SPORTS - McDyess leaves late vs Grizzlies with neck strain (AP)

SPORTS - McDyess leaves late vs Grizzlies with neck strain (AP)

AP – Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley (11) drives against San Antonio Spurs power forward Antonio …

– 2 hrs 6 mins ago

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – San Antonio center Antonio McDyess hurt his neck and had to leave the game late in the Spurs' 91-88 loss to Memphis.

The center has a strained neck after X-rays Saturday night were negative. His status is day to day with the Spurs now trailing 2-1 in their opening round series. Game 4 is Monday night.

McDyess slumped down near midcourt with his teammates surrounding him with 2:56 left on the clock and Memphis up 86-82. Tim Duncan waved to the bench for help, and McDyess was helped to the bench. Then he went to the locker room.

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SPORTS - Wozniacki faces home hope Goerges in Stuttgart final (AFP)

SPORTS - Wozniacki faces home hope Goerges in Stuttgart final (AFP)

AP – Jim Furyk reacts after missing birdie putt on the eighth green during the third round of The Heritage …

By PETE IACOBELLI, AP Sports Writer Pete Iacobelli, Ap Sports Writer – Sat Apr 23, 7:43 pm ET

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Luke Donald was more concerned about who was behind him at The Heritage than what's ahead should he win Sunday.

Donald shot a 1-under 70 on Saturday to take a one-stroke leader over defending champion Jim Furyk after three rounds at Harbour Town Golf Links. A victory would vault the third-ranked Donald to No. 1. Donald knows if thinks too much about that, he'll lose sight of the stellar field trying to chase him down.

"I think there's a bunch of people behind us that have a good chance, too, so I don't count anyone else out," he said. "It should be a good battle out there."

It usually is with Donald and Furyk.

Furyk, the American ranked 13th in the world, used a par save from the bunker on the 72nd hole to win the Tour Championship by a stroke over Donald last year and claim the $10 million FedEx Cup bonus.

Donald came right back the next week, beating Furyk 1-up in Ryder Cup singles in Europe's victory.

"I got a little revenge," he said.

This time the prize for Donald would be two-fold: His first season with multiple wins on the PGA Tour and the elevation to No. 1 in the world.

There were seven of the world's top 20 players here this week, a field strong enough to push Donald past the idle No. 1 Martin Kaymer and No. 2 Lee Westwood.

Westwood would take the top spot with a win at the Indonesian Masters, where he holds a five-stroke lead, should Donald falter.

The two Englishmen exchanged messages about their play.

"Yeah, he sent me a message yesterday just saying, 'Good playing,' and I sent one back," Donald said. "We're obviously Ryder Cup partners and we're friends off the course. We never wish bad on each other."

Donald let a few early nerves show through by hitting his approach to par-5 second hole out of bounds left, leading to a double-bogey 7 that dropped him from the lead.

But Donald steeled himself with two solid par saves on the third and fourth holes when his iron play was shaky. He was in the rough in front of a trap on par-4 third, yet chipped it up to 6 feet for the par.

Then, Donald was well right of the green on the par-3 fourth. Again, he saved himself with the short game, chipping inside of 2 feet.

Donald regained his momentum on the par-5 fifth with a 12 footer for birdie.

"Those up-and-downs and keeping some momentum going where I wasn't going completely backwards was big for me," Donald said.

Brendon de Jonge (66) and Scott Verplank (67) were two shots behind at 9 under. Masters runner-up Jason Day (71), Ricky Barnes (67) and Tommy Gainey (67) were 8 under.

Furyk held the lead for much of the back nine at Harbour Town Golf Links, but bogeyed the closing lighthouse hole for a 69 to drop back.

Donald, who won the Match Play Championship and was fourth at the Masters, called on the steady, focused style that made him one of the world's best to move back to the top with birdies on the fifth and seventh holes. Donald's put his approach on the 16th hole to 3 feet for his final birdie to reach 11 under.

Furyk had his chance to hold on to a share of the lead, but sent his second shot on the 18th hole into a bunker behind the green, and could not make the 16-footer for par after blasting out.

Furyk and Donald will be paired in the final group Sunday for what sets up as a fabulous finish in what might be the final Heritage. A PGA Tour fixture since 1969, the tournament is without a title sponsor, which tour and event leaders say is essential for returning in 2012.

Both have become Harbour Town masters, combining for 14 rounds in the 60s over the past three tournaments.

"I think I'm there, I'm in position and when I play well I feel like this golf course really suits my game," Furyk said.

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SPORTS - Penn, Fitch fight to draw at UFC 127 (AP)

SPORTS - Penn, Fitch fight to draw at UFC 127 (AP)

AP – Pole sitter Joey Logano (20) and the rest of the field start the race in the NASCAR Nationwide Series …

– Sat Apr 23, 7:02 pm ET

GLADEVILLE, Tenn. – Carl Edwards was coming in for his postrace news conference when a race official remarked that he now has enough guitars to start a band.

Edwards certainly hit all the right notes Saturday to capture his fifth career victory at Nashville Superspeedway, holding off Kyle Busch to win the Nashville 300 and receive another of the guitars given to winners at the track.

"We'll need a drummer," Edwards joked.

Edwards set the pace for much of the Nationwide race at the track, where he has won four Nationwide events and one Trucks Series race. He led 148 of the 225 laps and passed Busch on lap 191 to take the lead for good. On the final lap, Edwards weaved past a slower car and held Busch at bay as he took the checkered flag.

Edwards said the finish was more of a struggle than it appeared.

"Early in the race, our car was really superior," he said. "I could kind of stretch out a lead whenever I wanted to, but at the end of the race, I was really pedaling for all I had. The guys in the 18 (Busch) ... did a good job of adjusting their car.

"It was kind of exciting at the beginning of the race. I thought we were going to run off with this thing, it's going to be easy, but (at the end) that was white-knuckling, driving as hard as I could drive, racing him and Brad (Keselowski)."

Keselowski, a two-time winner in Nashville, finished third, edging polesitter Joey Logano in fourth, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in fifth.

Edwards finished his victory with his trademark back flip and a brief trip to the edge of the grandstands to acknowledge cheering fans. It was Edwards' 31st Nationwide win overall and second of the season, having won two weeks ago at Texas.

Edwards plans to auction the trophy guitar on eBay with the proceeds going to the family of Roush-Fenway Racing employee Jonathan Bunting, who died earlier this week in North Carolina.

Edwards' victory kept Busch from pulling off the first back-to-back wins at the track. Busch had dominated in winning the Trucks race Friday night.

"It was a good race for us. (The car) was fast, just not fast enough. It was off just a little bit in every area, and we could only muster a second today," Busch said.

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SPORTS - Memphis gets first home playoff win, top Spurs (AP)

SPORTS - Memphis gets first home playoff win, top Spurs (AP)

AP – Memphis Grizzlies power forward Zach Randolph (50) drives past San Antonio Spurs power forward Antonio …

By TERESA M. WALKER, AP Sports Writer Teresa M. Walker, Ap Sports Writer – 1 hr 19 mins ago

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Zach Randolph is known for being a beast in the paint. Now his feathery touch from outside helped the Memphis Grizzlies keep making history.

Even though it's not the shot anyone expected — except the big power forward.

Randolph scored 25 points, including a clinching 3-pointer with 41.9 seconds left, and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the San Antonio Spurs 91-88 Saturday night for the franchise's first playoff victory on its home court.

"One would probably think that you'd like Zach to shoot the 3 rather than continue to lay it in against you, so it was a heck of a shot and part of the playoffs is about making shots," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

Shane Battier passed the ball to Randolph and said later he wished he could take credit for the busted play.

"I think there was a collective holding of the breath at the Forum when that shot was in the air, and it went through," Battier said. "It was one of those moments where it's like: 'No, no, no, no, no, yes. Yes."

These Grizzlies have been busy this postseason at the Spurs' expense. They opened this series with their first playoff win, and now the No. 8 seed has a 2-1 lead over the Western Conference's best team during the regular season. Memphis is trying to become just the fourth team to knock off the top-seeded team.

Game 4 is Monday night in Memphis.

Marc Gasol scored 17 points, Mike Conley had 14 and O.J. Mayo had 10 off the bench for Memphis.

Manu Ginobili led the Spurs with 23 points. Tony Parker had 16, Tim Duncan 13 and George Hill 11.

The Spurs only led early and never by more than 1, the last at 12-11. They fell behind by as much as 15 before managing to tie it up twice in the final 8:06, the last at 80 on a Ginobili free throw.

