KWBG Sports for April 30th

 UNDATED (AP) - The San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Atlanta Hawks won the opener of their respective NBA first-round series. Tony Parker scored 28 points to lead the Spurs past Utah 106-91 before Andrew Bynum tied an NBA playoff record with 10 blocks while recording a triple-double in the Lakers' 103-88 win over Denver. The Clippers trailed 84-57 late in the third quarter but closed on a 28-3 run to beat Memphis 99-98, and Josh Smith's 22 points and 18 rebounds highlighted the Hawks' 83-74 triumph against Boston.

     ATLANTA (AP) - Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo (RAH'-zhahn RAHN'-doh) is facing a possible suspension for bumping an official in the final minute of their loss to Atlanta last night. Celtics forward Brandon Bass had just been called for a foul when Rondo screamed at referee Marc Davis, who quickly gave him a technical. Rondo was tossed from the game for bumping Davis in the chest.

     UNDATED (AP) - The Philadelphia Flyers and Phoenix Coyotes won yesterday's NHL conference semifinal games. The Coyotes scored three times on 19 shots in the second period to build a 4-2 lead in a 5-3 victory over Nashville. Danny Briere (bree-EHR') scored his second goal of the afternoon at 4:36 of over to lift the Flyers past the New Jersey Devils 4-3 in the opener of that series.

     ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - The Texas Rangers finished last night's 5-2 loss to Tampa Bay without outfielder Josh Hamilton, who left after two innings because of stiffness in his back. The American League leader in home runs, RBIs, total bases and slugging is day-to-day.

     AVONDALE, La. (AP) - Jason Dufner birdied the second playoff hole to beat Ernie Els and win the Zurich Classic. Dufner fired a final-round 2-under 70 for a 19-under total in his first victory in 164 starts on the PGA Tour. He has three runner-up finishes, including last year's PGA Championship and Phoenix Open.

KWBG Sports for April 27th

 NEW YORK (AP) - There was no drama surrounding the first two picks of the NFL draft last night as Indianapolis used the No. 1 selection to take Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck before Washington grabbed Robert Griffin III with the second choice. Both the Colts and Redskins had made their intentions known prior to the draft, but their picks were followed by numerous trades that altered the selection process. Alabama running back Trent Richardson went to Cleveland with the third pick, Minnesota selected USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil (kah-LEEL') at No. 4 and Jacksonville claimed Oklahoma St. wide receiver Justin Blackmon with the fifth overall choice.

     NEW YORK (AP) -The future of the Pro Bowl is apparently up in the air. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell (guh-DEHL') is reportedly thinking about ending the annual game. ESPN reports that the commissioner is "strongly considering" suspending the game for the upcoming season. The Associated Press was told by league spokesman Greg Aiello (eye-EHL'-oh) that no determination has been made yet.

     UNDATED (AP) - The New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils won last night to move into the NHL's Eastern Conference semifinals. Marc Staal and Dan Girardi scored second-period goals to support Henrik Lundqvist's 26 saves in the Rangers' 2-1 victory over Ottawa. Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur made 31 of his 43 saves after the second period, but it was Adam Henrique's (HEHN'-reeks) second goal of the game at 3:47 of double-overtime that gave New Jersey a 3-2 triumph at Florida.

     CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - The Charlotte Bobcats have set an NBA record with their season-ending 104-84 loss to the New York Knicks. The Bobcats finished 7-59 for a .106 winning percentage, topping the Philadelphia 76ers' .110 winning percentage in 1972-73 as the worst in league history.  Charlotte also ends the campaign on a 23-game losing streak, three off the NBA record.

     UNDATED (AP) - Boston Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford won't be in the lineup for a while after being diagnosed with a sprained ligament in his throwing elbow. The club did not announce a timetable for Crawford's return, but he is expected to miss at least a few months. And New York Mets pitcher Mike Pelfrey says he's 99 percent sure he'll have season-ending Tommy John surgery after a partial ligament tear was found in his throwing elbow.

