AP - The Lakers owned the fourth quarter against Denver. Now they have a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference finals. Kobe Bryant scored 22 points, Lamar Odom had 19 points and 14 rebounds and Pau Gasol added 14 points and 10 rebounds in Los Angeles' 103-94 victory Wednesday night.
AP - Tom Hicks is willing to give up control of baseball's Texas Rangers if the right deal comes along but he intends to keep the NHL's Dallas Stars. -- read full article
AP - The Detroit Red Wings expect star defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom to play in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins. -- read full article
AP - Roger Federer survived a tough match on his least favorite surface Thursday, rallying from a 5-1 deficit in the third set to beat Jose Acasuso 7-6 (8), 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-2 in the second round of the French Open.
AP - Dale Earnhardt Jr. will have a new crew chief starting with this weekend's race at Dover because of a slump that has dragged deep into the season.
AP - Australian Olympic silver medalist and former world kayaking champion Nathan Baggaley faces a prison term of up to 20 years after pleading guility to supplying and manufacturing ecstasy pills. -- read full article
AP - While most of the other top individual contenders at the NCAA Division I men's championship are also worried about how their teammates are doing, Matt Hill can be selfish. -- read full article
AFP - Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova battled into the French Open last 32 on Wednesday as Roland Garros saw the future of women's tennis in the shape of high-volume 16-year-old Michelle Larcher de Brito.
AP - Jared Prince had to rely on stories from his dad for proof that Washington State was once a premier college baseball program. -- read full article
AFP - Police in Barcelona made more than 100 arrests on Thursday as victory celebrations in the aftermath of the Champions League Final degenerated into riots.
Reuters - Randy Johnson moved one step away from joining the 300-win club by recording his 299th victory on Wednesday as the San Francisco Giants beat the Atlanta Braves 6-3. -- read full article
Reuters - The Los Angeles Lakers put on a fiery fourth-quarter display to grind out a 103-94 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, the win earning the top seeds a 3-2 lead in their Western Conference finals series.
