The weekends are a time for getting out into the world and seeing friends and family; but youll miss all the action if you do that.There are only seven rounds remaining in the NFL season, and things are starting to heat up; in the NBA, meanwhile, every team is still filled with optimism about their chances during this season.So how can you be expected to catch up for coffee with friends when your team is on the TV?Heres what you do; fill up the coffee pot, buy plenty of snacks, set your TV to ESPN and invite your friends over. That right there is killing two birds with one stone.With so much action on, here are the cant-miss games this weekend.NFLNew Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers - Friday, ESPN @ 12.25pm (AEDT)Week 11 of the NFL season kicks off with a Thursday night showdown between two teams fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Saints emerged victorious, 41-38, the last time these sides met, back in Week 6, but what can we expect this time around?With the Saints possessing the worst pass defense in the league and the Panthers the eighth worst, expect both Drew Brees and Cam Newton to rack up the passing yards and put plenty of scores on the board.Both sides are coming off tough losses and will be hungry to get over the line. Can the Panthers salvage anything from this painful season or will the Saints march on towards a Wildcard spot?ESPN Pick: Brees to outgun Newton in an epic. 38-34Odds: Carolina $1.54 v New Orleans $2.50Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Kansas City Chiefs -- Monday, ESPN RedZone @ 5am (AEDT)The Chiefs pulled off a miracle last week against the Panthers, scoring 17 points in the final quarter to steal one on the road by three points, 20-17. The Bucs had a much easier week against the lacklustre Chicago Bears, taking the points with a comfortable 36-10 win.Jameis Winston is coming into his own as a starting quarterback for the Bucaneers, but he will need to be on top of his game if he wants to get past the Chiefs. Winston has thrown 10 intercepts this season and the Chiefs defence -- with Marcus Peters and Eric Berry having a combined seven intercepts -- will be ready should one ball be thrown out of place.Kansas City are a tough unit to score against, and things could be bleak for the Bucs inside Arrowhead Stadium if Winston isnt on his A game from the opening kick.ESPN Pick: Chiefs D to cause mayhem. 23-13Odds: Tampa Bay $3.55 v Kansas City $1.30Baltimore Ravens vs. Dallas Cowboys -- Monday ESPN RedZone @ 5am (AEDT)The league-leading Cowboys welcome the Ravens into their home, and the hosts rookie sensations, Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, will look to continue their stellar seasons.With Elliott leading the charge, the Cowboys average the most rushing yards per game in the league (161) but theyve never come up against a side like the Ravens.Possessing the No. 1-ranked rushing defence in the league, and also the fifth-ranked passing D, the Ravens smother teams and punish them relentlessly. Will the Cowboys put more reliance on Prescott to throw big numbers or can Elliott get beyond the Ravens defensive line?Were about to find out what happens when an unstoppable force (Cowboys/Elliott) meets an immovable object (Ravens defense)?ESPN Pick: Prescott to air it out in a battle. 17-13Odds: Dallas $1.30 v Baltimore $3.55NBAPhiladelphia 76ers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves - Friday, ESPN2 @ 12pm (AEDT)This is a battle of up-and-coming stars, two teams with young incredible talent squaring off against each other.Philly fans have been trusting the process for a long time now, and, unfortunately, this season hasnt been any easier. Joel Embiid looks terrific, but things are still bleak in the City of Brotherly Love - where fans await the return of Ben Simmons.Minnesota on the other hand have a young core that is extremely fun to watch, and the signs all point towards a bright future. With Andrew Wiggins is starting to develop his offensive skill set and Karl Anthony-Towns is seemingly able to do it all; how will the 76ers cope?Can Brett Brown and his team grab their second win of the season or will the Wolves prove their process is the far superior product?ESPN Pick: Wiggins and Towns to carry the Wolves. 