Mavericks take 3-0 lead
PORTLAND, April 26 (UPI) – The Dallas Mavericks became the first team in the NBA playoffs to win three games Friday night, downing Portland, 115-103.
San Antonio and Orlando, meanwhile, took the lead in their series.
Dirk Nowitzki, who scored 46 points in Dallas' series-opening win, produced 42 Friday night to lead six Mavericks in double figures. Portland had a one-point lead going into the fourth quarter, but ran out of gas against the high-powered Dallas attack.
The Mavericks will try to become the first team to advance to the conference semifinals in Game 4 Sunday night.
In Phoenix, Tony Parker scored 29 points to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 99-86 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
Stephen Jackson added 20 points and Malik Rose had 15 for the Spurs, who regained home-court advantage and took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
The Suns frequently double-teamed Spurs forward Tim Duncan and limited him to 11 points while making three of six shots. But the MVP candidate pulled down 23 rebounds to help San Antonio control the glass, 51-35.
Parker, who totaled nine points in the first two games, scored 13 in the first quarter as San Antonio opened a 25-18 lead. Jackson put the Spurs ahead for good, 10-8, with a jumper with 7:23 left in the period.
The Spurs extended the lead to 53-36 at halftime and took a 69-56 advantage into the fourth quarter. They were in front by as many as 21 points early in the final period before Phoenix pulled within 10 in the last two minutes.
In Orlando, Tracy McGrady scored 29 points and received lots of offensive support from his teammates as the Orlando Magic defeated the top-seeded Detroit Pistons, 89-80, to take a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Darrell Armstrong chipped in 20 points and Drew Gooden had 15 before fouling out with 1:11 left. In Orlando's Game 2 loss Wednesday night, McGrady scored 46 but the Magic got just 31 from the rest of the team.
The Magic captured Game 1, in which McGrady scored 43 and his teammates combined for 56.
After Richard Hamilton's jumper gave Detroit a 54-53 lead with 8:04 left in the third quarter, rookie Gordan Giricek countered with a three-pointer to give the Magic the lead for good and spark a 14-2 run.
McGrady's dunk with 3:12 to go in the period capped the run, during which Giricek contributed eight points. He scored all of his 10 points in the third quarter.
Senators rally past Flyers
OTTAWA, April 26 (UPI) -- Marian Hossa had a goal and two assists Friday night as Ottawa erased a two-goal deficit and defeated Philadelphia, 4-2.
After scoring just two goals in last season's five-game quarterfinal loss to Ottawa, the Flyers matched that total less than 11 minutes into the opening game of the Eastern Conference semifinal series game with tallies on their first two shots.
Seven days after eliminating the New York Islanders in five games, Ottawa goaltender Patrick Lalime shook off the rust and was perfect thereafter, stopping the last 23 shots he faced.
The Senators aided Lalime by storming out in the second period and scoring three times in a span of 6:58. Captain Daniel Alfredsson's power-play goal put Ottawa ahead, 3-2, at 9:32.
Jets move up to No. 4 in draft
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y., April 26 (UPI) -- The New York Jets moved up to the fourth spot in the NFL Draft Friday by working a trade with the Chicago Bears.
The Jets had two first-round picks in Saturday's draft and they sent both of them -- the 13th and 22nd choices overall -- to the Bears.
"The New York Jets have made a decision to move up to the fourth spot in the first round, and be in a position to acquire a good football player," General Manager Terry Bradway said.
It is likely that Bradway will use the fourth pick to select a defensive tackle -- either Dewayne Robertson of Kentucky or Jimmy Kennedy of Penn State.
Coach Herman Edwards has stressed the need to bolster a defense which ranked 24th in the league. The 6-1, 317-pound Robertson or the 6-4, 322-pound Kennedy will provide them with a much-needed run-stuffing defensive tackle. However, it came at a heavy price.
The New England Patriots, who had the 14th and 19th overall picks, approached the Bears with a possible trade, but were not willing to deal both first-rounders. However, Bears General Manager Jerry Angelo was able to extract a pair of first-rounders from the Jets.