Parker's reverse layup pulled the Spurs within 88-86 with 1:04 left. The Grizzlies took a timeout, and Randolph looked for an option with the shot clock ticking down, then he put up the 3-pointer over Duncan's outstretched arm. The ball fell in with 41.9 seconds left for a 91-86 lead that sparked fans to chant his nickname "Z-Bo, Z-Bo."

"It was 5 seconds on the shot clock," Randolph said. "I had a little space to see it, so I just shot the shot. It went in, but that's the shot I work on and I practice every day shooting so it felt good when it left my hand."

Duncan said he didn't think that Randolph would try that shot so late in the game.

"I leaned back and tried to make sure that there wasn't' a quick big-to-big roll, but he hit a 3 from that range. It was a great shot," Duncan said.

Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said the play was designed to feed the ball inside to Gasol. When Duncan didn't come out on Randolph, Hollins said he knew the power forward would shoot away. Not that he's complaining.

"I'm happy we're where we are," Hollins said. "We could be in that other position in that other locker room, so it's nice to be where we are. And it's nice to get a victory at home in front of our fans in a playoff game. That's special as well because they've been wanting one and hoping for one, and we came in and got it the first opportunity."

Ginobili hit a pair of free throws with 31 seconds, but the Spurs couldn't get off a shot coming up the right side at the end. Ginobili got stopped and looked like he was trying to pass while Duncan tried to call timeout. He was too late as the horn sounded, sparking a big celebration.

"I thought we had a little more time," Ginobili said.

He credited Gasol and Conley with playing tight defense on him to keep him from getting a shot off and forcing him to try to toss the ball out toward the top of the key.

"But no, there wasn't enough time," Ginobili said. "But now it's easier ... I wish we had called a timeout or done something different."

Gasol said there was no way he was going to let Ginobili take a 3.

"I didn't care. You can do whatever to get a two. You're not going to shoot a three," Gasol said.

The Spurs managed to outrebound Memphis 48-37, but the Grizzlies had a 44-40 edge in the paint as they worked the ball inside to Randolph and Gasol. They also had a 17-9 edge on the fast break against the Spurs. The NBA's best 3-point shooting team was a meager 2 of 15. Memphis hit only 4 of 11, including Randolph's big 3.

Antonio McDyess went to the locker room with 2:56 left in pain. He was diagnosed with a neck strain with X-rays negative and his status now day to day. Popovich spoke without knowing McDyess' status and said it didn't look good.

The Spurs thought getting Ginobili back and winning Game 2 got them back on track. But San Antonio ended the regular season losing six of their final seven road games, and Memphis won 30 of its 46 games in the FedExForum. The Grizzlies also had just the fifth sellout crowd of the season rooting them on.

Memphis tapped into the city's past by bringing out wrestler Jerry Lawler to help fire up the sold-out crowd after a party outside the FedExForum in anticipation of the Grizzlies' first home playoff game since 2006. One fan had a blown-up cutout of Eva Longoria's head with a Grizzlies' headband, and it was held up near courtside trying to taunt Parker.

"Did you see that building?" Mayo said. "That was the difference. It was just unbelievable. Our crowd, everybody up swinging a white towel, and everybody on the same sheet of music. If you want to know the difference, it was that home court."

All the excitement may have been too much as Memphis, with eight Grizzlies in their first home playoff game, missing six of its first seven shots. They settled down and hit nine of the next 11.

The Spurs had made an NBA-best 58 free throws through the first two games, more than the Grizzlies had even attempted. Gasol picked up a foul on the Spurs' first possession, except Duncan hit only air on his first attempt while clanking the second off the front rim.

The Spurs' last lead in the first half came when George Hill tipped in a shot at 12-11. Gasol put Memphis ahead with a three-point play, kicking off an 18-8 spurt that left the Grizzlies up 29-20 at the end of the first quarter. The Grizzlies pushed that lead to as much as 15.

NOTES: Randolph was 8 of 43 from 3-point range during the season and had attempted only one in the postseason before his clinching shot. ... With Duncan, the Spurs have never won a series they started with home-court advantage only to lose two of the first three. ... Memphis had been 0-4 in the playoffs at the FedExForum and 0-6 overall at home.

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SPORTS - Pacers beat Bulls 89-84 to avoid elimination (AP)

SPORTS - Pacers beat Bulls 89-84 to avoid elimination (AP)

AP – Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose (1) puts up a shot against Indiana Pacers' Darren Collison (2) and Josh McRoberts …

By CLIFF BRUNT, AP Sports Writer Cliff Brunt, Ap Sports Writer – Sat Apr 23, 6:50 pm ET

INDIANAPOLIS – Chicago's fans traveled to Indiana by the thousands, planning to celebrate a first-round playoff sweep.

The Pacers sent the red and black-clad swarm back home disappointed. After fourth-quarter collapses in each of the first three games, Indiana avoided elimination by holding off a furious rally to beat the Bulls 89-84 in Game 4 of the first-round Eastern Conference series on Saturday afternoon.

The Pacers not only faced superstar guard Derrick Rose and the pressure of a 3-0 deficit in the series, they dealt with an unexpected roadblock — a hostile environment on its home floor at Conseco Fieldhouse. The crowd shocked Pacers center Jeff Foster, who has played for the Pacers for his entire 12-year NBA career.

"I have seen every professional game in this arena, and I have never seen anything like that," he said.

The young Pacers maintained their composure.

"We've lost games like this recently where they have come back," Pacers interim coach Frank Vogel said. "Today we grew, and we held them off."

The Bulls still lead the series 3-1 and will have a chance to close it out at home Tuesday.

Danny Granger led the Pacers with 24 points, including four free throws in the final 14.1 seconds while being booed. He said the team remembered its earlier failures in the series.

"Maybe there were a few flashbacks," he said. "More importantly, I was just trying to get my team to calm down. We lost our poise those last two or three minutes and I was just trying to get them calmed down a little bit."

Chicago's Carlos Boozer missed a 3-pointer that could have tied the game in the closing seconds. The Bulls were looking to set up Luol Deng for the final shot.

"I caught the ball at the elbow and I was supposed to set a backscreen for Luol," Joakim Noah, who led the Bulls with 21 points and 14 rebounds, said. "They played it well, they denied the dribble handoff. Really, it was a mental mistake. When you're in that position, you've got to call timeout, so we learn from it."

The Pacers never trailed and broke through after losing the first three games by a combined 15 points. The Pacers squandered double-digit leads in the first two games and a five-point lead in the fourth quarter of Game 3.

It was Indiana's first playoff win since 2006.

Vogel had been disappointed that Indiana's efforts against the top seed in the East hadn't been rewarded with a win.

"I think we deserve to be in the series," he said. "I'm still upset that it's 1-3. We should be up in the series."

Rose, who averaged 32.7 points in the first three games, finished with 15 points and 10 assists. He sprained his left ankle late in the first quarter and scored eight points on 3-for-16 shooting the rest of the way.

"A sprained ankle is going to slow you down a little bit, but all of my shots were on line," he said. "They were just short. No excuses. It's the playoffs. I've sprained my ankle many times, you've just got to make shots."

Chicago trailed 84-71 with 2:17 remaining before making a final rally.

A three-point play by Deng cut Indiana's lead to 84-77 with 1:36 to go. A goaltending call against Roy Hibbert on a shot by Boozer sliced the deficit to 84-79 with 46.5 seconds remaining, and a steal and dunk by Rose pulled the Bulls within 84-81.

Mike Dunleavy hit the second of two free throws with 17.9 seconds left to make it 85-81.

Noah made a layup with 15.3 seconds remaining, and Foster fouled him while trying to take a charge. Noah made the free throw to cut Indiana's lead to 85-84.

The Pacers barely got the ball inbounds, but Granger was fouled with 14.1 seconds left. Through a booing crowd on his home court, Granger made both free throws to make it 87-84.

Boozer's 3-point try from the left corner was short, and Granger rebounded. Granger made two free throws with a second remaining to close the deal.

The Bulls shot just 38 percent.

Rose came up hobbling after going for a layup against Darren Collison. Rose went to the locker room briefly before returning to the bench. He re-entered the game with 10:29 left in the second quarter.

Indiana closed the first half on a 17-3 run to take a 49-33 lead at the break. Ten different Pacers scored before halftime.

Early in the third quarter, Hibbert blocked Rose on a layup attempt. Granger collected the rebound then dribbled nearly the length of the floor for a layup to give the Pacers a 55-37 lead.

Things nearly fell apart for Indiana again, but the Pacers had just enough.

