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Week Ahead
THURSDAY 11/6
Rockets at Trail Blazers
This game is all about the guy who isn't there: Portland's Greg Oden (right), the NBA's most-talked-about player never to have scored a point. After missing all of last season with a knee injury, Oden finally made his pro debut on Oct. 28 against the Lakers—and sprained his foot in the first quarter. Without Oden, who's expected to miss three weeks, the task of shutting down Yao Ming falls to Joel Przybilla, who had 11 boards against L.A.
TNT 10:30 p.m.
SATURDAY 11/8
No. 3 Penn State at Iowa
After getting leapfrogged by Texas Tech (page 44) in the polls, the Nittany Lions need to make a statement against the Hawkeyes, who are tougher than their 5--4 record suggests. Led by running back Shonn Greene, who has gone over 100 yards in all nine games, Iowa is second in the Big Ten in scoring offense and third in scoring D. And the Hawkeyes have won five of their last six against Penn State.
ABC 3:30 p.m.
SUNDAY 11/9
2008 Paralympics
Among the athletes profiled in this 90-minute documentary on the competition held in Beijing following the Olympics is Scott Winkler (left). While serving in the Army in Tikrit, Iraq, in 2003, Winkler was paralyzed from the waist down when he fell off an ammo truck. Five years later he's the world-record holder in the adaptive shot put.
NBC 2:30 p.m.
TUESDAY 11/11
Penguins at Red Wings
After Detroit forward Marian Hossa (right) left Pittsburgh to sign a one-year deal with the Red Wings this summer, he said, "We'll see next year if I decided right or not." So far, so good. Hossa leads Detroit with 15 points, and the Wings are in first place in the Central.
Versus 7 p.m.
World Series of Poker Final Table
Call it Texas Hold On. Thanks to a restructuring of the tournament, this year's final table was set all the way back in July. After a 117-day layoff the nine survivors—who are led by Dennis Phillips, an account manager at a trucking company in St. Louis, who has the chip lead—will finally get to play for the $9.1 million top prize.
ESPN 9 p.m.
SI PICK OF THE WEEK
SUNDAY 11/9
Giants at Eagles
Finally healthy after rib and ankle injuries kept him out of two games, Philadelphia running back Brian Westbrook (above) had 167 yards on the ground against the Falcons two weeks ago, then proclaimed, "I'm ready to have a breakout game every week." He didn't quite make it 2 for 2 on Sunday, rushing for just 61 yards on 20 carries. But the Eagles kept their playoff hopes alive by routing the Seahawks 26--7, which improved them to 5--3 and kept them within two games of the 7--1 Giants.
NBC 8 p.m.
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HUNTER MARTIN/GETTY IMAGES (WESTBROOK)
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DAVE REGINEK/NHLI/GETTY IMAGES (HOSSA)
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RICARDO MORAES/AP (WINKLER)
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ANDREW D. BERNSTEIN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (ODEN)