"We liked our options better having the extra first-round pick rather than staying at four," Angelo said. "We now have three of the top 35 picks in the draft and are confident we will get three quality players."
Chicago has many needs to address with an offense that ranked 29th and a defense that was 25th. In a draft stocked with quality defensive linemen -- as many as 11 are expected to be picked in the first round -- the Bears will probably select one with the 13th or 22nd pick.
The Cincinnati Bengals will open Saturday's draft with the selection of Southern California quarterback Carson Palmer, who signed a six-year, $40 million contract on Thursday.
The Detroit Lions are expected to take Michigan State receiver Charles Rogers with the second pick and the Houston Texans will likely select Miami receiver Andre Johnson third overall before the Jets are up with the fourth pick.
Mussina reaches 5-0
ARLINGTON, Texas, April 26 (UPI) -- Mike Mussina became the first five-game winner in the majors Friday night as the New York Yankees edged Texas, 3-2.
Mussina allowed one run and five hits with a walk and nine strikeouts over eight innings. He is the first Yankees starter to open a season 5-0 since current pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre did so in 1969.
However, Mussina had to sweat out the ninth as Juan Acevedo nearly gave up a lead built on Nick Johnson's two-run homer in the fifth.
Despite striking out the side in the eighth and throwing only 102 pitches, Mussina was pulled by Manager Joe Torre.
Acevedo got the first two outs in the ninth, but Carl Everett reached when second baseman Alfonso Soriano could not backhand his grounder up the middle. Everett was credited with a single, extending his hitting streak to 10 games.
Everett took second on catcher's indifference and scored on a double by former Yankee Ruben Sierra.
Michael Young's soft liner went off the glove off Johnson at first base, but Soriano chased it down and flipped to Acevedo, who beat Young to the bag and nailed down his fourth save.
Rookie Colby Lewis (3-1) took the loss, allowing three runs and six hits in six innings.
Other American League results: Toronto 6, Kansas City 5; Tampa Bay 2, Baltimore 1; Minnesota 6, Chicago 1; Oakland 5, Cleveland 2.
Dodgers rally in the ninth
PITTSBURGH, April 26 (UPI) -– The Los Angeles Dodgers exploded for five runs in the top of the ninth Friday night for a 5-2 victory over Pittsburgh.
The Dodgers had been blanked for eight innings by Kip Wells, who took a four-hitter and a 2-0 lead into the ninth. He gave up a leadoff single to Mike Kinkade, but struck out Shawn Green before Fred McGriff one-hopped an RBI double off the left-center field fence.
Pirates Manager Lloyd McClendon summoned Mike Williams (0-1) after Wells threw 88 pitches.
Paul Lo Duca greeted the struggling closer with an RBI double and scored the go-ahead run one out later on a double by Adrian Beltre. Alex Cora delivered another run-scoring double and pinch-hitter Todd Hundley singled to make it 5-2.
While it was the first blown save in six chances for Williams, his ERA ballooned to 8.31.
The rally made a winner of reliever Troy Brohawn (2-0), who struck out one in a hitless eighth. Eric Gagne fanned two in the ninth for his sixth save.
Wells avoided the loss after giving up two runs and six hits in 8 1/3 innings, striking out six without walk. He helped himself in the third with a 457-foot home run off the back of the batter's eye fence in center field. New York Mets slugger Mike Piazza is the only other player to reach that spot in the history of PNC Park.
Other National League results: Montreal 10, Houston 2; San Francisco 7, Philadelphia 4; San Diego 7, Cincinnati 3; New York 4, Arizona 3; Milwaukee 12, Atlanta 5; St. Louis 9, Florida 2; Chicago 11, Colorado 7.
Kuehne shares Houston Open lead
HUMBLE, Texas, April 26 (UPI) -- Former U.S. Amateur champion Hank Kuehne fired an 8-under 64 Friday that vaulted him into a tie for the lead at the Houston Open.
Kuehne, hoping to earn a spot on the PGA Tour, took a big step in that direction. Mark Calcavecchia and Fred Couples had long since been in the clubhouse with 11-under 133 totals when Kuehne, playing in the last group of the day, birdied his final hole to tie them.