"The mentality is play it like it's the last game you ever play in your life," Granger said. "We played like that tonight."

The Bulls now have to regroup for the first time this postseason.

"It's a tough loss," Noah said. "We didn't play well in the first half, so we definitely have to do a better job with that, and I think we're a team that deals with adversity pretty well."

Notes: The league upgraded two of Foster's hits from Thursday's game to flagrant 1 fouls. Pacers coach Frank Vogel said before the game he had no reaction to it. ... All four games at Conseco Fieldhouse between the Bulls and Pacers this season were sellouts. The Pacers, including the playoffs, had only eight sellouts all year. ... The Pacers wore gold uniforms instead of their usual home whites.

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SPORTS - Vinokourov rules out coalition to beat Gilbert (AFP)

SPORTS - Vinokourov rules out coalition to beat Gilbert (AFP)

AP – Philadelphia Flyers' goalie Brian Boucher looks back at the puck sitting in the net in the first period …

By JOHN WAWROW, AP Sports Writer John Wawrow, Ap Sports Writer – Sat Apr 23, 6:53 pm ET

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Buffalo Sabres have one more injury to overcome. The Philadelphia Flyers are preparing to give their goalie carousel one more spin.

Where and when this rough-and-tumble, momentum shifting first-round series stops is anyone's guess. The only thing certain is the Sabres have a 3-2 edge, and a chance to finish off the Flyers in Game 6 at Buffalo on Sunday.

"No excuses," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said Saturday, shortly after announcing the team will be without its top two-way forward Jason Pominville. "We're going to have to do whatever it takes."

Pominville was hurt in the first period of a 4-3 overtime win on Friday, when he limped off after appearing to be cut just below the left calf after colliding with Flyers forward James van Riemsdyk.

Pominville ranks second on the team with four playoff points (a goal and three assists), and played a critical role on a penalty-killing unit that's limited the Flyers to converting two of 26 chances.

This is but the latest test for a team that overcame the loss of top-line center Derek Roy in late December. Buffalo responded by going 29-11-6 in its final 46 games to finish seventh by clinching a playoff berth in its second-last game of the season.

"Everybody thought, 'Oh boy, it's looking kind of bleak now,'" Ruff said. "But this team has found a way to rally around each other."

The Flyers seek to find the same resolve while facing a familiar round of questions about their goaltending now that they've gone through all three — Sergei Bobrovsky, Brian Boucher and now Michael Leighton — to varying results.

Coach Peter Laviolette isn't saying whom he'll go with a day after Leighton made his series debut Friday in replacing Boucher, who gave up three goals on 11 shots.

"It will probably be a combination of everything, certainly where we are now and how the playoffs have gone," Laviolette said in discussing what will factor into his decision.

Boucher is the Flyers most experienced goalie and has won both games in the series since replacing Bobrovsky in the first period of Game 2.

"Brian is a veteran goaltender, who's proven he can come back and play," Laviolette said.

Whichever goalie starts, this is not foreign territory for the Flyers. They went through three goalies last year in making their run to the Stanley Cup finals, and also overcame a 3-0 series deficit to eliminate Boston in the second round.

"Yeah, it's the same approach, same situation," forward Blair Betts said. "We win tomorrow afternoon in Buffalo, and we feel we have the advantage back on our side. It's not going to be easy, but it's a simple thing as far as mindset."

The Flyers are 3-12 when trailing 3-2 in a series, while having forced Game 7 six times.

Don't rule out the possibility of Chris Pronger's return on Sunday.

Though the Flyers continue to list Pronger as day to day, the rugged, veteran defenseman took part in his most extensive drills in practice Saturday. He's missed 21 games since having surgery to repair a broken right hand in March.

The Flyers have missed Pronger's presence. Despite winning the Atlantic Division title, they closed the season going 6-4-6 without Pronger.

Help might be on the way for the Sabres, too.

Ruff said Roy and Jochen Hecht could be days away from returning. Roy has been out since tearing a left quadriceps tendon on Dec. 23. Hecht has missed 11 games with what the team is calling an upper body injury.

The Sabres have confidence in proving they can win no matter who's out.

"The guys have dug in and we've got ourselves in a good spot," veteran forward Mike Grier said. "But I think we know this game coming up here tomorrow is probably going to be the toughest, hardest game a lot of guys in here have played in."

Making their second consecutive playoff appearance, the Sabres haven't advanced past the first round since 2007. Despite injuries, they're getting solid goaltending from Ryan Miller, who has shut out the Flyers twice, and a balanced scoring attack.

The Sabres survived a major scare on Friday when they squandered a 3-0 lead only to have Tyler Ennis convert a rebound at 5:31 of overtime.

"It was a pretty awesome feeling," Ennis said, acknowledging he watched the replay a few times. "But I'm looking forward to the next one."

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SPORTS - Capitals top Rangers 3-1, win series in 5 games (AP)

SPORTS - Capitals top Rangers 3-1, win series in 5 games (AP)

AP – New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, from Sweden, deflects the puck as Washington Capitals center …

By JOSEPH WHITE, AP Sports Writer Joseph White, Ap Sports Writer – Sat Apr 23, 7:55 pm ET

WASHINGTON – Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals have skated into unfamiliar territory. They have finally finished a series early, earning a bunch of days off during the playoffs.

Ovechkin quickly raced past and around defenseman Marc Staal to score the game's highlight goal in the second period. In the process, the Capitals made short work of the New York Rangers, beating them 3-1 Saturday to win the first-round series in five games.

"We've never done it before," Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau said. "I'll have to give my head a shake when I wake up tomorrow and wonder where we're supposed to be playing."

Boudreau had led the Capitals through four playoff series since becoming coach in 2007, and all four had gone seven games. Three were won by the other team, including a first-round defeat to the Montreal Canadiens last year after Washington took a 3-1 lead.

"Last year, when we had the lead 3-1, we thought it was over, and it was not over," Ovechkin said. "We relaxed. Right now, everybody focused and nobody relaxed."

The three other Eastern Conference series will all need at least six games to complete, giving Washington time to take a breather while waiting to find out the next opponent. The Capitals hadn't won a series in fewer than seven games since 1998, when they beat Buffalo 4-2 on the way to their only appearance in the Stanley Cup finals. Their last loss in fewer than seven was to Tampa Bay in 2003.

"It couldn't have gone too much better than the way it did," defenseman Karl Alzner said. "We said to ourselves we wanted to try and win a series, if we can, in four or five and get as much rest as possible — because you definitely feel the effects through a seven-game series."

Mike Green and Alexander Semin also scored for Washington. Green seemed to be OK after taking another puck to the head. Michal Neuvirth made 26 saves and had a shutout until the final minute as the more defensive-minded Capitals allowed only eight goals in the series — and just two in their three home wins.

While Washington's players were intent on proving they can finish off an opponent, its fans were determined to win the shouting match with their New York counterparts. Rangers fans serenaded Boudreau with, "Can you hear us?" in Game 4 after he said the fans were louder in the nation's capital.

"Can you hear us?" goes without saying in the always sold out din located in the city's Chinese quarter, so the Capitals fans alternated "Let's go Caps" with "We are louder" and held up signs such as "No MSG in our Chinatown."

Capitals owner Ted Leonsis' production crew put on another laugh-out-loud pregame video, featuring "Friday the 13th" footage and the words "April 20th: Game IV — Jason Takes Manhattan," a reference to Jason Chimera's winning goal in double overtime of Game 4 in New York on Wednesday.

No doubt the dispute will linger over whose building is louder, but the more important argument has been firmly settled: The team from Washington is better.

Wojtek Wolski scored the lone goal in the waning seconds for the Rangers, who barely squeezed into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed with a dearth of skill players further depleted by the absence of second-leading scorer Ryan Callahan. Callahan broke a leg in the final week of the regular season.

"When I look back at the series, when we face a team like Washington that I think may be a little bit better, a little more skilled, we got some opportunities and you need to grab them. And we didn't," said New York goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who sat dejectedly in the locker room before speaking. "We had a chance to get some wins in (overtimes in) Game 1 or Game 4. You can't expect to win every night, but when you have that chance and opportunity, you need to grab it."

Rangers coach John Tortorella characterized the season as something like a stepping stone.

"We're still in a process, so we just keep on going and try to get better," Tortorella said. "I think there's areas in our team where we need to get better, so we continue to build."

Game 5 was the genesis of the Capitals' downfall a year ago, when they allowed two quick goals against the Canadiens. There would be no slow start this time.

