RSS
|
Mobile
|
Daily Emails
|
We Twitter
| Make us your home page
NASCAR
AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Carl Edwards improved his bid to win a championship this season, rolling to a dominating win Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway to stay in mathematical contention for the Nationwide Series title.
Edwards, the defending series champion, led a race-high 78 laps and withstood a final challenge from Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin on a late restart to win his sixth race of the season. The victory chipped into Clint Bowyer's lead -- Bowyer started the race up 91 points but was in an early accident and finished fourth.
Bowyer now goes to next week's season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a 56-point lead over Edwards.
"If we run like we've been running, we can close 56 points without Clint having trouble," Edwards said.
But Bowyer can win the championship next week if he finishes eighth or better, regardless of what Edwards does.
"Man, I can't handle this stuff anymore," Bowyer said. "We're still in it. We dodged a bullet, though. If you have a day like that and come back and finish fourth, that's what wins championships. You have to be able to bounce back. I thought we were done."
NBA
Magic 106, Wizards 81: ORLANDO, Fla. -- Dwight Howard had a season-high 31 points and 16 rebounds and also blocked three shots to help the Orlando Magic win their fourth straight game, 106-81 over the winless Washington Wizards on Saturday night.
Howard, who leads the NBA in blocked shots, hit 11 of 13 shots and nine of 14 free throws. Mickael Pietrus added 18 points, and Keith Bogans had 13 for Orlando (4-2).
Nick Young had 20 points for the Wizards (0-5), the only team in the Eastern Conference without a victory this season.
*
Hornets 100, Heat 89: NEW ORLEANS -- Chris Paul had 21 points and 13 assists for his sixth straight double-double to help New Orleans snap a two-game losing streak.
Paul set an NBA record for consecutive games at the start of a season with at least 20 points and 10 assists, breaking the mark set by Oscar Robertson in 1968.
Paul also had seven rounds. David West added 21 points for New Orleans. Dwyane Wade led the Heat with 30 points, and Udonis Haslem added 12.
*
Pacers 98, Nets 80: INDIANAPOLIS -- Danny Granger scored 23 points to lead Indiana, making 10 of 12 free throws to offset 6-for-17 shooting from the field.
Indiana guard T.J. Ford nearly had a triple-double, but settled for 13 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Troy Murphy had 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Vince Carter led New Jersey with 31 points.
New Jersey's Devin Harris missed the game because of a sprained left ankle. He had a career-high 38 points Friday night in New Jersey's win over Detroit.
GOLF
Children's Miracle Network Classic: LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Steve Marino shot a 6-under 66 for a share of the third-round lead with Scott Verplank in the PGA Tour's season-ending Children's Miracle Network Classic at Disney World.
Verplank had a 69 to match Marino at 19-under 197. Davis Love III (64) and Scott Sterling (66) were 17 under, and Tommy Gainey (66), Robert Garrigus (68) and Troy Matteson (69) were 16 under.
Erik Compton, who's had two heart transplants and got a sponsor exemption, shot a 72 to drop 13 strokes back. He'll be playing in the second round of Q-school next week, only six months after his second transplant.
*
HSBC Champions: SHANGHAI, China -- The rain-delayed HSBC Champions tournament will finish Monday, which is just fine with Australian Geoff Ogilvy.
The 2006 U.S. Open champion shot a 7-under 65 on Saturday -- the best of the day -- to finish the second round a stroke behind leaders Sergio Garcia and Henrik Stenson. Garcia shot a 68 to match Stenson at 10 under.
Ogilvy's only victory this season came on a Monday in Miami at the CA Championship, a World Golf Championships event.
Englishman Oliver Wilson (68) also was a shot behind the leaders. Defending champion Phil Mickelson (70) and Graeme McDowell (65) were two shots back.
Rain on Friday in China's financial capital washed out all play, and light rain and fog Saturday delayed the start of the second round. That means squeezing in about nine holes Monday to finish, with most players getting in 27 at the Sheshan Golf Club.
*
Nationwide Tour Championship: MCKINNEY -- Bryce Molder closed in on a PGA Tour card, shooting a 7-under 64 for a share of the third-round lead with Matt Bettencourt in the season-ending Nationwide Tour Championship.
Molder, 32nd on the money list, needs to finish in the final top 25 in the earnings race to earn a 2009 PGA Tour card.
Bettencourt shot a course-record 63 to match Molder at 15-under 198 at TPC Craig Ranch. Bettencourt entered the week 12th on the money list, high enough to guarantee a spot on the PGA Tour next year.
Peter Tomasulo (63), Kyle Reifers (65) and Darron Stiles (70) were 12 under.
*
Mizuno Classic: SHIMA, Japan -- South Korea's Shin Ji-yai shot a bogey-free 6-under 66 at chilly and wet Kinetsu Kashikojima to take a two-stroke lead in the Mizuno Classic.
The Women's British Open champion, making her fifth start of the year in Japan, had a 10-under 134 total. Shin birdied both par 5s on the front nine, chipping to 2 feet on the par-5 first and a foot on the par-5 seventh. She then showed off her iron play in two back-nine birdie runs, hitting a 6-iron to a foot on 10, a 5-iron to 3 feet on 11, another 6-iron to inches on 15 and a 9-iron to 4 feet on 16.
Japan's Mayu Hattori, coming off a victory last week in the JLPGA's IDC Otsuka Ladies, was second after a 69. South Korea's Lee Jee-young and Japan's Shiho Oyama three strokes back at 7 under.
-- Wire reports
