FOOTBALL

In the NFL, it was Thursday Night Football between the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Titans.  The Titans have been very disorganized the last few weeks, especially since they lost their quarterback Vince Young.  On the other side, Peyton Manning has been in his own slump.  He has thrown 11 interceptions the last 3 games in three straight losses — a rare thing for the Colts. Manning came out sharp this time around.  He hit Pierre Garcon for 2 touchdowns in the first half, as the Colts jumped out to a 21-0 lead.  The Titans came surging back in the second behind two clutch touchdowns from Kerry Collins to tight-end Bo Scaiffe, but it simply wasn’t enough to catch up to Manning.  He finished the night with 319 yards and 2 TDs.  Oddly, the Colts are going to have to fight to win their playoff spot.  That’s something they’re not used to.  Indianapolis 30, Tennessee 28.

BASKETBALL

In the NBA, the Dallas Mavericks have been on fire lately.  They have won their last 10 games, and looked to make it 11 against the New Jersey Nets.  A big key to the Mavericks success has been their point guard, Jason Kidd.  He’s old, but he’s still got it.  In fact, this was a showdown between Kidd and they guy they traded for Kidd, Devin Harris.  Harris got injured early in the game, falling hard to the ground and leaving with a sprained shoulder.  Kidd had another well-rounded night, putting up 9 points and 8 assists.  These guys are jelling now.  Nowitzki led the way for the Mavs with 21 points and 10 rebounds.  Dallas looks like they could beat any team in the league right now.  Dallas 102, New Jersey 89.

Finally, also in the NBA, the Boston Celtics are the red-hot team in the East right now.  They were trying to protect an 8-game winning streak against the Philadelphia 76ers.  The Sixers started out bad, but have steadily improved.  They have some serious talent from a string of lottery picks, and just need to learn how to play as a team.  Last night was a real test for them playing one of the best “team-ball” squads in the NBA.  The Sixers put up a well-distributed set of points.  Each guy gets their points in an efficient way — that’s what makes the Sixers a dangerous upset pick every night.  But, in the end, the Celtics were just slightly too much.  Ray Allen led the way with 24 points, giving the Celtics their 9th straight win.  But good news, Philly fans:  Your team looks competitive.  Boston 102, Philadelphia 101.