Washington dominated the first period, putting constant pressure on Lundqvist and outshooting the Rangers 13-6, not counting 13 more shots that were blocked.

The onslaught produced the first first-period goal of the series, a power-play score that came when Green came to the side of the crease to poke in a rebound that deflected off Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi and into the net. Instead of a celebration, there was a melee: New York's Brandon Dubinsky shoved Brooks Laich into the crossbar, starting a six-player scuffle that resulted in four roughing penalties and a Rangers bench minor.

Green missed 26 of the last 28 games of the regular season with a concussion after taking a shot off the head on Feb. 6 and elbow to the head from New York's Derek Stepan on Feb. 25. Green went down again in a scary moment Saturday, when he was hit flush on the helmet by a shot from Rangers defenseman Matt Gilroy.

Small pieces of Green's helmet went flying as he lay on the ice. He went to the locker room under his own power and later skated during a timeout but didn't play again.

"He's OK. We could have played him," Boudreau said. "The longer it went, we kept saying, 'Let's see if we can get by.' ... I wish he'd get the magnets out of his helmet."

Notes: Ovechkin and Semin each scored three goals in the series. ... Capitals RW Mike Knuble missed his second straight game. The Capitals haven't disclosed his injury, but he was struck on his right hand by a shot in Game 3. ... Tortorella said Girardi sustained a dislocated finger and had X-rays taken after the game. ... The home team won four of the five games, bucking a league-wide trend in which the visiting team took 22 of the first 37 games in this year's playoffs.

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SPORTS - Donald a round away from No. 1 (AP)

SPORTS - Donald a round away from No. 1 (AP)

AFP/Getty Images/File – File photo shows Vic Darchinyan. The former two-division world champion Darchinyan has claimed a five-round …

– 47 mins ago

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Former two-division world champion Vic Darchinyan has claimed a five-round technical decision over former International Boxing Federation bantamweight title holder Yonnhy Perez.

Armenian-born Australian southpaw Darchinyan rattled Colombia's Perez in the first round and sent him to the canvas in the second.

The fight ended when an accidental head butt cut Perez over the left eye in the fifth round, with Darchinyan leading 50-44 on all three judges' cards.

Ringside doctor Paul Wallace stopped the fight moments after examining the profusely bleeding gash.

"He suffered an arterial bleed," Wallace said. "One of his blood vessels had been cut and it was pumping directly into his eye. He gave no indication he wanted to stop."

Darchinyan confirmed that the cut was the result of an accidental head butt.

"It was a head butt," Darchinyan said. "But if it wasn't a head butt, I would've knocked him out."

Darchinyan improved to 36-3-1 with 27 wins inside the distance. Perez fell to 20-2-1 with 14 knockouts.

The fight was the consolation match in a four-man bantamweight tournament that also involved Ghana's Joseph Agbeko and unbeaten Mexican Abner Mares.

Agbeko pulled out of his headline bout with Mares, in which he would have defended his International Boxing Federation title, with back pain diagnosed as sciatica.

Last December, Mares beat Darchinyan and Agbeko downed previously unbeaten Perez to book their showdown.

But after arriving Monday on a delayed six-hour flight from New York, Agbeko collapsed outside the airport baggage claim area and was taken away in an ambulance to a hospital complaining of pain in his lower back and right thigh.

The biggest fight of Agbeko's career thus far was postponed indefinitely.

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SPORTS - A look at the best 1st-round picks, spot by spot (AP)

SPORTS - A look at the best 1st-round picks, spot by spot (AP)

AP – FILE - In this Feb. 13, 1970 file photo, Pittsburgh Steelers' No. 1 draft choice Terry Bradshaw, right, …

By JAIME ARON, AP Pro Football Writer Jaime Aron, Ap Pro Football Writer – Sat Apr 23, 8:49 pm ET

Drafting in the NFL is a lot like investing on Wall Street. No matter how extensive the research, there's no telling what will happen once the money is plunked down for a Terry Bradshaw or Lawrence Taylor. Or for a Lawrence Phillips or Tony Mandarich.

It never hurts to try learning from history.

With that in mind, The Associated Press looked back at every player taken at each spot in the first round of the NFL draft since the "common draft" began in 1967. This pick-by-pick approach compared all the No. 1s to each other, the No. 2s ... all the way to the Nos. 32s.

What follows is a subjective list of the best pick made at each slot, with the reason they were chosen, and others who were considered. Picks were based on a player's entire career. When it was close, the balance tipped toward the player who meant the most to the team that drafted him.

The research yielded some nuggets worth keeping in mind for this year's draft.

The best news is for the Cincinnati Bengals, who pick fourth. History says that's a juicy spot. Only No. 1 has produced more Hall of Famers. The eighth and 19th spots also have been bountiful, raising hopes for fans of the Tennessee Titans and New York Giants.

Sorry, San Francisco 49ers fans, but history shows seventh is a spot to avoid. It's the first pick that features an overwhelming collection of clunkers. Since '67, no Hall of Famer has been drafted at No. 7, at least not yet. The same can be said of Nos. 12, 22, 24, 25 and 29-32, although the 29-32 grouping deserves an asterisk because those didn't become first-rounders until the 1990s.

These results also validate several things fans already knew, such as wise drafting being a big part of the Steelers becoming such a perennial power. Pittsburgh claimed three of the top 11 "best" picks and five of the 32.

The quality of several college programs jumped out, too. Southern California and Miami (Fla.) put four guys on this list, Syracuse had three and Florida and Ohio State had two.

As for the best year, the Class of '83 lived up to its hype, putting three guys on this list, more than any other year. The '83 crop's great reputation is primarily for quarterbacks, and this list includes two of those players and a defensive back.

Let the debates begin.

___

No. 1

Terry Bradshaw, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers, 1970, Louisiana Tech

John Elway, Troy Aikman and Peyton Manning were far more dazzling. Earl Campbell was far more feared. Yet teams draft players they think will help them win championships. Bradshaw guided the Steelers to four Super Bowl titles and was the MVP in two of those championship games.

No. 2

Lawrence Taylor, LB, New York Giants, 1981, North Carolina

He changed the course of his team's history — Super Bowl titles following the 1986 and 1990 seasons — and changed the way outside linebackers are used. Heck, he also led to a change in the importance of offensive left tackles. All that earns LT this spot over some other incredible players, such as Randy White, Tony Dorsett and Eric Dickerson.

No. 3

Anthony Munoz, T, Cincinnati Bengals, 1980, USC

Barry Sanders was an unbelievable talent, and would've been the NFL's rushing champion had he not retired early. While he made more people pay attention to the Detroit Lions, he never got them over the top. Munoz was among the greatest blockers in league history. His best work was in 1981 and '88, years his quarterbacks (Ken Anderson and Boomer Esiason) were NFL MVPs and the Bengals went to the Super Bowl.

No. 4

Walter Payton, RB, Chicago Bears, 1975, Jackson State

"Sweetness" would be in the discussion of greatest running backs of all time, probably the best of the Super Bowl era. His only Super Bowl was as part of the '85 Bears juggernaut, but his overall dominance makes him an easy choice over fellow Hall of Famers Joe Greene, Derrick Thomas, John Hannah and Bob Griese.

No. 5

Deion Sanders, CB, Atlanta Falcons, 1989, Florida State

Although "Prime Time" won Super Bowls rings with other franchises, the other guys he's up against didn't lead their original teams to Super Bowl titles either. Thus, his overall talent wins him this spot over Mike Haynes, Junior Seau and LaDainian Tomlinson.

No. 6

Floyd Little, RB, Denver Broncos, 1967, Syracuse

Lots of really good players have been taken at this spot, yet few who jump out as franchise-changers. Little wins out for all that he meant to the Broncos in their AFL days and then early NFL years. Others under consideration were John Riggins, James Lofton, Tim Brown, Walter Jones and Torry Holt.

No. 7

Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings, 2007, Oklahoma

The youngster is on his way to becoming the first Hall of Famer drafted at this spot. The fact the pick is riding on the expectations for the rest of his career says something about the rest of the candidates here. Those also in the conversation include Phil Simms, Sterling Sharpe, Bryant Young and Champ Bailey.

No. 8

Ronnie Lott, DB, San Francisco 49ers, 1981, USC

Whether he lined up at cornerback, free safety or strong safety, Lott was among the best at his position. Making the All-Decade Team twice puts him among the greatest of any decade. Those four Super Bowls he won with the 49ers make him an easy pick over Larry Csonka and Mike Munchak.

