Sports - Page 25

Yao Ming returned to action for the Houston Rockets on Monday night after missing 32 games while recovering from a broken bone under his right knee. The 7-foot-6 center was in the starting lineup and before Houston's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers said that he was returning with no limitations. More Info...  

Texas freshman Kevin Durant said his left ankle feels "pretty good" and should be ready for the Big 12 tournament. Durant twisted the ankle in the second half of No. 15 Texas' loss at Kansas on Saturday. He had 25 points in the first half but only seven in the second. "It's feeling pretty good," Durant said Monday. More Info...  

Dwyane Wade's dislocated left shoulder is so fragile there's a risk of aggravating the injury when he sleeps. But come April, Wade figures he might be up to the rigors of the NBA playoffs. The All-Star guard said Monday he has decided to delay surgery and rehabilitate his shoulder with the goal of returning to help the Miami Heat defend their league title. More Info...  

The Penguins moved a step closer to leaving Pittsburgh, declaring on Monday an impasse in their new arena negotiations with state and local leaders and saying they will actively pursue relocation. The breakdown in arena talks came only three days after Gov. Ed Rendell said he felt an agreement was close. More Info...  

Tyler Hansbrough will probably play in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament despite breaking his nose during the blood-filled final seconds of No. 8 North Carolina's victory over 14th-ranked Duke on Sunday. Hansbrough suffered what coach Roy Williams said Monday was a small nondisplaced fracture when Duke's Gerald Henderson flagrantly fouled him with 14.5 seconds left in the Tar Heels' 86-72... More Info...  

Latest news and information from the world of sports. SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Diminutive Giants rookie Tim Lincecum is turning heads with his unorthodox motion and his 100-mph fastball. More Info...  

The Houston Texans agreed to terms with free agent running back Ahman Green on Sunday. The 30-year-old former Green Bay Packer will likely become the starter for a team that struggled at the position last season after Domanick Williams -- formerly Davis -- missed the year with knee problems. Green will be introduced at a 1 p.m. More Info...  

A year ago, during Louisville's tumultuous transition to the Big East, coach Rick Pitino wondered if the Cardinals truly belonged in one of the nation's toughest conferences. He doesn't wonder anymore. The 16th-ranked Cardinals capped their remarkable turnaround season with an 86-71 win over Seton Hall on Sunday, propelling Louisville (22-8, 12-4) into second-place in the Big East and erasing any... More Info...  

Juan Pablo Montoya spun teammate Scott Pruett to take the lead with eight laps left, then held off Denny Hamlin to win the Busch Series race on Sunday for his first NASCAR victory. More Info...  

Blood poured from his nose and onto his lip, chin and the court. The latest bruised face of college basketball's nastiest rivalry belongs to North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough. "Just a little bump and bruise," teammate Reyshawn Terry said. "Nothing that a little ice can't handle." Hansbrough had 26 points and 17 rebounds before suffering an injury that looked worse than it really was in the closing... More Info...  

After Ben Gordon scored a career-high 48 points Sunday, he was being compared to some pretty impressive company in the Chicago Bulls' locker room. "If he was 6-(foot)-6, 6-7, man, he would be like Michael Jordan. He's that scary," Bulls guard Adrian Griffin said of the 6-3 Gordon. "He never ceases to impress me. More Info...  

Don Nelson lost his cool, and Gilbert Arenas kept his. Down by two with one-tenth of a second remaining, Arenas capitalized on a personal foul and technical foul called against the Golden State Warriors coach by making three free throws to give Washington a wild 107-106 victory. "It was bizarre," Arenas said. More Info...  

Creighton knows how to ramp it up in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. Anthony Tolliver had 15 points and 13 rebounds to help Creighton upset No. 11 Southern Illinois 67-61 Sunday in the conference championship, earning the Bluejays their sixth title in nine years. None of the six championships have come with the Blue Jays playing as the top seed. More Info...  

Before the game against Minnesota on Sunday, somebody in the Celtics locker room posted a photo of Ricky Davis and Mark Blount, former Celtics now with the Timberwolves, embracing after Davis' shot beat Boston last month. Celtics coach Doc Rivers wouldn't reveal who posted the bulletin-board material, but before the game said he hoped it would motivate his young team. More Info...  

Joakim Noah was thumping his chest, screaming at the top of lungs and pumping up teammates with his hustle and tenacious defense. Noah was back to his usual self -- and so was Florida. Noah broke out of a slump with 17 points and 10 rebounds, played with the kind of passion missing in recent games and helped the fifth-ranked Gators rebound from consecutive losses and make history with an 85-72... More Info...  

Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson says he has talked to 41-year-old Scottie Pippen about making a comeback with the team. "I did get in touch with Scottie," Jackson said before the Lakers played the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, "but it was just preliminary talk about how he's doing, where he's at and how he feels." Jackson coached Pippen while both were with the Chicago Bulls during their title... More Info...  

Latest news and information from the world of sports. PEORIA, Ariz. – Seattle catcher Kenji Johjima thrives by keeping meticulous notes on his ever-changing pitching staff. More Info...  

Cornerback Fred Smoot agreed to terms with the Washington Redskins on Saturday night, returning to the team he left two years ago before two tumultuous seasons with Minnesota. Smoot will sign his deal Sunday, when he'll also be formally introduced during a news conference at Redskins Park. He'll receive a signing bonus of at least $2 million. More Info...  

Greg Oden took long strides walking up the tunnel out of Crisler Arena, and onto a warm bus. The freshman star hopes to help No. 1 Ohio State take bigger steps this month in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. Oden scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half despite foul trouble, lifting the Buckeyes to a 65-61 win over Michigan on Saturday in the regular-season finale for both teams. More Info...  

Kay Yow left the North Carolina State team to fight cancer. She came back for moments like these. The 24th-ranked Wolfpack spoiled No. 1 Duke's perfect season on Saturday, giving the Hall of Fame coach a second signature post-comeback victory with a 70-65 win over the Blue Devils in the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. More Info...