Power surge lifts Angels past Athletics

Published May 01, 2013

Sports Network

Oakland, CA –  C.J. Wilson tossed 6 1/3 solid innings and received support from a trio of home runs that helped the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to a 5-4 victory over Oakland that prevented the Athletics from a three-game series sweep.

The Angels grabbed a 4-2 lead on sixth-inning homers by Mike Trout and Mark Trumbo, with Howie Kendrick clubbing a solo shot of his own earlier in the game as part of a 3-for-4 day. Trout added a triple while scoring twice as Anaheim halted a four-game losing streak.

Wilson (3-0) survived five walks to limit the A's to a pair of runs on six hits over his stint, while Ernesto Frieri snuffed out a late Oakland comeback effort in registering the final five outs for his fourth save of the year.

All three Anaheim homers came against Tommy Milone (3-3), who was dealt the loss despite matching a career high with 10 strikeouts over seven innings of work. The left-hander was reached for four runs on seven hits.

Adam Rosales went 3-for-4 with an RBI single to pace Oakland offensively in the setback, the A's first in six meetings with the Halos this year.

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Ian Poulter birdies first playoff hole, lifts Albany past Lake Nona in Tavistock Cup

Published March 26, 2013

Associated Press

WINDERMERE, Fla. –  Ian Poulter birdied the first hole of a playoff to lift Albany past Lake Nona in the Tavistock Cup on Tuesday, ending Lake Nona's event winning streak at four in the team tournament.

Poulter shot an even-par 72 at Isleworth, then teamed with Tiger Woods in the best-ball playoff against Lake Nona's Graeme McDowell and Henrik Stenson.

Albany tied Lake Nona at 7 over, with Woods and Tim Clark shooting 73, and Justin Rose finishing with a 77. The event was shortened to one day of stroke play because of the Monday finish in Arnold Palmer Invitational.

McDowell had a 71 to lead Lake Nona. Ross Fisher had a 72, Stenson shot 74, and Peter Hanson 78.

Primland and Isleworth tied for third at 8 over, Oak Tree was 12 over and Queenwood 20 over.

Primland's Webb Simpson had the best round, shooting 70.

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Huge rally lifts Heat to 24th straight win

Published March 20, 2013

Sports Network

Cleveland, OH –  Once again, LeBron James broke the hearts of the city of Cleveland.

The ex-Cavalier recorded a triple-double that helped trigger a huge second- half comeback and extend the Miami Heat's winning streak to 24 consecutive games with a 98-95 decision over Cleveland at a charged-up Quicken Loans Arena.

Visiting his former city for only the fourth time since leaving the Cavs for Miami as the most sought-after free agent in NBA history during July of 2010, James racked up 25 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in sparking the Heat's rally from a 27-point third-quarter deficit. Nineteen of those points came after halftime.

Five other Miami players finished in double figures to aid in the Heat's lengthening of the second-longest winning run in league annals. Mario Chalmers contributed 17 points, with Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and Shane Battier all netting 11 on the evening.

Despite being without its top two scorers in Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters, Cleveland was in front by a wide margin for much of the way before wilting down the stretch and being dealt its fourth straight loss and eighth and 10 outings.

Wayne Ellington paced the Cavs with 20 points, while Tristan Thompson had 18 and Tyler Zeller compiled 12 points and 11 rebounds.

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Smith lifts short-handed Knicks past Jazz, 90-83, to end trip

Published March 19, 2013

Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY –  J.R. Smith scored 20 points, Raymond Felton had 19 and the short-handed New York Knicks defeated the Utah Jazz 90-83 Monday night, snapping a four-game losing streak.

The Knicks (39-26) dropped games at Golden State, Denver, Portland and the Los Angeles Clippers by an average margin of 20 points, but salvaged the last game of their trip with the gutsy win over the turnover-prone Jazz (38-27).

New York remains atop the Atlantic Division and stayed a game ahead of the Nets for the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Smith had just two points at halftime on 1-of-6 shooting but got in the lane and to the line, making nine of 10 free throws and a 20-footer with 2:36 remaining that sealed it as the Jazz went cold.

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Weeks lifts Brewers to 3-2 win with triple after Dodgers' Greinke scratched with elbow issue

PHOENIX, Ariz. –  Rickie Weeks had an RBI triple off Hyun-Jim Ryu after Zack Greinke was scratched from his start Monday because of elbow inflammation, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2.

The Dodgers said Greinke was examined by Dr. Neal ElAttrache and that an MRI in Arizona last week showed no structural damage. The 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner, signed to a $147 million, six-year contract in December as a free agent, received an injection of platelet-rich plasma and anti-inflammatory medication. The Dodgers said the right-hander will rest for two to three days and then go on a progressive throwing program.

Mike Fiers pitched out of jams in the second and third innings for Milwaukee. Fiers allowed two unearned runs in four innings, while giving up six hits.

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Wall's strong finish lifts Wizards over Sixers

Washington, DC –  John Wall scored the game's final six points to lift the Washington Wizards over the road-weary Philadelphia 76ers, 90-87, at Verizon Center.

Wizards star rookie Bradley Beal suffered an ankle sprain late in the fourth quarter with the Sixers leading by three. Wall turned it over on the possession following Beal's exit, but quickly recovered to hit a pair of jumpers around his tying and go-ahead free throws to snap Washington's two- game slide.