No. 9

Bruce Matthews, G, Houston Oilers, 1983, USC

He retired having played the most games by a position player in NFL history. And he didn't just play, he excelled, earning nine All-Pro selections. No wonder he became the rare offensive lineman welcomed into the Hall of Fame the first time he went on the ballot. A no-brainer pick over Brian Urlacher.

No. 10

Rod Woodson, DB, Pittsburgh Steelers, 1987, Purdue

Marcus Allen and Jerome Bettis had terrific careers, helping teams win Super Bowls. Bettis was probably the better pick because he was less of a college standout; Allen, after all, won the Heisman Trophy. Yet Woodson trumps them all. An All-Pro at cornerback, safety and kick returner, he was voted to the NFL's all-time team while still playing. He helped the Steelers reach the Super Bowl, then was part of Super Bowl teams for the Raiders and Ravens.

No. 11

Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers, 2004, Miami (Ohio)

Big Ben has guided Pittsburgh to the Super Bowl three times in seven seasons, winning twice. He's the youngest QB to win a Super Bowl and he's still only 29. Pretty amazing that there are only two QBs on this list so far, and both were drafted by the Steelers. Michael Irvin and Dwight Freeney were also considered for this spot.

No. 12

Warren Sapp, DT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1995, Miami (Fla.)

Voted the top defensive player in college football, he was supposed to be a top-five pick. Then came rumors he'd tested positive for cocaine and marijuana, causing him to slip in the draft. The Bucs took the risk and were rewarded with a standout career. Between his success and the mediocre careers of all other No. 12 picks, there are no runners-up.

No. 13

Kellen Winslow, TE, San Diego Chargers, 1979, Missouri

Tony Gonzalez also was drafted 13th, and he's broken all of Winslow's receiving records at tight end. The pioneer at the position gets the nod, though, even over another strong candidate, Franco Harris.

No. 14

Jim Kelly, QB, Buffalo Bills, 1983, Miami (Fla.)

The Bills had to wait for Kelly to play out his career with the Houston Gamblers of the USFL. He was worth it, leading Buffalo to four straight AFC championships. Although he didn't win a Super Bowl, he's an easy pick over Eddie George and Darrelle Revis.

No. 15

Alan Page, DE, Minnesota Vikings, 1967, Notre Dame

Page was the first defensive player voted league MVP, and among the stars of the "Purple People Eaters." Like Kelly, we're celebrating his role in getting his team to four Super Bowls without punishing him for going 0-for-4. Now a judge on the Minnesota Supreme Court, he can appreciate this decision being uncontested.

No. 16

Jerry Rice, WR, San Francisco 49ers, 1985, Mississippi Valley State

Like Payton, he's the kind of guy who would've been an easy pick regardless of where he was taken. Any receiving record Rice didn't set is probably not very important. He could've caught touchdown passes wearing his three Super Bowl rings. He laps the field over Russ Francis and Troy Polamalu.

No. 17

Emmitt Smith, RB, Dallas Cowboys, 1990, Florida

Let's see, he was the leading rusher in NFL history, led his team to three Super Bowls in four years, won a regular-season MVP award and was a Super Bowl MVP. Yeah, that's pretty good for a No. 17 pick, better than Gene Upshaw and Doug Williams.

No. 18

Art Monk, WR, Washington Redskins, 1980, Syracuse

It's often said that Joe Gibbs won Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks. Well, all three threw to Monk. He held the record for most receptions until Rice came along. The strongest competition here are both newcomers with potential for greatness, Joe Flacco and Maurkice Pouncey.

No. 19

Marvin Harrison, WR, Indianapolis Colts, 1996, Syracuse

Suddenly, there's a run on Syracuse receivers. Harrison had the luxury of being on the receiving end of Peyton Manning's passes, but he was very good for a very long time, helping the Colts go from also-rans to Super Bowl champions. He topped a field that included Jack Tatum, Randall McDaniel and Shaun Alexander.

No. 20

Jack Youngblood, DE, Los Angeles Rams, 1971, Florida

You try telling him that Steve Atwater or Javon Walker were better. Youngblood played 201 straight games in his Hall of Fame career, and that doesn't include playing a Super Bowl with a broken leg.

No. 21

Lynn Swann, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers, 1974, USC

Swann's specialty was making the big catch in big games, which earned him this selection over Randy Moss. As great as Moss was in his prime, he was part of a 15-1 Minnesota team that didn't reach the Super Bowl and part of a 16-0 New England team that lost the Super Bowl.

No. 22

Jack Reynolds, LB, Los Angeles Rams, 1970, Tennessee

Those Rams sure were good at drafting in the early '70s. Along with Youngblood, "Hacksaw" helped the Rams get to the Super Bowl. Reynolds, however, moved north to San Francisco and won two Super Bowls. The most noteworthy other selection at this spot also is known by his nickname: "The Refrigerator." But William Perry wasn't nearly as good for as long.

No. 23

Ozzie Newsome, TE, Cleveland Browns, 1978, Alabama

As GM of the Ravens, Newsome would love finding a bargain like himself. He retired with the fourth-most catches in NFL history and wound up in the Hall of Fame, making him the obvious pick over Ray Guy and Deuce McAllister. (At a weaker draft spot, Guy — a punter — might've been an intriguing choice for this list.)

No. 24

Calvin Hill, RB, Dallas Cowboys, 1969, Yale

The Cowboys might have thought their scouting computer hiccuped when it claimed an Ivy League running back was one of the best players in college football. They took the chance anyway and were rewarded with the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Hill tied Jim Brown's record for most yards by a rookie and he was second only to Gale Sayers in the league that season. He helped Dallas reach the Super Bowl for the first time the next season and win it all the season after that. Aaron Rodgers makes for tough competition here, but as a top-10 talent who was slipping, he wasn't the draft-day risk Hill was.

No. 25

Santonio Holmes, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers, 2006, Ohio State

Geez, another Steeler. But being a Super Bowl MVP gives him the credentials to top the other 25th picks, a crop that includes Ted Washington and — wait for it — Tim Tebow.

No. 26

Ray Lewis, LB, Baltimore Ravens, 1996, Miami (Fla.)

Except for the Colts taking Harrison, it's hard to imagine what the other teams drafting ahead of the Ravens were thinking in '96. Lewis was a standout player in college who became a two-time NFL defensive player of the year and a Super Bowl MVP. That gives him the nod over Hall of Famer Joe Delamielleure and Dana Stubblefield.

No. 27

Dan Marino, QB, Miami Dolphins, 1983, Pittsburgh

Perhaps the greatest value among all first-rounders. No, he didn't win a Super Bowl for the Dolphins, but he set virtually every NFL passing record. No other 27th pick comes close. Few other first-rounders in any spot do.

No. 28

Darrell Green, DB, Washington Redskins, 1983, Texas A&I

The Redskins may have been hoping Marino fell to them in '83. Regardless, they did darn well, getting a speedy cornerback who was among the NFL's best for many years and part of the reason Washington won two Super Bowls and played for another title during his career. Derrick Brooks is another No. 28 pick who had a distinguished career, but not as spectacular as Green's.

No. 29

Nick Mangold, C, New York Jets, 2006, Ohio State

After a string of Hall of Famers, a mere two-time All-Pro will have to suffice now that we're getting into the spots that are first-round newcomers. This pick reached top-tier status in 1993, and Mangold is the best of the bunch by helping the Jets get within a game of the last two Super Bowls. Nick Barnett and Michael Jenkins are next-best contenders.

No. 30

Reggie Wayne, WR, Indianapolis Colts, 2001, Miami (Fla.)

Kudos to Peyton Manning for helping put another guy on this list, even if he's not on here himself. Wayne went from excelling alongside Harrison to proving worthy of taking over as the main man, keeping the Colts near the top of the NFL and getting them to another Super Bowl. He beats a solid field that includes teammate Joseph Addai, Heath Miller and Keith Bulluck.

No. 31

Nnamdi Asomugha, S, Oakland Raiders, 2003, California

Welcome to the party, Raiders. Alas, this great pick is likely to leave the club when free agency begins. They've already made the two-time All-Pro, and NFL man of the year for all his off-field good deeds, the highest-paid defensive back. Now he's expected to cash in again. His toughest competition here was Todd Heap.

No. 32

Logan Mankins, G, New England Patriots, 2005, Fresno State

The way this powerhouse club has been built, it's fitting that its only appearance on this list is with an interior offensive lineman taken with the final pick of the first round, out of a non-BCS school. Mankins is a two-time All-Pro who protects Tom Brady (a sixth-rounder, by the way). Other guys up for this choice were Mathias Kiwanuka and Anthony Gonzalez.

