting double-doubles in the first two contests while scoring 16 points in the loss to the Clippers. Forward Charles Bassey registered a double-double in both of Boston’s first two games and fell one rebound shy of another in the team’s loss to the Miami Heat on Monday.
Looking ahead
Red Sox at Cubs
Date: Friday | Time: 2:20 p.m. | Location: Chicago | TV: MLB Network
Major League Baseball returns from the All-Star break Friday with a 15-game schedule, and one of the most significant is the opener of the three-game series between Boston and Chicago. The Cubs won three of their final four games before the break but are clinging to a one-game lead in the National League Central over the red-hot Milwaukee Brewers, who are in the midst of a seven-game winning streak. The Red Sox have been even hotter as they ended the first half of the season with a 10-game winning streak to climb within three games of the first-place Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East. Lucas Giolito (6-1, 3.36 ERA), who has allowed a total of three earned runs across 38 2/3 innings in his last six turns, makes the start for Boston. Chicago counters with Colin Rea (7-3, 3.91), who has given up two runs or fewer in four of his last five outings.
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