HAPPY THANKSGIVING | TMK #30

Today, on TMK:

The Mavs are thankful for Kyrie, the Celtics are thankful for their big 3, and I’m thankful for all of you reading this.

Headlines

Catch Up

• 🏀 NBA

The Main Events

• 🏈 NFL Thanksgiving Games

• 🏀 Euroleague

Extra Time:

• ❓ Sports Trivia

• 🗣️ Quote of the Day

• ⭐ Can’t Miss Moment

• 🧮 Stat of the Day

• 📽️ Video of the Day

Big 3 Leads Celtics To Victory Over Bucks, 119-116

• The Celtics’ big three combined for 70 points, and are playing the most entertaining basketball in the league.

Kyrie Irving Hits Dagger 3, Staves Off Surging Lakers 104-101

• The Mavs really tried to throw this game away, but Kyrie was there to seal the deal with 22 seconds to go.

Pittsburgh Steelers Fire OC Matt Canada

• The Steelers are one of the league’s worst offenses with Kenny Pickett as QB. Let’s see if someone else can do better.

🏀 NBA

Boston Celtics 119-116 Milwaukee Bucks

Behind the back passes, windmill dunks, and white dudes alley-oop? The Boston Celtics are playing the most fun basketball in the league right now. They’re having fun together on the court, and it shows.

The Celtics led this game by as much as 20, but let the Bucks come back late into the game and almost steal it. Lillard totaled 27 points but missed two crucial baskets with less than a minute to go. Giannis had a quiet night by his standards and finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds.

The Celtics played a short rotation; only 8 players were involved tonight, but 7 scored in double digits. Brown, Tatum, and Porzingis led the Celtics with 26, 23, and 21 points respectively. The Celtics have a blend of star power and depth, but really stand out because of their team play.

The Bucks will need to find another gear to challenge this Celtics team for the Eastern Conference crown.

Orlando Magic 124-119 Denver Nuggets

It’s not often that a 30-13-12 triple-double from Nikola Jokic isn’t enough for the Nuggets to win, but today was one of those days. Porter Jr. added 25 for the Nuggets, and Aaron Gordon scored 15. But more than anything, the Nuggets were let down by their defense.

Franz Wagner scored 27 for the Magic, and Paolo Banchero added 23. The highlight of this game is the Magic’s 4th quarter performance, when they scored 42 points to put the game away. The 5-point difference at the end of the game is also the Magic’s largest lead of the game.

The Orlando Magic are now 10-5, and they’re a team that’s hard to figure out. On offense, they don’t have a single player averaging 20 points a game, but they have 6 players averaging double digits. On defense, they’re ranked #1 in points allowed per 100 possessions and #4 in points allowed per game.

The Nuggets are 4-4 since Jamal Murray went down with an injury. Granted, Jokic is not having the best of weeks, but the Nuggets need to regroup.

Cleveland Cavaliers 96-129 Miami Heat

The Miami Heat played a very atypical game, but if it works, it works.

Lowry scored 7 threes and led all scorers with 28 points for the Heat, and rookie Jacquez Jr. stepped up with 22, on a night where Miami’s usual suspects were mostly quiet. Adebayo is out with an injury, Butler only scored 10, and Robinson 7. But the Heat, with 8 players scoring in double digits, had enough firepower to take down the Cavs.

The Cavs’ emerging stars - Garland, Allen, and Mobley - couldn’t replicate their recent performances against the Nuggets and 76ers. Allen finished with a lowly 4 points, a far cry from his 26 points against the 76ers. Despite their recent Mitchell-less successes, the Cavs are unsurprisingly a better and more consistent team when their star player is available.

Minnesota Timberwolves 112-96 Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers had to play the NBA’s most dominant team in the paint without their MVP big man Joel Embiid. It didn’t go well.

Anthony Edwards took over the game with 31 points for the Timberwolves, and KAT added 23 points and 11 rebounds. Rudy Gobert, the Wolves’ second big man, finished with a 13-11 double-double.

But the real story of this game is Minnesota’s defense.

The 76ers failed to score 100 points, and no 76er scored more than 16 points. Minnesota limited the 76ers to 39% from the field and 22% from three. The Timberwolves are one of the best defensive teams in the NBA and are historically great at affecting the shooting percentage of their opponents. They are now 11-3 and looking primed for their first playoff push in years.

Phoenix Suns 123-115 Golden State Warriors

If there is one thing we know about the Warriors, is that they NEED Steph Curry at his best to compete. Unfortunately, tonight wasn’t Curry’s night. He finished with 18 points on 1-8 shooting from the three. The Warriors can be encouraged by Klay Thompson’s 23 points - a season-best - but there isn’t much positive to take from this game otherwise.

