HARDEN WHO? | #TMK 20

Today: MNF, NBA, Alcaraz

Author

Clement Thibault
November 13, 2023

Today, on TMK:

James Harden airballs while Erling Haaland scores with his.

Catch Up:

  • ⚽ European Football: Mad 4-4 Draw

  • 🏈 NFL Week 10: 5 Game-Winning Field Goals

  • 🏀 NBA Recap: 76ers - Pacers, Warriors - Wolves

The Main Events:

  • 🏈 Monday Night Football

  • 🏀 NBA

  • 🎾Tennis

Extra Time:

  • ❓ Sports Trivia

  • 🗣️ Quote of the Day

  • ⭐ Can’t Miss Moment

  • 🧮 Stat of the Day

  • 📽️ Video of the Day

⚽ Top European Football

Chelsea 4 - 4 Manchester City

Once in a while, we get to witness a game of football that reminds us why it’s called “the beautiful game”. This truly was football at its best, arguably the match of the season so far, and one of the best draws in recent memory. This match feels like it could’ve ended 7-7.

This is perhaps the kind of attacking football we’ve come to expect from Manchester City under Pep Guardiola, but the opposing side rarely has the firepower to go toe to toe with City. Someway, somehow, after months on end of mediocre football at best, Chelsea came through to deliver a performance we hadn’t seen from it so far.

City and Chelsea combined for 32 shots on goal, of which 19 were on target. This game was paced to perfection for maximum viewing pleasure. There were dramatic moments throughout the game, from missed opportunities to late goals, including a 95th minute equalizer.

On City’s side, Rodri and Bernardo Silva worked overtime to compensate for the absence of City’s usual midfield leader Kevin De Bruyne. Haaland scored a double.

The real surprise was Chelsea’s ability to fight back.

Raheem Sterling looked as good as he ever has, with quick movements, dribbles, and a goal. Throughout his career, Sterling always seemed to have more potential than what he showed on the pitch, and it is great to see him play well.

If you ever had a friend you wanted to turn into a football fan, this is THE game to show them. If they don’t fall in love with football watching this, they never will.

FC Barcelona 2 - 1 Deportivo Alaves

Barcelona may have won, but it was anything but pretty.

Alaves dominated the first half. A better side would have led 3-0 at halftime, as Alaves’ attackers repeatedly squandered opportunities to grow their 1-0 lead. It wasn’t simply mediocre football from Barcelona - it was terrible football. It got bad enough that the usually rather tame Barcelona crowd voiced their discontent with their team.

Barcelona seems to have forgotten how to play attractive attacking football. Pass combinations are non-existant. The tiki-taka has been replaced by endless crosses from the wing, hoping to find Lewandowski in the middle. Granted - it worked. But is this version of football good enough to win the league, let alone the championship? It probably isn’t.

Not to mention that this brand of football isn’t fun to watch, which stands in stark contrast to the Messi years. Even if Barcelona didn’t always win, they were always a side fans looked forward to watching. Those days seem long gone, despite Barcelona’s many exciting young talents.

Alaves takes home the compliments for a match well played, but ultimately fell short as Barca pressed in the second half.

Bayer Leverkusen 4 - 0 Union Berlin

Speaking of fun, attractive football, if you haven’t tuned in to see Xabi Alonso’s brand of football at Bayer Leverkusen, now would be a good time to do so.

Granted, this year’s Union Berlin isn’t the Champions League worthy side we saw last year, but Leverkusen is on another level. This game could have ended 8-0 given how many occasions Leverkusen created.

Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen likes holding on to the ball and passing it around, but it is also looking for the counter, for the through ball, for opportunities to attack. This isn’t mindless side-to-side possession with an occasional cross. This team has the killer instinct, and no player embodies it more than Grimaldo who had an absolutely outrageous goal from outside the box to open the score.

In the neverending search for good football, this Leverkusen team is worth keeping an eye on.

Quick Notes

  • Liverpool easily dispatched Brentford, 3-0

  • Napoli is in shambles after losing 1-0 at home to Empoli

  • Inter stays at the top of Serie A after beating Frosinone 2-0

  • Lazio and Roma draw 0-0 in a heated derby

  • Atletico joins La Liga title fight with a 3-1 win over Villareal

  • RB Leipzig climbs to #4 in Bundesliga after 3-1 win over Freiburg

🏀 NBA Recap

Philadelphia 76ers 137 - 126 Indiana Pacers

Tyrese Maxey is going from “Harden from Wish” to a bonafide superstar. Harden who?

