AP - In their comeback season, the Celtics saved the biggest one of all for the NBA finals. Boston rallied from a 24-point deficit and beat the Los Angeles Lakers 97-91 on Thursday night to take a commanding 3-1 lead in this history-rich series and move within one victory of a 17th championship that seemed impossible a year ago.

AFP - Rafael Nadal had to dig deep before defeating Japan's Kei Nishikori to reach the quarter-finals at Queen's Club on Thursday.

AP - Brittney Reese didn't let a sore knee prevent her from matching her world-leading mark in the long jump.

AFP - Poland's veteran Dutch coach Leo Beenhakker said on Thursday that the injury-time penalty awarded against his side which gave Austria a 1-1 draw in their Euro 2008 Group B clash was totally unjustified.

AP - Jake Peavy made a triumphant return with six strong innings and the San Diego Padres scored five first-inning runs in a 9-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday.

Reuters - Kobe Bryant did not mince his words in describing how the Los Angeles Lakers blew a 20-point second-half lead and lost to the Boston Celtics 97-91 in Game Four of the NBA Finals on Thursday.

AP - Less than four months after winning the Super Bowl, center Shaun O'Hara isn't happy because he believes a couple of New York Giants are putting themselves ahead of the team.

AP - You can call Alex Ovechkin NHL MVP. What the Washington Capitals young star really wants is to be known as Stanley Cup champion. Ovechkin capped off a special season Thursday night by capturing the NHL's two most prestigious individual awards. He won the Hart Trophy as league MVP and the Lester B. Pearson Award as the players' choice for the most outstanding player.

AP - Not perfect, but not crooked. NBA referees are honest, and so are their mistakes.

AP - Alfonso Soriano's bat had come around for the Chicago Cubs. He was running the bases and in the outfield with ease. He was no longer tentative after an early season calf injury.

AP - The players in the glamour group were ranked 1, 2 and 3. The guys at the top of the U.S. Open leaderboard were ranked 608 and 722. The biggest winner of all after Thursday's opening round might have been Torrey Pines, a course that muddled the field and blurred the distinction between great, good and mediocre — the way U.S. Open venues so often do.

AP - In their comeback season, the Celtics saved the biggest one of all for the NBA finals. Boston rallied from a 24-point deficit and beat the Los Angeles Lakers 97-91 on Thursday night to take a commanding 3-1 lead in this history-rich series and move within one victory of a 17th championship that seemed impossible a year ago.

AP - Beware: Puttering around on golf carts can be hazardous to your health.

AFP - World number one Roger Federer again needed just over an hour to see off his opponent in straight sets at the Halle ATP tournament on Thursday as he reached the quarter-finals here.