The Suns on the other hand are really coming into their own with Durant and Booker. I may be repeating myself, but what a duo do these two make. Durant is the first scoring option and scored 32, and that allows Booker to play PG in addition to going for buckets. It shows in tonight's scoreline, as Booker finished with 25 points and 10 assists.

We’ve talked about the Suns needing time to define roles and gel, and it is evident that the chemistry is building for this Suns team.

Los Angeles Lakers 101-104 Dallas Mavericks

This Dallas Mavericks team is baffling. They can easily build a 20-point lead, and just as easily throw it away in the 4th quarter to make a game of what should have been a blowout victory.

With players like Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, the Mavs should never go scoreless for a full 5 minutes in the 4th. And yet, they did just that. The Mavs started the 4th quarter with 91 points; they had 93 points halfway through. Lucky for the Mavs, the game came down to two shots from three; LeBron missed his, Kyrie didn’t.

Luka Doncic finished with his usual 30-12-8 line, and Irving added 28 points. But the Mavs still look like a shaky team. Doncic finished with a plus/minus of -11 and forced too many threes; he finished 3-12 from three.

LeBron, despite missing an all-important three and losing the ball with seconds to go, led the Lakers with 26 points. Austin Reaves was his second with 17, and Mr. Inconsistent Anthony Davis finished with 10 points. The Lakers - and specifically Davis - have to do more to help LeBron if they want to contend this year.

Quick Notes

Charlotte Hornets 117-114 Washington Wizards

• Lamelo Ball is not being talked about enough. He had yet another 34-8-13 performance in his fourth straight game with 34 or more points.

Atlanta Hawks 147-145 Brooklyn Nets

• All the Hawks do is play high-scoring games. 43 points from Trae Young were enough to take the W despite 45 points from the Nets’ Mikal Bridges.

Indiana Pacers 131-132 Toronto Raptors

• Tyrese Haliburton’s 33 points and 16 assists were not enough, as Buddy Hield missed a game-winning buzzer-beater. Siakam led the Raptors with 36 points and 10 rebounds.

Houston Rockets 111-91 Memphis Grizzlies

• The Rockets bounced back thanks to 34 points from Jalen Green. The Grizzlies are 11 games away from getting Ja Morant back.

New Orleans Pelicans 117-112 Sacramento Kings

• The Pelicans are quietly 8-7 after defeating a good Kings team. Zion and Ingram scored 25 and 23. Fox’s 26 was not enough for the Kings.

Oklahoma City Thunder 116-102 Chicago Bulls

• Shai Gilgeous Alexander dropped 40 points and 12 assists to lead the Thunder. DeRozan scored 25 for the Bulls but winning without an injured Zach Lavine is a near-impossible task for a weak Chicago team.

San Antonio Spurs 102-109 Los Angeles Clippers

• The Clippers have now won 3 straight thanks to 26 points from Kawhi and 24 from George. Wemby had a strong showing with 22 points and 15 rebounds, but the Spurs lost their 10th game in a row.

Portland Trail Blazers 121-105 Utah Jazz

• The Utah Jazz, a playoff team last year, are in full-blown crisis mode after dropping to 4-11 and losing to the Trailblazers, of all teams. Once again, Jerami Grant had an excellent night for the Blazers and scored 30.

🏈 NFL Thanksgiving Games

Detroit Lions (8-2) - Green Bay Packers (4-6)

The Lions barely escaped with a victory against Chicago last time around, and have their best record since 1962. QB Jared Goff is 5th in the league in passing, and WR St. Brown is fifth in the league in receiving.

Goff is coming off his first multiple-interception game of the season and will be looking to take much better care of the football. I hate to say it, but Detroit does not look like an 8-2 team.

The Packers knew this season would be tough, but there are encouraging signs. QB Jordan Love threw for 320 yards and 2TD last game, including a late-game winner. The Packers found a way to get it done against a high-octane Chargers offense, and they’ll be looking to do the same against the Lions.

Dallas Cowboys (7-3) - Washington Commanders (4-7)

The Cowboys look like legitimate contenders, having won 4 of their last 5, with their lone loss coming against the NFL-leading Eagles in a very close game. QB Dak Prescott is completing 70% of his passes, a career-high.

WR Ceedee Lamb is having a career year, having surpassed 1000 yards receiving with 7 games still to go. The Cowboys are #5 in offensive yards, and #2 in yards allowed. They’re firing on offense and defense.

The Commanders are coming off a loss against the Giants, arguably the NFL’s worst team. Sam Howell has been their bright spot at QB; he’s leading the league in passing and is the only QB with over 3000 yards passing. Other than that, and after shipping their two main pass rushers before the trade deadline, the Commanders don’t have a lot to offer. Dallas should win this easily.