___

NOTE: The length of the first round has fluctuated:

25 picks — 1990.

26 picks — 1967, 1969-75.

27 picks — 1968, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1991.

28 picks — 1976-81, 1983-85, 1987, 1989, 1992.

29 picks — 1993-94.

30 picks — 1996-98.

31 picks — 1999-2001, 2008.

32 picks — 1995, 2002-7, 2009-10.

This list did not take into consideration supplemental first-rounders.

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SPORTS - Darchinyan defeats Perez in boxing clash (AFP)

SPORTS - Darchinyan defeats Perez in boxing clash (AFP)

• Play Video Olympics Video:Jake Burton: Snowboard King ABC News
• Olympics Video:Eamon is the most eligible Australia 7 News
• Play Video Olympics Video:Olympic canoe venue opens to public AFP

– Wed Apr 20, 12:29 pm ET

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The U.S. Olympic Committee has hired an attorney to oversee its efforts to ensure safe training environments for Olympic athletes.

Malia Arrington was hired as director of ethics and safe sport Wednesday, a position created at the recommendation of a USOC panel led by board member Nina Kemppel.

The panel called for the USOC to take a "leadership" role in standardizing rules for all the Olympic-sport orgnizations as they try to eliminate sexual and physical misconduct in their coaching ranks.

In the past year, USA Swimming has been hit by a number of sex-abuse allegations by coaches.

Arrington also will manage the USOC's internal ethics program.

(This version CORRECTS first name to Malia.)

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SPORTS - BCS review of Fiesta could conclude in month (AP)

SPORTS - BCS review of Fiesta could conclude in month (AP)

AFP/File – Defending champion Alexandre Vinokourov, pictured in January 2011, has ruled out a concerted effort in …

– Sat Apr 23, 12:05 pm ET

LIEGE, Belgium (AFP) – Defending champion Alexandre Vinokourov has ruled out a concerted effort in the peloton to stop race favourite Philippe Gilbert from winning Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

However the Kazakh said he would not turn the Belgian down if prompted to go on the attack late in the 255.5 km epic.

"If he goes, I'm not going to sit in his wheel. I will ride with him and at the end may the best man win," said Vinokourov, who is set to compete in his final edition of 'La Doyenne' as he heads towards retirement.

Gilbert saddles up Sunday with a rare chance of securing a Grand Slam of victories in the tough 'Ardennes Classics' after his Fleche Wallonne win Wednesday followed victory at the Amstel Gold race a week ago.

Man to man Gilbert has shown the past week he is a notch above his rivals, claiming victory in both races with unrivalled kicks in the final few hundred metres of uphill finish lines.

However the Omega-Pharma rider, bidding to become the first French-speaking Belgian since 1978 to win in Liege, will have to be extra vigilant in the crucial final 20km of the 10-climb race.

Last year Vinokourov took advantage of the favourites marking each other to ride away from the pack with Russian Alexander Kolobnev inside the last 15 km to go on and claim his second career victory on the race last year.

And while Vinokourov believes rival teams won't collude and gang up on the fancied Belgian, the Kazakh said it's in their best interests to make the race as hard as possible.

"Gilbert's team is strong and they are well capable of controlling the race, much better than they did last year," he added.

"But it's in the interests of other riders, like the Schleck brothers (Andy and Frank) and teams like Katusha to make the race as hard as possible.

"A lot of guys don't want to come into the finale with Philippe on their tails."

Vinokourov, whose second Liege victory last year provoked controversy -- coming a year after he had served a two-year ban for blood doping at the 2007 Tour de France -- knows what he is talking about.

He is one of many professional riders to base himself in Monaco, where he occasionally trains with Gilbert.

"He's a nice guy, on and off the bike," added the Kazakh. "He is serious about his career, works hard and is a great champion.

"I would love him to join our team (Astana).

"But you don't want to come to the finish line with him -- he has unbelievable power."

Vinokourov meanwhile says he would love to cap what should be his final season by achieving one more dream.

"I've never worn the yellow jersey of the Tour de France," he added.

"Normally, it's my final season as a racer. There's not a lot of things that could change my mind -- although I feel I could easily go on for another two years.

"I still have the legs, and the motivation. I will decide after the Tour (de France)."

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SPORTS - Goalies remain question for Flyers vs. Sabres (AP)

SPORTS - Goalies remain question for Flyers vs. Sabres (AP)

AFP/DPA – Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark returns the ball to Agnieszka Radwanska from Poland during their semi final …

by Ryland James Ryland James – Sat Apr 23, 3:12 pm ET

STUTTGART, Germany (AFP) – World number one Caroline Wozniacki reached her fifth final of 2011 on Saturday with a gruelling 7-5, 6-3 win over Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska in the semi-finals of the Stuttgart claycourt tournament.

In Sunday's final, the 20-year-old Dane will face Julia Goerges, the first German woman to make the Stuttgart trophy match in 15 years.

"Agnieszka is a good player, she's very sneaky and knows how to run her opponent around," admitted Wozniacki, who took 65 minutes to clinch the first set against the 14th-ranked Pole.

Wozniacki said she is looking forward to playing crowd-favourite Goerges.

"I have played Julia before," said the Dane. "I know she's a good player and has been hitting some good shots.

"It will help her to have the crowd behind her, but I am looking forward to the final."

Goerges, 22, became the first German for 15 years to reach the final here when she beat Australian fifth seed Stosur 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.

"It is unbelievable to have beaten a player like Stosur and in front of a home crowd. I'm just too happy for words, " said Goerges, ranked 32nd in the world.

"It was one of my best matches ever, I played right to my limits."

This is only the third time Goerges has reached a WTA final and she is the first German to reach the Stuttgart final since Anke Huber, who was the runner-up to Martina Hingis in 1996.

"I have nothing to lose now in the final," she said. "Having the crowd behind me will, of course, be a big plus."

Stosur, who reached the French Open final last year after losing to Justine Henin in the 2010 Stuttgart final, said she was disappointed, but happy to have reached the last four this year.

"I definitely felt like I was back in the match. When it came down to it, she was probably a bit more aggressive than me," said the 27-year-old.

"At crucial times she managed to get herself ahead. I am obviously disappointed to have lost the match, but it is encouraging to have come here and played well.

"I probably haven't played with this much confidence all year, I have come through and played four good matches here.

"It is disappointing to lose, but it is definitely something I can build on."

Goerges and Wozniacki are playing for the winners prize of a brand-new sports car worth 111,000 US dollars, which could present her with a problem.

"I haven't driven a car for three months now, maybe if I win, I should try to drive again with a normal car first," she joked.

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SPORTS - Police: WR Brandon Marshall stabbed by wife (AP)

SPORTS - Police: WR Brandon Marshall stabbed by wife (AP)

AP – This booking photo released Saturday April 23, 2011, by the Broward County Sherriff's Office, shows …

– 2 hrs 58 mins ago

MIAMI – The wife of Brandon Marshall stabbed him with a kitchen knife, sheriff's deputies said Saturday, and his publicist said the Miami Dolphins receiver was released from a hospital and would fully recover.

Michi Nogami-Marshall, 26, was arrested Friday evening and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. According to a Broward County Sheriff's Office arrest report, Nogami-Marshall told officers she was defending herself. Marshall had earlier told officers he slipped and fell onto a broken glass vase, but the officers noted that evidence at the couple's home didn't substantiate that claim.

Nogami-Marshall was released from jail Saturday on $7,500 bail. It was unclear if she had an attorney.

"This is a very difficult time for Brandon and his family," said Marshall's Denver-based attorney, Harvey Steinberg. "Thankfully he's going to be fine and be completely recovered with no ill effects of the situation. We're just hoping people respect his privacy."

Marshall's publicist, Denise White, tweeted that he was released from a hospital Saturday.

The NFL lockout restricts team contact with players. However, a team doctor for the Dolphins can see Marshall and consult with Marshall's other doctors, and the team can express appropriate well wishes, said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello.

Marshall married Michi Nogami in Miami last July. They met while both were students at Central Florida. They live in Southwest Ranches, which is near the Dolphins' complex in Davie.

A year ago last week, Marshall, 27, was traded to the Dolphins by the Denver Broncos for two second-round draft picks. In Denver, he caught at least 100 passes three consecutive years and twice made the Pro Bowl. Yet he wore out his welcome, in part because of a long legal record.

In March 2009, Marshall was arrested in Atlanta on misdemeanor battery charges stemming from a fight with Nogami-Marshall, who was his fiancee at the time. The charges were dropped when both refused to testify.