Maxey scored 50 points in the 76ers win over the Pacers and seemed to be everywhere all at once. On the rare occasion Maxey wasn't making the plays, reigning MVP Embiid was there to push the 76ers to an 8-game win streak. Embiid added 37 points to Maxey’s 50, and their combined 87 points was their best joint performance yet. These 76ers are finding their groove.

On the losing side, Haliburton had a stellar game that won’t be talked about enough, as he finished with 25 points, 17 assists, and ZERO turnovers. This was a masterclass in running an NBA offense. The Pacers fall to 6-4 following the loss, but they have plenty to offer.

Golden State Warriors 110 - 116 Minnesota Timberwolves

Is it too early to declare that Golden State is in a state of crisis?

Steph Curry aside, no player has scored 20 points for the Warriors this season. For a team known for its shooting capabilities and high-scoring offense, this is a shocking start to the season. Steph Curry is performing at a historical level, and the Warriors are wasting him by giving him zero support. Curry scored 38 points for the Warriors, and the rest of the team isn’t worth discussing.

But how about the Timberwolves? They are now 7-2 with wins over the Celtics, Nuggets, Warriors, and Heat. Has the pendulum swung back from undersized scorers to big men? Edwards scored 33 and is continuing his ascension to superstardom, while KAT and Gobert take care of the paint. The Timberwolves outscored the Warriors 62 to 38 in the paint.

Quick Notes

  • The Clippers lost to the 1-8 Grizzles, 105-101. Harden was -28 and airballed a game-tying 3.

  • Lamelo Ball scored 32 in the Hornets’ 129-117 loss to the Knicks

  • Jokic finished with 36-21-11 in a 107-104 loss to the Rockets

  • Irving and Luka (35 & 30 points) led the Mavs to a 136-124 W over the Pelicans

  • Duncan Robinson scored 26 in the Heat’s 118-133 W over Spurs. Wemby scored 18.

  • Phoenix loses again despite 28 from Durant, 111-99 to the Thunder.

  • The Lakers win without LeBron! Unbelievable. 116-110 vs the Trailblazers.

🏈 NFL Week 10

Baltimore Ravens 31 - 33 Cleveland Browns

The Ravens have a bad habit of losing games they have no business losing. First against the Colts, then the Steelers, and now to the Browns. The Ravens fall to 7-3 despite having all the opportunities in the world to be 10-0.

This time, the Ravens threw away a 14-point lead going into the 4th. Injuries to the offensive line gave new life to the Brown’s pass rush, not that Miles Garrett needed it. Lamar Jackson played one of his worst games for the Ravens this season, throwing two interceptions, including a pick-six with up 7 with 8 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

The Browns did what they had to do to stay in the game and ultimately outplayed a tired Ravens team in the 4th quarter when it mattered. The Ravens’ defense was unable to keep its usual high-intensity play style, and the Browns won on a 5-minute clock-eating drive and a walk-off field goal.

Cincinnati Bengals 27 - 30 Houston Texans

Another day, another game-winning drive from CJ Stroud.

The most exciting rookie quarterback this year threw for 356 yards and put his team in position to win the game as the clock expired. But Houston didn’t ‘steal’ this game; it outplayed Cincinnati for the majority of the game.

If anything, Cincinnati almost stole the game, but Tyler Boyd couldn’t hold on to a pass from Joe Burrow in the end zone late in the 4th. The Bengals had to settle for a field goal and kick the ball to the Texans, who covered the length of the field in 93 seconds to set up the game-winning field goal.

Houston’s offense looks as good as it has in recent times; Devin Singletary rushed 30 times for 150 yards, and WR Noah Brown caught 172 yards worth of passes. Houston is now 5-4 and would make the playoffs if the season ended today.

NFL Quick Notes

  • The Colts - Patriots game was even worse than expected

  • Joshua Dobbs leads the Vikings to Valhalla in a 27-19 win over the Saints

  • The Steelers keep finding ways to win, 23-19 against the Packers

  • QB Will Levis has a poor showing in 20-6 loss to the Bucs

  • The 49ers’ Purdy 3TD demolished the contending Jags, 34-3

  • QB Kyler Murray leads Cards to W over Falcons in his return from injury

  • A frantic game goes to the Lions in a 41-38 effort over the Chargers

  • Dak scores 5 TDs in 49-17 blowout win against undrafted Giants QB

  • Both Sam Howell and Geno Smith play well in 29-26 Seahawks win over Commanders

  • A bad primetime game ends with a Raiders W, 16-12 over Jets

🏈 Monday Night Football: Bills - Broncos

Seriously, who was in charge of primetime scheduling this week?