Kuehne, brother of LPGA Tour member Kelli Kuehne, overcame alcohol problems as a collegian and has been attempting to find a way onto the tour since he captured the U.S. Amateur title in 1998.
After leading the Canadian PGA Tour in money earnings last year, he missed out at last winter's PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament. But when he was granted a sponsor's exemption to play in Atlanta earlier this month, he finished tied for third.
That earned him $208,000 and took him about halfway to the total he probably needs to finish among the top 125 this year and gain full exemption for 2004. The finish in Atlanta also earned him a spot in the field this week.
A victory would make Kuehne an instant PGA Tour member with a two-year exemption.
Kuehne is one of the longest hitters in golf and over the first two days of the Houston Open averaged 327.3 yards per tee shot on the holes that are used to keep that statistic.
Calcavecchia shot a 65 Friday at the Redstone Golf Club, which is hosting this tournament for the first time. Couples, who led after the opening round, fired a 68.
Jay Haas was alone in fourth at 134 following a 67 while Paul Stankowski and Vijay Singh shared fifth place at 135.
Steve Park captures NASCAR pole
FONTANA, Calif., April 26 (UPI) -- Steve Park had a strong message for his critics Friday after winning the pole for the NASCAR Winston Cup Auto Club 500.
The much-maligned driver for Dale Earnhardt Inc. hopes to shut up those who predict he will be out of the Chevrolet Monte Carlo before the end of the season.
"All the media rumors about me losing the ride or me losing the job, I know I will be in that car for the rest of the year," Park said. "I have the confidence in this team that we can sit on poles and we can win races. We're not going to stop this year until we do that. That will quiet all the critics that I have."
Park had the fastest lap of the day at the two-mile speedway at 186.838 miles per hour in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Bill Elliott was second in a Dodge Intrepid at 186.824 mph and followed by Tony Stewart's 186.732 mph in a Chevrolet.
Ryan Newman in a Dodge and Elliott Sadler in a Ford Taurus round out the top five.
Park's Winston Cup career has been hampered by major injuries. He broke his leg in a crash at Texas Motor Speedway as a rookie in 1997 and suffered a serious head injury in a crash at Darlington Raceway in 2001 that sidelined him until the 2002 season.
Agassi reaches Houston semis
HOUSTON, April 26 (UPI) -- Andre Agassi continued to roll Friday, but James Blake wasted an early advantage in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Clay Court Championships.
The top-seeded Agassi crushed Brazilian qualifier Ricardo Mello, 6-0, 6-1, and advanced to his second straight semifinal at the Westside Tennis Club.
Blake, the third seed, stumbled in the quarterfinals here for the second straight year, falling to French qualifier Olivier Mutis, 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 6-1.
Agassi turns 33 on Tuesday but remains in sensational form. The reigning Australian Open champion raised his 2003 match record to 21-1. The winner of 60 ATP titles, he has dropped just five games in his first three matches this week.
The Las Vegas native hopes to improve upon last year's semifinal performance here, where he lost in straight sets to long-time rival Pete Sampras.
WNBA, union finally agree
NEW YORK, April 26 (UPI) -- It took a week after the deadline, but the WNBA and its players' union finally agreed on a new contract Friday.
That allowed the league's draft to be conducted later in the day.
The agreement is for four years with a league option for a fifth year and will feature free agency for the players.
However, the players succeeded in getting only minimal raises. In the first year of the agreement, minimum salaries for veterans will increase 5 percent from $40,000 to $42,000 while minimum salaries for rookies will remain the same at $30,000.
WNBA teams will be obligated to increase salaries 4 percent per year.
NBA Commissioner David Stern had threatened to cancel the season if both sides did not reach an agreement by last Friday. But the league and the union continued negotations with Stern's blessing after substantial progress was made last week.
The four-month season begins with training camp in late April. The majority of players compete in other leagues outside the United States during the offseason.
In the draft, the Cleveland Rockers had the No. 1 pick and they selected Mississippi State forward LaToya Thomas. She was the SEC's player of the year.