104-90Odds: Minnesota $1.12 v Philadelphia $6.30Golden State Warriors vs. Boston Celtics - Saturday, ESPN @ 12pm (AEDT)Game one of the Saturday double header sees the self-anoinyed Super Villains take on the Celtics.Golden State are the No. 1 target for every other team in the league; theyre the biggest baddest wolf in the land, and everyone else wants to take them down. The Celtics never back down from a fight, and they will look to take it up to the Warriors.The Warriors have seemingly found their groove since losing to the Lakers, scoring at astronomical heights. Theyre averaging 119 points per game with the big four pouring in 89 points per game during that span.Can the Celtics stop the juggernaut or will the Warriors continue on their merry way?ESPN Pick: Boston love to cause an upset and will do so here. 117-111Los Angeles Clippers vs. Sacramento Kings - Saturday, ESPN @ 2.30pm (AEDT)The Clippers have been the best team in the league this season, opening with a 10-1 record and a streak of seven wins as they go up against the often dysfunctional Kings.The Kings DeMarcus Cousins is one of the most skilled big men in the game, and he can turn games almost single-handedly, but his frustration can get the better of him. Will the Clippers look to get under his skin and throw him off or will they just rely upon their weapons to get the job done?Chris Paul is leading the charge and Blake Griffin is back in full health, so this looks like a one-sided affair; but the Kings are such a difficult puzzle to understand that they could just pull off the upset.ESPN Pick: Clippers are rolling and dont look like stopping. 113-89 NBA markets: SWell Marble Bottle Uk .Y. -- Marcell Dareus and the Buffalo Bills defence made life miserable for Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco. Swell Blue Marble Bottle . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. http://www.ukswellbottle.com/ . McCarthy, a player who played some games in the second tier for Wigan at the start of this season, would go on to shine inside Evertons midfield, outplaying the man he was brought in to replace, on one of the grandest stages in English football. On Saturday, it was fitting that Manchester Uniteds most recent dagger into the chest was delivered by Frenchman Yohan Cabaye, a wonderfully gifted central midfielder who put on an outstanding effort for Newcastle at Old Trafford. Swell Bottle 17 Oz Sale . Barcelonas entertaining victory ensured the defending Spanish champions retained their share of the league lead with Atletico Madrid two rounds ahead of their meeting in the capital. Real Madrid needed a late goal by substitute Jese Rodriguez to earn a 3-2 victory at Valencia to stay in third place and three points behind its title rivals. Swell Bottle Milky Way .Y. - Nelson Mandela will be honoured by the New York Yankees with a plaque in Monument Park. It has been two weeks since WWE kicked off its self-proclaimed new era with a brand split and a draft, changes that produced a red-hot run of shows on Raw.But the WWEs flagship program came back down to earth Monday night in a big way.If the fading of the new-car smell seems quick, it shouldnt, as the timing fits in with WWEs recent history. Week 3 of the four-week structure between pay-per-view events has typically been the weakest, with the more explosive moments saved for the go-home show. Its something that bodes well for next week, just days before SummerSlam invades New York City.But the bar had been set high in previous weeks with new pushes, fresh booking and a heavy splash of much-needed PG-13 dialogue and intensity, all of which were mostly missing Monday (with the exception of some well-played jokes at the expense of Big Es injury below the belt).In its place was a noticeable void of top stars being used in prominent spots and a predictable finish to a main event match --?Rusev?vs.?Cesaro?for the WWE United States title -- that didnt start until 11 p.m. ET and had?been?hastily thrown together moments earlier.If the WWE had hopes of building two separate brands that are independent of and in competition with each other, the cheap pop from SmackDown Lives Daniel Bryan invading the final segment of Raw felt gratuitous. Cross-pollinating with run-ins from?Brock Lesnar?and?Randy Orton?is one thing and an extreme case unto itself; this one, however, was forced.But all was not lost Monday as WWE did a good job, mostly in subtle ways, of keeping the storyline moving within the major feuds. The attention to detail remained high, proving to be a good step forward from the old method of killing time with unnecessary rematches. Its something we are likely to see less of after the brand extension because of how valuable each second of real estate has become.Credit?Seth Rollins?(in-ring) and?Finn Balor?(pretaped) for strong promos to keep interest high ahead of their inaugural WWE Universal title match, even if the decision not to showcase Balor in a match on Monday felt like?a?mistake.Rollins did a nice job of teasing the fear inside of him (remember, every great heel needs a weakness or he or she wouldnt have chosen that path) over Balors hidden persona, with references to Balors last name translating to demon king in Irish mythology. Balor, meanwhile, showed hints at a possible heel turn down the road (Balor Club, anyone?) by teasing a creepier and more sinister edge. WWE doesnt usually take that much time explaining the origin of a character, but for anyone who doesnt watch NXT and will be seeing Balors face paint and unique entrance at SummerSlam for the first time, it made sense.The WWE also officially announced three more bouts for the Aug. 21 SummerSlam card in Brooklyn:?Enzo & Cass?vs.?Chris