The Lakers are starting to look like the Lakers | Previewing the Champions League final

Hello everyone, it's Shanna McCarriston here and I'm back from California and ready to give you all the important sports news of the day.

I had a blast on vacation, which included a trip to LegoLand and the San Diego Zoo -- both of which were pretty great. But now it's back to reality -- and time to plan another trip.

Today we will be talking about the NBA playoffs (of course), the upcoming UEFA Champions League Final, Tiger Woods' recovery and more.

Let's get to it.

📰 What you need to know

1. Lakers sink Suns to take series lead 🏀

After having to prove their worth in the Play-In Tournament, the Lakers are starting to look a team nobody should want to face in the playoffs. Last night, they beat the Suns, 109-95, to go up 2-1 in the series.

The defending champions didn't have the most perfect game on Thursday, but a win is a win and Los Angeles got it done. A major player in this one was Anthony Davis, who had 34 points and 11 rebounds. LeBron James started slow, but looked more like himself in the second half.

Here are some key takeaways from the game, courtesy of our NBA scribe Sam Quinn:

The Lakers turned back the clock: The game slowed down -- as it often does in the playoffs -- and became defense heavy. The second quarter had just 28 points total, but this old-school style of play is favorable for the Lakers, who used it to their advantage
It's clear Chris Paul isn't 100%: While the team may be saying Paul is a "full go," it's clear on the court that this is not exactly the whole truth. Paul played 23 minutes and the Suns were outscored by 20 with him in the game
Lakers role players aren't making their shots: In Phoenix, Kyle Kuzma was 1 of 6, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was 2 of 13 and Wesley Matthews was 1 of 6. But home court advantage should help that in theory, right? Matthews went 2 of 5 from the field, Kuzma shot 2 of 12 in Game 3 and Caldwell-Pope didn't hit a 3, so not exactly the best from these guys.

The Suns got off to a hot start winning Game 1, but the Lakers have been able to bounce back and now have the chance to really gain control of the series this weekend. Game Three is on Sunday in Los Angeles.

2. Our soccer experts preview the Champions League Final ⚽

thomas-tuchel-chelsea-pep-guardiola-manchester-city-champions-league.jpg — Getty Images

It's finally here. The Champions League Final between Manchester City and Chelsea is set for Saturday at 3 p.m. on CBS and Paramount+ and you know what that means ... you are in the right place to get prepared for the big game.

Here are some predictions from the CBS Sports soccer team:

Thomas Rongen's pick: Manchester City 3, Chelsea 1
Luis Miguel Echegaray's pick: Manchester City 2, Chelsea 1
Roger Gonzalez's pick: Manchester City 2, Chelsea 1

Across the board, all eight of our experts selected Manchester City to win. For their full commentary on why they made these predictions, along with takes from the other fabulous experts, click here.

While our predictions may lean towards Manchester City, Chelsea is confident and key players expressed their readiness for Saturday's game:

American Christian Pulisic: "There have been some real ups, also some times where I had some really difficult moments. I'm happy with my form now. I'm happy with the way I'm feeling. I'm confident ... I'm ready to play, I want to play."

Lastly, the betting side of the game. William Hill Sportsbook has the odds at:

Manchester City -113
Draw +235
Chelsea +350

3. Tiger Woods breaks his silence for the first time since crash ⛳

Since his car crash three months ago, there have been few updates on how Tiger Woods is doing. On Thursday, we heard from the golfer directly, as he spoke with Golf Digest about the progress and struggles he's faced so far.

Following the crash that occurred near Los Angeles, Woods had surgery on his right leg. He was very open about how difficult it has been since the incident.

Woods: "This has been an entirely different animal. I understand more of the rehab processes because of my past injuries, but this was more painful than anything I have ever experienced"

There are still a lot of unknowns regarding his future, but the golf legend's main focus right now is just being able to walk on his own. In the latest photo seen of Woods, he is in a walking boot and using crutches to walk.

Woods' golf future is very up in the air, but after hearing from the golfer directly, it seems that he is slowly improving.

4. Predicting how college football coaches will fare in their new roles 🏈

It seems like a great time for a college football check-in, so let's talk CFB, shall we? Now that the coaching carousel is settled for the 2020-21 cycle, the experts at CBS Sports have taken a look at all the new hires.

Our own Chip Patterson decided to assign some superlatives to new hires, as well as coaches who have changed locations.

Here are some of his predictions:

Most likely to win big early: Tie between Bryan Harsin at Auburn and Gus Malzahn at UCF
Most likely to win big later: Steve Sarkisian at Texas
Toughest rebuild: Tie between Lance Leipold at Kansas and Jedd Fisch at Arizona
Easiest program to maintain: Andy Avalos at Boise State
Toughest program to maintain: Maurice Linguist at Buffalo
Power five candidate: Blake Anderson at Utah State

Even just thinking about next year has me ready to go for next season. Just a few more months to wait. For Patterson's full list of predictions along with commentary, click here.