Marshall was also involved in a New Year's Eve fight that led to the 2007 drive-by slaying of Broncos teammate Darrent Williams.

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SPORTS - Padres score but still struggle in 4-2 loss (AP)

SPORTS - Padres score but still struggle in 4-2 loss (AP)

AP – Philadelphia Phillies' Jimmy Rollins (11) is greeted by teammates after scoring on a triple by Ben Francisco …

By BERNIE WILSON, AP Sports Writer Bernie Wilson, Ap Sports Writer – 17 mins ago

SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Padres finally managed to score some runs.

It wasn't enough to get them a win, though.

Ryan Howard hit a two-run, opposite-field double to left field with two outs in the 11th inning and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the struggling Padres 4-2 on Saturday night.

The NL East-leading Phillies have won the first three games of this series, with reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay scheduled to start Sunday's finale. Overall, the Phillies have won 10 straight and 14 of 15 at Petco Park since the 2008 season. The Phillies shut out the Padres in the first two games.

Placido Polanco hit a leadoff single off Chad Qualls (0-2) to start the rally, was sacrificed by Shane Victorino and took third on Peter Orr's groundout. Padres manager Bud Black chose to intentionally walk Jimmy Rollins ahead of Howard, who had struck out in each of his first four at-bats, and then bring in lefty reliever Cory Luebke to face the lefty slugger.

Howard hit a ball to deep left that Ryan Ludwick couldn't get his glove on.

Kyle Kendrick (1-1) pitched a perfect 10th for the win. Ryan Madson pitched the 11th for his second save in as many chances.

The Padres had a runner on first with two outs in the 11th when Brad Hawpe flied out to left to end the game. Hawpe's average dropped to .104.

"Hitting is contagious," Hawpe said, "whether you're going good or going bad. And right now, I've got the bug."

The Padres scored their first run in 22 innings when Cameron Maybin singled off Joe Blanton leading off the first and came around on Jason Bartlett's triple to right-center. The Padres failed to add on, though. Orlando Hudson walked and Bartlett was caught in a rundown when Nick Hundley grounded back to Blanton. That put runners on second and third with one out. Hudson was held at third on Jorge Cantu's fly ball to right and Ludwick struck out to end the inning.

"You have to make plays throughout the game," Black said. "You have to get some hits. It doesn't come down to one or two plays. That's what everyone keys on, but we just didn't do enough offensively. We pitched well enough to win this game, but we didn't win. They got the hit at the end and we didn't get enough hitting throughout the course of the game."

The Phillies tied it when Ben Francisco tripled to right-center with two outs in the fourth to bring in Rollins, who was aboard on a walk. Maybin, the center fielder, tried to make a diving catch but missed it by 2 feet.

The Padres regained the lead on Hundley's double down the left-field line that brought in Maybin, aboard on a leadoff single.

Philadelphia's Orr reached on a double down the right-field line with one out in the sixth. Umpire Mike DiMuro hesitated for a moment before ruling it fair. Orr then scored on Rollins' single to center.

Blanton allowed two runs on eight hits in seven innings, struck out three and walked two.

San Diego's Tim Stauffer went six, allowing two runs and four hits while tying his career high with seven strikeouts. He walked one.

"I was just a little upset how that last inning unfolded," Stauffer said of the sixth. "After scoring a run, I was hoping to go out there and put up a zero. Just a couple of hits that found the right places."

Notes: The four-game homestand concludes Sunday when Halladay is scheduled to face LHP Wade LeBlanc, who is being brought up from Triple-A Tucson.

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SPORTS - Bruins beat Canadiens 2-1 on Horton's OT goal (AP)

SPORTS - Bruins beat Canadiens 2-1 on Horton's OT goal (AP)

AP – Boston Bruins center Brad Marchand, center, leaps as he is congratulated by teammates Tomas Kaberle, …

By HOWARD ULMAN, AP Sports Writer Howard Ulman, Ap Sports Writer – 30 mins ago

BOSTON – The Boston Bruins lost a playoff series last year when they had a 3-0 lead. So a mere 3-2 edge over the Montreal Canadiens guarantees nothing.

Coach Claude Julien knows how tough closing can be.

"I think we experienced that last year," he said after Boston's 2-1, double-overtime victory Saturday night. "You don't want to bring it up, but we know how hard it is. We've got to go to Montreal knowing we've got to be ready. Montreal will come out and play the game of their lives."

The Bruins won their second overtime game in three days when Nathan Horton scored at 9:03 of the second extra session.

But they remember one of the darkest stretches in club history when they lost four straight games to the Philadelphia Flyers — and squandered a 3-0 lead in Game 7 — last year in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

"We learned about last year you can't take any lead for granted," said Milan Lucic, who had seven shots after taking just five in the first four games.

On the winning goal, Montreal goalie Carey Price stopped Andrew Ference's wrist shot from 30 feet but couldn't control the rebound. Horton put the puck into the open right side of the net for his second goal of the playoffs.

"I saw the rebound come out," Horton said. "It was like it was in slow motion. It was just sitting there."

The win was the first by the home team in the first-round series.

"I felt confident," Julien said. "I liked our composure in overtime. We were making some strong plays. We didn't really panic."

The Bruins, who have won three straight games, can end the series Tuesday night in Montreal.

"Playing at home Tuesday in front of our fans, hopefully that will make a difference," Canadiens coach Jacques Martin said.

In Game 4, also in Montreal, Boston won 5-4 when Michael Ryder scored at 1:59 of overtime after the Bruins overcame deficits of 1-0, 3-1 and 4-3.

On Saturday, Horton came through in a well-played, tiring game.

"I just saw a shot," Price said. "It hit my pad ... and they buried it."

Boston's Tim Thomas made a brilliant save at 5:35 of the second overtime on a 2-on-1 Montreal break. Travis Moen passed from the left side across the slot to Brian Gionta, and Thomas slid across the crease to turn aside Gionta's shot from 5 feet.

"My thought was just trying to get it on the net and get it over him," Gionta said. "He moves well side to side and he just read it."

At 8:08 of the first overtime, Price nearly gave the game to the Bruins when he whiffed as he attempted to clear the puck from the crease. He then fell backward on it as his mask fell off while Brad Marchand was just a few feet away.

"We were getting very tired," Marchand said. "Guys were starting to cramp up. I'm pretty tired right now but it was a pretty special feeling being out there, very intense."

Thomas made 44 saves, and Price stopped 49 shots.

The Bruins are 0-26 in series they trailed 2-0. But the Canadiens have lost the last two series in which they won the first two games — in 1996 against the New York Rangers and in 2006 against the Carolina Hurricanes, who went on to win the Stanley Cup.

After two scoreless periods, Marchand gave Boston the lead at 4:33 of the third period before Jeff Halpern tied it at 13:56.

Marchand passed from behind Price's left side across the crease. The puck hit Boston's Patrice Bergeron and trickled back to Marchand, who put it in the open side of the net to the left of Price.

Halpern scored with a short shot over Thomas' right shoulder after taking a pass from Lars Eller from behind the net.

There was plenty of tight checking and end-to-end action in the first two periods as the Bruins outshot the Canadiens 21-16.

Montreal got a break about 8 minutes in when Dennis Seidenberg's pass from the right to left point intended for Zdeno Chara was stolen by Michael Cammalleri. He skated in ahead of the defense, but Thomas knocked his shot to the left of the crease. Tomas Plekanec got the puck and shot it toward the open right side where a sprawling Ryder swatted it away with his right glove.

"It was sort of a 2-on-1, 3-on-1," Ryder said. "I think Timmy was out of position and I just tried to get a glove on it."

Boston had the better opportunities for the rest of the period.

Horton stole the puck behind the Montreal net and fed David Krejci out front, but Price made the save at 10:38. Then, with Montreal's David Desharnais serving an interference penalty, Milan Lucic had a clear shot from 5 feet but put it right into Price's pads.

The Bruins had another opportunity early in the second period, but Marchand and Mark Recchi, both just in front of Price, couldn't put the puck in at the 52-second mark.

One of the Canadiens' best chances of the period came at 10:59 when Plekanec fired a 10-footer into Thomas' pads. The goaltender quickly looked behind to see if the puck went into the net but it stayed in his pads.

NOTES: Boxer Micky Ward of Lowell, the subject of the movie "The Fighter" was in the crowd. ... The teams played their first scoreless first period of the series. ... The game was the third of this year's NHL playoffs that lasted two overtimes. ... Price allowed a total of one goal in the first two games in Boston. ... The start of the second overtime was delayed as workmen cleared puddles from the ice.