KWBG Sports for April 26th

 BOSTON (AP) - The Boston Bruins' reign as Stanley Cup champions is over following a 2-1 overtime loss to Washington in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Joel Ward hadn't scored a goal in the series until he stuffed in a rebound of Mike Knuble's (kuh-NOO'-buls) shot at 2:57 of OT. Braden Holtby stopped 31 shots for the Capitals, who still don't know who they'll face in the next round.

     CLEVELAND (AP) - The Chicago Bulls are on the verge of clinching home court advantage throughout the NBA playoffs after Kyle Korver scored 20 points and Carlos Boozer added 16 in a 92-87 win at Indiana. The Bulls need to win their regular-season finale against visiting Cleveland tonight or have San Antonio lose at Golden State to grab the top overall seed.

     ATLANTA (AP) - Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford says he won't be able to play in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against Boston because of a torn pectoral muscle that has already forced him to miss most of the regular season. Horford practiced four-on-four Monday but woke up sore and weak the following day. He is still hoping to play in the conference semifinals should the Hawks advance.

     NEW YORK (AP) - The NFL draft will begin tonight in New York, where Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck will be taken first overall by the Indianapolis Colts. Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan says he's 99.9% sure his team will select reigning Heisman Trophy winner and Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III with the second selection. Minnesota has the third pick, followed by Cleveland, Tampa Bay, St. Louis, Jacksonville, Miami, Carolina and Buffalo.

     SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The San Francisco Giants put Aubrey Huff on the 15-day disabled list as he receives treatment for an anxiety attack. The Giants originally said Huff left the team in New York over the weekend because of a family emergency. Huff is expected to rejoin the team in San Francisco this weekend.

KWBG Sports for April 25th

 SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - The Utah Jazz clinched a playoff berth by rallying to beat Phoenix 100-88, eliminating the Suns from the playoff chase. Paul Millsap scored 26 for the Jazz, who will play either the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs or second-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder when the NBA playoffs start Saturday.

     EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) - The L.A. Lakers will be missing one of their key players in coach Mike Brown's rotation when the NBA playoffs start Saturday. Power forward Metta World Peace has been suspended seven games by the NBA for elbowing Oklahoma City's James Harden, meaning the player formerly known as Ron Artest (ahr-TEHST') could miss at least six playoff games.

     SAN DIEGO (AP) - Gio Gonzalez ran his scoreless innings streak to 20 over three starts and the NL East-leading Washington Nationals beat the San Diego Padres 3-1 last night on just four hits for their 11th win in their last 13 outings. Sporting an early season 13-4 mark, the surprising Nationals own the best record in the National League.

     UNDATED (AP) - Three first-round NHL Eastern Conference playoff series are going the distance starting with the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins home tonight against Washington in Game 7. On Thursday night, the Florida Panthers will host New Jersey after the Devils forced Game 7 with a 3-2 overtime victory on a Travis Zajac (ZAY'-jahk) game-winner last night, and the New York Rangers will host Ottawa in Game 7.

     NEW YORK (AP) - At least the top three picks in Thursday night's NFL draft appear set in stone. The Colts say they are taking Stanford QB Andrew Luck with the top pick, leaving Washington to take Baylor QB Robert Grifffin III at No. 2 and, barring a trade, the Minnesota Vikings likely take offensive lineman Matt Kalil out of USC with the third pick.

KWBG Sports for April 24th

SAN ANTONIO (AP)-  The road to the NBA Finals in the Western Conference will go through San Antonio. The Spurs clinched the No. 1 seed in the West in the upcoming NBA playoffs by routing Portland last night 124-89 for their eighth straight victory.

     OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma City Thunder forward James Harden underwent tests yesterday following his concussion in the previous day's game against the Los Angeles Lakers and will be re-evaluated today. Metta World Peace, who claims he accidentally clipped Harden while celebrating the dunk, faces discipline from the NBA as the regular season winds down and the Lakers prepare to open the playoffs this weekend.