Seattle Seahawks (6-4) - San Fransisco 49ers (7-3)

Both Seattle and the 49ers looked great and vulnerable at times, but it looks like the 49ers are trending up, while the Seahawks are trending down.

Seattle faces an uphill battle, especially with key injuries to quarterback Geno Smith and running back Kenneth Walker III. Add to that the 49ers’ pass-rushing duo of Bosa and Young, and the injuries to the Seahawks’ offensive line, and it’s hard to see the Seahawks staying competitive for long.

The key to the Seahawks’ success will be their defense. They have to keep this a low-scoring affair, and having Safety Jamal Adams back from injury should help Bobby Wagner and company. However, given Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey’s form, containing the 49ers offense is much easier said than done.

🏀 Euroleague Matchday 10

Asvel - Bayern Munich

ASVEL Villeurbanne faces FC Bayern Munich at the LDLC Arena for the inaugural EuroLeague game. ASVEL seeks their first home win this season, while Bayern aims to break a four-game road losing streak. Nando De Colo should have a thrilling backcourt battle against Leandro Bolmaro, who's been a consistent scorer for ASVEL. Bayern, led by former All-NBA player Serge Ibaka, tops the league in rebounds but will be challenged by ASVEL's towering force Youssoupha Fall.

Maccabi Tel Aviv - FC Barcelona

FC Barcelona faces a significant challenge against Maccabi Tel Aviv on the road after two tough losses. Maccabi is riding high from a recent win over Fenerbahce, boosted by Bonzie Colson's impressive double-double and a remarkable offensive-rebounding display. Barcelona will lean on players like Jan Vesely and Willy Hernangomez to secure their defense against Maccabi's strong rebounding, while they hope Nicolas Laprovittola finds his scoring rhythm against Maccabi's Lorenzo Brown.

Panathinaikos - Valencia

Panathinaikos Athens aims for a fourth consecutive win against a struggling Valencia who has lost three in a row. Dinos Mitoglou has been pivotal for Pana, averaging 17.8 points and 6.7 rebounds, and his matchup against Valencia's Semi Ojeleye might sway the game's outcome. The paint battle features familiar faces as Panathinaikos' Aleksander Balcerowski faces off against former teammate Damien Inglis from their EuroCup championship-winning days at Gran Canaria.

Virtus Bologna - Fenerbahçe

Virtus aims to solidify its playoff position while Fenerbahce battles a string of injuries and three consecutive losses. Virtus, despite recent setbacks, has been reliable from beyond the arc, although star player Toko Shengelia has encountered shooting struggles lately. Fenerbahce looks to Scottie Wilbekin for three-point firepower, as he leads the team in scoring and delivered a strong performance with 5 triples in their previous tough loss against Maccabi.

Real Madrid - Alba Berlin

Real Madrid, the undefeated Euroleague leaders, face off against ALBA Berlin, the bottom-ranked team. ALBA pins hope on Louis Olinde's sharp shooting (69% from two-point range), while Real boasts the consistent scoring of Dzanan Musa, aiming for another strong performance after his 21-point game against Monaco. Despite missing injured forward Guerschon Yabusele, Real Madrid holds a perfect 14-0 record against ALBA, so anything but a win would be the upset of the season.

❓Sports Trivia

The Spurs and Pistons are on bad losing streaks. Which team holds the record for a single-season losing streak in the NBA?

The answer is in the wrap-up.

🗣️ Quote Of The Day

“Can we stop the booing? It’s not who we are. Knock off the booing”

Coach Pop grabbed the mic during Kawhi Leonard’s free throws to ask the fans to respect their former Finals MVP.

Honorable, but futile. Spurs fans booed even harder after Pop’s comments.

⭐ Can’t Miss Moment

Dame Time? Rim Check Time.

Missing a dunk down 4 with 15 seconds to go? Ouch.

🧮 Stat Of The Day

The Pistons have had three 12-game losing streaks in the past 9 months

Cade Cunningham is trying his best, but the Pistons’ organization really isn’t.

📽️ Video of the Day

CP3 gets 2 technical fouls in 5 seconds, is ejected

NBA ref Scott Foster and Chris Paul are not friends. 2 technicals and an ejection in the span of 5 seconds must be a record. After the game, CP3 said he and Foster have a personal issue.

Click HERE to watch on Youtube.

Wrap Up

Three NFL games highlight this Thanksgiving Thursday, as the NBA takes a well-deserved day off. As for us, we’ll be back tomorrow of course. See you then.

❗Trivia answer: The Cavs (2010-2011) and 76ers (2013-2014) both lost 26 games in a row. About two months of nothing but losses.