Wall and Martell Webster each netted 16 points, Beal had 14 and Emeka Okafor added 12 with 16 rebounds for the victors.

Dorell Wright led the Sixers with 15 points off the bench but missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer near the buzzer. Spencer Hawes, Thaddeus Young and Jrue Holiday each scored 14 points in Philadelphia's 10th straight road loss.

Holiday struggled from the field, missing 12 of his first 14 shots before hitting two in a row during an 11-0 run that gave the Sixers an 85-82 lead with 2:50 remaining.

The teams traded baskets, with Beal turning his ankle trying to block Young in the post, and Wall took control from there.

The former No. 1 overall pick hit an 18-footer, then attacked the lane and drew a foul on Evan Turner after Holiday missed a jumper from the elbow.

After his two free throws, Wall blocked Turner's shot in the lane before burying one from just inside the arc for a 90-87 lead with 4.9 seconds left.

Nene, who was questionable with a sore right shoulder, grabbed an offensive rebound to set up Wall's critical shot and finished with 15 points and nine boards in the victory.

Wright's missed 3-point try in the corner sealed Philadelphia's longest road losing streak since a 10-game span during the 2006-07 campaign.

The Wizards led 26-22 at the end of the first quarter, and a back-and-forth second ended with Washington on top, 50-49.

Philly was behind, 72-68, after the third and fell to 2-34 when tied or trailing entering the final stanza.

Game Notes

The Wizards are 14-11 with Wall in the lineup, 5-28 without him ... The Wizards owned a 50-42 edge of the glass ... The Sixers, after snapping a seven-game skid with a win over the Warriors on Saturday, are 2-12 in the second game of back-to-backs this season ... Hawes added 11 rebounds, while Turner also had a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards.

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Colombia lifts port ban on Drummond coal shipments

BOGOTA, Colombia –  Colombia's government has ended a nearly monthlong ban on coal shipments by the U.S. -based Drummond Co. that was imposed after it dumped tons of coal into the ocean at a Caribbean port.

The Environment Ministry said Friday that an investigation expected to lead to sanctions would continue into the Jan. 12-13 incident, in which an unspecified amount of coal was dumped into the ocean during rough weather.

The ministry imposed the ban Feb. 6, demanding a new contingency plan from Drummond.

Drummond produces 24 million metric tons of coal in Colombia from an open pit mine near the Caribbean and moves the coal by train to a port near Santa Marta. It is the South American country's No. 2 producer of coal, accounting for nearly a quarter of output.

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Weber's goal in OT lifts Predators over Red Wings

Nashville, TN –  Shea Weber scored 44 seconds into overtime to give the Nashville Predators a 4-3 victory over the slumping Detroit Red Wings in a Central Division clash from Bridgestone Arena.

Weber added an assist on Craig Smith's first-period tally, while Colin Wilson recorded a pair of helpers to aid in the Predators halting a two-game skid. Gabriel Bourque and Roman Josi also had goals for Nashville, which received 26 saves out of goaltender Pekka Rinne as well.

Pavel Datsyuk and Dan Cleary both had a goal and an assist for Detroit, with Datsyuk's marker tying the contest at 3-3 with 6:30 remaining in the third period. Former Predator Jordin Tootoo also lit the lamp in the loss, the Red Wings' fourth in a row.

Detroit's Jonas Gustavsson made 16 saves in relief of Jimmy Howard, who exited with an upper-body injury in the first period after letting in two goals on only seven shots.

Josi gave Nashville a 3-2 edge by firing a perfectly-placed shot from far out near the left boards that whistled past Gustavsson's glove with 7:06 left in regulation. The lead would be short-lived, however.

Just 36 seconds later, Datsyuk rushed up the center of the ice with a head of steam and bulled through two Nashville defenders before sending a wrister by Rinne for his eighth goal of the season.

The Predators couldn't convert on a power-play opportunity prior to OT, but cashed in less than a minute into extra time.

Wilson shot wide on an attempt after skating aggressively up the ice, but the puck caromed around the net and right to a trailing Weber, who found an opening along the right corner for the game-winning score.

Nashville started out the first period strongly as well, getting goals from Smith and Bourque to build a 2-0 advantage just past the midway stage of the session.

With Detroit's Jakub Kindl in the box for interference, Wilson set up Smith with an on-point centering pass across the crease just 5:01 in. Bourque made it a two-goal margin at 10:41 by re-directing Scott Hannan's blast from the left point past Howard.

Datsyuk and Cleary began to turn the momentum around by teaming up for a critical shorthanded score just under five minutes prior to the first intermission. Datsyuk stole the puck from behind the net and sent it out to Cleary, who snapped a wrister into the net to put the Red Wings on the board.

It remained a 2-1 game until the third period, when Tootoo scored from the right circle after cradling in Henrik Zetterberg's pass on a Detroit rush with 8:27 left in the frame.

Game Notes

Tootoo played eight seasons for the Predators before joining the Red Wings as a free agent over the summer, and was appearing at Bridgestone Arena for the first time in a visiting uniform ... Weber extended his point streak to four games and has notched three goals and three assists during that stretch ... Nashville went 1-of-6 on the power play and Detroit ended 0-of-2 with the man advantage ... Nashville center Paul Gastad missed the contest with an upper- body injury he suffered in Monday's loss to Colorado ... Nashville acquired minor league defenseman Scott Ford from St. Louis in exchange for forward Jani Lajunen on Tuesday.

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