     NEW ORLEANS (AP)- A New Orleans Saints spokesman is calling an ESPN report that general manager Mickey Loomis' booth in the Superdome was wired so he could listen to opposing coaches' radio communications during games is "1,000 percent false." The Saints say they are considering legal action against ESPN, which aired the alleged eavesdropping story on its "Outside the Lines" program.

     UNDATED (AP) - The Phoenix Coyotes have won a playoff series for the first time since 1987 when the franchise was based in Winnipeg by shutting out the Chicago Blackhawks 4-0 as Mike Smith made 39 saves for his first career playoff shutout. In the East, the top-seeded New York Rangers have forced a seventh game at home Thursday after edging Ottawa 3-2 to tie that series.

     WASHINGTON (AP) -The complexity of the Roger Clemens perjury retrial showed itself in many ways yesterday before a jury that knows little about baseball. The prosecutor's hour-long opening statement attempted to portray the seven-time Cy Young Award winner as a man who told lies and "other lies to cover up lies."

KWBG Sports for April 23rd

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- The Vancouver Canucks, who had the best record during the NHL regular season, are going home. The eighth-seeded L.A. Kings eliminated the Canucks in five games, winning the finale 2-1 in overtime on Jarret Stoll's overtime goal.

     PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The Philadelphia Flyers also advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs after eliminating Pittsburgh in six games with a 5-1 triumph yesterday. Claude Giroux (zheh'-ROO') scored his sixth goal of the series just 32 seconds into the game as the Flyers now await their second-round opponent.

     WASHINGTON (AP)- The defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins and upstart Washington Capitals are going the distance to decide their first-round series in which all the games have been decided by one goal. The Bruins will host the Caps Wednesday night in Game 7 after rallying for a 4-3 overtime victory on  a goal by Tyler Seguin (SAY'-gihn) at 3:17 of overtime.

     LOS ANGELES (AP) - Kobe Bryant capped a L.A. Lakers comeback by scoring six of his 26 points in the second overtime as the Lakers stormed from 18 points down to beat Oklahoma City 114-106. The game was marred by the second quarter ejection of Lakers forward Metta World Peace, who elbowed James Harden in the head while celebrating a dunk.

     SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Six years later, Ben Curtis is a PGA Tour winner again. The 2003 British Open champion ended a six-year winless drought with a two-stroke victory over Matt Every and John Huh to win the Texas Open for his fourth career PGA Tour title.

KWBG Sports for April 20th

 UNDATED (AP) -Orlando's All-Star and free-agent-to-be center Dwight Howard says he will have season-ending back surgery today in Los Angeles to repair a herniated disk.  The operation will end his season and keep him from playing for Team USA in the Olympics in London.

     NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Martin Brodeur (mar-TAN' broh-DYOOR') bounced back from his shortest postseason performance with a record-setting 24th Stanley Cup playoff shutout, leading the New Jersey Devils to a 4-0 victory over the Florida Panthers, tying their first-round series at 2-all. Brodeur made 26 saves in taking over sole possession of the postseason shutout mark from Patrick Roy (wah).

     NEW YORK (AP) - Curtis Granderson hit three home runs in the first four innings for the New York Yankees in their 7-6 win over Minnesota last night. With a chance to tie the major league record of four homers in a game, Granderson lined a clean single in the sixth and beat out an infield hit in the eighth for his first five-hit game since 2008.

     BOSTON (AP) - The New York Yankees will visit Boston and help the Red Sox celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first game at venerable Fenway Park at 3:15 p.m. (Eastern time) this afternoon. The Red Sox are stumbling along so far this season in the basement of the AL East with a 4-8 record heading into the weekend series with the Yanks.

     HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The lawyer for Joe Paterno's family says that the university's payment of millions under the former coach's employment contract wasn't a settlement and that the family declined a request for a full release. Wick Sollers issued a statement after Penn State disclosed it had provided the estate with more than $5.5 million in money and benefits to finalize the payments due under the contract.