Between the Panthers and Bears on Thursday, the Jets and Raiders on Sunday, and the Bills and Broncos on Monday, this has been the WORST WEEK FOR PRIMETIME GAMES in recent memory.

The Bills are 5-4 and haven’t looked one bit like the contenders we expected them to be. The Bills’ offense is inconsistent, despite ranking as the 7th best in the league. They lost against the woeful Patriots and almost lost to the even worse Giants. Their defense is undoubtedly injured, but good teams and coaches manage to scheme their way around injuries to mitigate their impact.

The Broncos are coming into this game after an improbable 24-9 win over the Chiefs in this year’s weirdest, messiest game.

Broncos QB Russell Wilson completed only 12 passes for 119 yards but somehow a also threw 3 TDs. The Broncos ran the ball 40 times with varying success but knew how to capitalize on a comedy of errors from the Chiefs.

Both teams will be looking to play better in this Monday Night Football, but the real question is - can they?

🏀 NBA: 4 Games

Boston Celtics - New York Knicks

The classic NY - Boston rivalry is back, with both teams making the playoffs last year. Boston is coming in at 7-2 as Tatum, Brown, and Porzingis seem to be finding their rhythm. The Knicks are 5-4 but are lacking star power behind Brunson.

Toronto Raptors - Washington Wizards

The Raptors feel stuck with a good team, not a great one. Siakam and Schroder have led the Raptors to a 4-5 record so far, and this team looks primed to make the play-in but stop there.

The Wizards are rebuilding after the Beal trade, and are led by Kuzma, Poole, and Avdija. These three would make a strong supporting cast, but the task of leading an NBA team looks too much for them at the moment.

Milwaukee Bucks - Chicago Bulls

Damian Lillard is expected to be back in the lineup after an injury caused him to miss two games. The Bucks lost those two games. Health is always critical, but it looks to be even more so for the Bucks this year.

Demar DeRozan is playing well for the 4-5 Bulls and is averaging 22 points, but the Bulls don’t look like a team built to seriously challenge anyone in the East, let alone the Bucks.

Sacramento Kings - Cleveland Cavaliers

Both the Cavs and Kings have more to offer than what they’re showing, mostly due to injuries. These are two teams with enough talent to make the playoffs in their respective conferences, though perhaps not enough to make a deep playoff run.

Mitchell is scoring 29.5 points per game for the Cavs, and the Kings without DeAaron Fox will need a complete team game to challenge the Cavs.

🎾 ATP Masters: Alcaraz - Zverev

Carlos Alcaraz is back in action after losing 2 in a row. For a moment he looked like the spiritual successor of Nadal and Federer, but he has looked more fragile over the past few months and hasn’t shown the same fire as before. Alcaraz is an immensely talent player and world tennis would be worse off without him at his best.

Zverev is back in the world's top 10 and will be looking to reestablish himself as a force to be reckoned with. At 1.98m tall, his serves are always a pain to deal with, and he moves better than one might expect.

❓Sports Trivia

This week, a record 5 NFL games were decided by a field goal in the final seconds. But who holds the record for the longest NFL field goal?

🗣️ Quote Of The Day

“I have never scored with my balls before. So that is a milestone”

Erling Haaland can score with every part of his body, balls now included. He slid somewhat awkwardly towards a low cross and scored after the ball hit him in the groin area.

Give him the Golden Ball right now.

⭐ Can’t Miss Moment

Dimarco Scores a WORLDIE for Inter

Distance isn’t an issue for Dimarco. This will be in the conversation for “best goal of the season”.

🧮 Stat Of The Day

The Timberwolves are the ONLY team to hold opponents to <50% FG shooting

Every year has an emerging team. This year might finally be the Timberwolves’.

📽️ Video of the Day

8 Goals in 2 Minutes

If you haven’t seen the Chelsea-City recap, do yourself a favor and watch it.

Wrap Up

I’m already warning you: this is going to be a SLOW week in sports. There’s no European Football for the next two weeks, so we’ll have to live weekend to weekend for now.

Trivia answer: Justin Tucker from the Baltimore Ravens holds the longest field goal record, with a 69-yard game-winning kick against the Lions in 2019.