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SPORTS - Roy has 24 in Blazers' 84-82 Game 4 win over Mavs (AP)

SPORTS - Roy has 24 in Blazers' 84-82 Game 4 win over Mavs (AP)

AP – Portland Trail Blazers' Marcus Camby (23) blocks the shoot of Dallas Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki (41), of …

By ANNE M. PETERSON, AP Sports Writer Anne M. Peterson, Ap Sports Writer – Sat Apr 23, 9:50 pm ET

PORTLAND, Ore. – Brandon Roy's season had been fraught with uncertainty, first over the stability of his knees, then over his diminished role with the team.

All those doubts melted away on Saturday when he led the Portland Trail Blazers to one of the greatest comebacks in NBA playoff history.

With 39.2 seconds left, Roy made a go-ahead bank shot that gave the Trail Blazers a stunning 84-82 comeback victory over the Dallas Mavericks — and evened their first-round playoff series at two games apiece.

Roy finished with 24 points — 18 in the fourth quarter alone — as the Blazers erased a 23-point deficit. Portland became the third NBA team in the shot clock era to win a playoff game when trailing by 18 points or more heading into the fourth quarter.

"I've been in some pretty good zones before," the three-time All-Star said. "But nothing like tonight."

After the victory, Roy was swallowed by the embrace of several of his teammates.

"It still just doesn't feel real yet," he said. "It was just an unbelievable game and comeback. With everything I've been through this season, they just all came into that moment there on the court when guys we're grabbing and cheering me on. It was real special."

Trailing 67-44 in the third quarter, the Blazers closed the gap to 77-70 after Roy's step-back jumper.

Jason Terry answered with a 3-pointer but then Roy drove down the lane and finished to narrow it to 80-74 with 2:32 to go. LaMarcus Aldridge added a turnaround jumper.

Roy traded baskets with Shawn Marion before making a 3-pointer and a free throw with 1:06 left to tie it at 82.

After Roy's go-ahead jumper from out front banked in, the Mavericks missed two 3-point tries, the first from Jason Kidd and the second from Terry as time ran out. Roy defended Terry on the final shot.

Dirk Nowitzki had 20 points to lead the Mavericks. Terry finished with 13 off the bench.

Aldridge finished with 18 points for the Blazers, while Gerald Wallace had 10 points and 11 rebounds.

"When people ask me what did I do in the fourth quarter, I'll tell them `I stood in the corner and watched The Brandon Roy Show,'" Wallace said.

The series now heads back to Dallas for Game 5 on Monday.

"Did we let up? I think we let up, yeah. There isn't any question," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said.

The Blazers started slow, going 0-for-4 from the floor with two turnovers, and finished the first quarter shooting just 25 percent (4-for-16). Dallas capitalized on the pace, taking a 22-13 lead early in the second quarter after Terry's jumper.

Aldridge didn't score for the Blazers until a pair of free throws 7:36 mark of the second quarter.

While successfully defending Aldridge, Portland's top scorer, the Mavericks were spreading their scoring around better than they had in the previous three games, and extended the lead to 33-23 on Tyson Chandler's layup.

Tempers flared with 3:21 left in the first half when Aldridge and Chandler got into a shoving match under the Blazers' basket, resulting in a technical for each.

The scuffle seemed to bring the fans — and the Blazers themselves — back into the game, albeit temporarily. Portland closed to 37-35 at the break after Wesley Matthews' layup and a pair for free throws from Aldridge.

Matthews led the Blazers with 25 points in Portland's 97-92 victory in Game 3 on Thursday night, which drew the Blazers within 2-1 into best-of-7 series.

The Mavericks did not go to the free-throw line in the first half, while the Blazers went 12-for-12.

Kidd's high-arcing 3-pointer game the Mavs a 48-37 lead in the third quarter and the Rose Garden crowd fell quiet. It touched off a 16-4 run by the Mavs capped by Peja Stojakovic's 3-pointer to make it 64-41.

The Blazers missed their first 15 shots from the floor in the third.

"You can always, after the fact, talk about what you could have done or should have done," Nowitzki said. "You can go a million ways about it, and afterward you're a lot smarter, but that doesn't help anybody right now. We all have to take it and stay positive."

Roy embarked on his turnaround when he had 16 points in Portland's Game 3 — after grousing to a reporter in frustration after going scoreless in Game 2. The comments seemed to polarize fans, but Roy said overwhelming encouragement from friends and family — including a text from Charles Barkley — led him to the breakthrough.

The three-time All-Star has played off the bench since his surgery in January, and has at times had trouble adjusting to his diminished role.

Carlisle insisted Roy's emergence in the playoffs didn't throw the Mavericks.

"We've been saying all series that we've been game planning for him like he's an All-Star," the coach said. "He's had two of those night now, so we'll continue to do that. He got on a roll in the fourth and made some things happen. I'm going to take the blame for a lot of that. There are different things defensively we could have done."

The Mavs opened the playoffs with an 89-81 victory. Nowitzki had 28 points — 18 in the fourth quarter alone — and 10 rebounds. The 7-foot veteran had 33 points in Dallas' 101-89 win in Game 2.

Overall against Dallas, the Blazers have a 48-18 advantage at home in the regular season, and they're 8-1 in playoff games.

Dallas is 2-1 when it opened 2-0 in 15 previous best-of-7 series. The exception was the 2006 NBA Finals when the Miami Heat defeated the Mavericks in six games. The Heat were just the third team to claim a championship after trailing 0-2.

The last time Dallas and Portland met in the playoffs was 2003. The Mavs claimed the first three games before the Blazers won the next three. The Mavericks took the deciding game in Dallas.

Notes: Minnesota forward Kevin Love, who grew up in Lake Oswego, Ore., sat courtside. ... Lots of security was apparent behind the Dallas bench. Maverick owner Mark Cuban, sitting in the seats just behind his players, said he was hit in the face with an unknown object in the fourth quarter of Game 3. Cuban was unhurt. ... The two other biggest fourth-quarter comebacks, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, were Boston's rally from a 74-53 deficit at home against New Jersey for a 94-90 victory on May 25, 2002, and Phoenix coming back from trailing 100-82 against the Rockets to win 124-117 on May 11, 1994, in Houston.

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SPORTS - Napoli boss Mazzarri happy despite title setback (AFP)

SPORTS - Napoli boss Mazzarri happy despite title setback (AFP)

AFP/File – Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri, pictured, insisted he was still pleased with his side despite a second …

by Barnaby Chesterman Barnaby Chesterman – 25 mins ago

ROME (AFP) – Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri insisted he was still pleased with his side despite a second consecutive defeat almost certainly ending their title hopes.

Napoli gave up a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1 at Palermo and dropped to nine points behind leaders AC Milan, who won 1-0 at Brescia, with four games left.

And following on from their 2-1 home defeat to Udinese last week, if either Milan win one more game or Napoli lose again, they would no longer be able to win the title due to their inferior head-to-head record.

"Having seen how vigorously Palermo played and to think that we're 15 points ahead of a team like that shows what a great season we're having," he said.

"We deserved to draw but we didn't manage it and that's it. We're still having an exceptional season."

However, he admitted that his players are lacking in title-chasing experience.

"When we get close to an achievement some horses stay calm because they're used to it and others are worn out by nerves," he said.

"Those who know football know this. There are those who have been fighting for certain things for years and know how to manage their emotions.

"We're very young, I know my team's strengths and weaknesses."

Mazzarri also criticised the club's fans, accusing them of being too demanding of a team who finished sixth last season.

"The fans have to leave us in peace and realise that we've had a fantastic season," he said.

Napoli took the lead after just two minutes following a Mattia Cassani hand ball in the area.

Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani notched his 26th goal of the season from the spot to draw level with Udinese's Antonio Di Natale at the top of the Serie A scoring charts.

But Cassani made amends when he crossed for Federico Balzaretti to hit a crisp cross shot past goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis.

And Palermo went ahead just before half-time despite having a goal wrongly ruled out.

Antonio Nocerino lashed home after Giulio Migliaccio had gone down in the box, only for the referee to have already blown his whistle and award a penalty.

But Cesare Bovo made no mistake from the spot.

The defeat dropped Napoli to third, a point behind champions Inter Milan, who won 2-1 at home to Lazio.

Napoli still have a five-point gap to fourth-placed Lazio meaning eight points from their final four games will guarantee them direct entry into next season's Champions League.

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