The New Orleans Saints have clinched a playoff spot with their 17-14 win over the NFC South Divison-leading Atlanta Falcons last night. Drew Brees of New Orleans threw consecutive interceptions in the fourth quarter, but he kept his cool and led his team to a 90-yard touchdown and a win. Brees told reporters after the game that “I was telling myself ‘you have to put that behind you.’ You had to, in a game like this, stay composed and find a way to convert and go down and score. In the end, we found a way to win.”
Despite the loss of center Dirk Nowitziki due to an injury, the Dallas Mavericks beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-93 on Monday. Nowitziki scored 13 points before leaving the game in the second quarter with a sore right knee. Forward Caron Butler picked up the slack with his 21 points, while Jason Terry contributed seven straight points in the fourth quarter.