Jericho?and?Kevin Owens?in a tag team match; Rusev vs.?Roman Reigns?for Rusevs United States?championship;?and?The New Day?vs.?The Club?for the WWE tag team championships.Hits and missesA match as star-studded as Lesnar-Orton doesnt need much of a proper build to garner buzz, especially with Orton returning from injury and Lesnar fresh off the bad press of a UFC doping violation. But WWE has done well?to build this the old-fashioned way and?not?cut corners. Mondays prepackaged video?promo showcasing their history was full of trash talk, the perfect complement to each superstar trading finishing moves last week.Sasha Banks victory over?Dana Brooke?added a stipulation to Banks WWE womens championship rematch with Charlotte at SummerSlam, banning Brooke from ringside. Banks-Charlotte?is the rivalry WWE fans have clamored for since day one of last years so-called Divas Revolution (now Womens Revolution). Removing the chance of a schmoz?finish should allow two of the companys best workers to better shine.With the brand split producing a shortage of tag teams on each show, Im all for WWE getting creative in matching Jericho and Oweens as tag team foils at SummerSlam for?Enzo Amore?and?Big Cass.dddddddddddd All?four?superstars can talk and the two heels are strong enough workers to help Enzo and Cass get the extra shine and seasoning they still need in the ring.Big Cass wisecrack against Jericho and Owens (referencing Bert and Ernie of Sesame Street) came off as crass, considering the potentially homophobic undertones. Although adding some spice to the dialogue is mostly welcome in this PG era, this was an uncalled-for turn.It was a piece of cake for @WWERomanReigns to wreck @RusevBUL and @LanaWWEs post-wedding celebration. #RAW https://t.co/X4UljoY7UK- WWE (@WWE) August 9, 2016Reigns was strong in the Rusev-Lana segment, receiving huge pops on his way in and out of the ring as WWE stubbornly stays the course of keeping him babyface. Reigns twice telling Rusev to put that beef away as he took off his vest was an honorable mention for line of the night.Raw announcer Corey Graves referred to?Braun Strowman?as a walking abomination during the former Wyatt Family members third straight squash match. As far as on-the-fly descriptors are concerned, that was?perfect.Part of why?Titus ONeils?subtle heel turn against?Darren Young?is working so well is hes taking an already physical style and adding viciousness. This is the right direction.It was good to see WWE continue a trend that any formal event that takes place inside the ring needs to end in all-out craziness. Rusev and?Lanas?wedding segment was poorly written and went on way too?long, but the payoff of Lana going face-first into the cake was enough to cover all sins (even if seeing her covered in red frosting brought eerie flashbacks of the 1976 thriller Carrie).Ive never been one for forced celebrity skits on WWE television, but considering the amount of promotion for Sean Puff Daddy Combs guest spot on Raw, his brief appearance was underwhelming. Considering he had good chemistry with The New Day and Mick Foley, and his off-color joke on?Big Es?injury worked (complete with Foleys response of You cant say that on TV), I would have liked to see?more.Move of the nightNeville?made his second appearance on Raw since missing four months with a fractured ankle. He looked great teaming with?Sin Cara?(newly clad in all black) against The?Dudley Boyz. While Nevilles incredible finisher, the?Red?Arrow, had become an overused party favor ever since his call-up from NXT, nothing quite does it full justice like seeing it in a slow-motion replay. The one he landed Monday against?D-Von Dudley?was a thing of?beauty.Line of the nightIf you forget, Ive been doing this since I was 5 years old. Im like a f---ing robot. I train, I eat and I s--- f---ing opponents. Thats what I do for a living. - Lesnar, during a pretaped video promo hyping his SummerSlam bout against Orton.Campbells criticismThe use of?Cesaro?in two separate matches Monday, only to see him sent deeper into a feud with?Sheamus?that no one cares about, was particularly disappointing. Had Cesaro, an underused and forgotten player beloved?by?smart fans, surprised Rusev by winning the U.S. title in the main event, setting up an out-of-nowhere triple threat at SummerSlam, it would have accomplished three things. First, the upset win would have saved last nights largely forgettable show. Second, it would have justified the storyline push of using Cesaro twice in one night. Finally, the shotgun booking would have furthered the idea that anything can happen in this must-see new era of Raw and SmackDown. Falling back on a predictable finish, using the tease of a stipulation to hold interest in an otherwise unnecessary and poorly executed main event, instead added to the belief that Cesaro is an afterthought in the eyes of the WWE, particularly on Raw, and a superstar who could be much better off with some kind of trade to SmackDown. ' ' '