In brief: ‘Los Suns’ slip past Spurs for 2-0 series lead
NBA: Los Suns ganaron. That means the Suns won.
Amare Stoudemire had 23 points and 11 rebounds, Channing Frye made 5 of 6 3-pointers, and Phoenix, wearing its orange “Los Suns” jerseys in part to protest Arizona’s new anti-immigration law, pulled away for a 110-102 home victory over the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday, taking a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.
Steve Nash and Jason Richardson scored 19 apiece and Grant Hill added 18 in a grind-it-out game played at the Spurs’ pace until the Suns started hitting 3-pointers. After starting 1 of 7 from long range Phoenix made eight of its next 12.
Tim Duncan had 29 points and 10 rebounds and Richard Jefferson had 18 points and 10 boards for San Antonio. Game 3 is in Texas on Friday.
•Bryant, Howard headline all-defensive team: Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers is on the NBA all-defensive first team for the fifth straight year, joining Boston guard Rajon Rondo, Orlando center Dwight Howard, Charlotte forward Gerald Wallace and Cleveland’s LeBron James.
•Ainge says he’s sorry: Danny Ainge says he regrets tossing a towel in the air to distract an opponent during a free-throw attempt.
The Boston Celtics general manager told WEEI-AM in Boston he behaved unprofessionally during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Cleveland.
•Hornets meet with Fratello: Mike Fratello interviewed with the New Orleans Hornets about the club’s head coaching vacancy. Fratello, who has coached about 15 seasons with three teams, is the third candidate interviewed.
Bruins dump Flyers for 3-0 series lead
NHL: Blake Wheeler, Miroslav Satan and Mark Recchi scored for Boston in a 4-1 road win over the Philadelphia Flyers that lifted the Bruins to a commanding 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Patrice Bergeron scored an empty-net goal for the Bruins with 1:52 left.
Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask allowed a quick goal at the start, but finished with 34 saves. The Bruins can complete the sweep in Game 4 in Philadelphia on Friday night.
Wheeler and Satan scored 94 seconds apart in the first period to wipe out the Flyers’ lead. Arron Asham scored for the Flyers.
•Blackhawks take 2-1 series lead: Big Chicago forward Dustin Byfuglien banged in a pair of power-play rebounds and completed his hat trick in the third period to lift the Blackhawks to a 5-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks in Vancouver, British Columbia, and a 2-1 advantage in the Western Conference semifinal series.
Kris Versteeg and Marian Hossa also scored, and Antti Niemi made 16 of his 31 saves in the first period. The Blackhawks picked up where they left off in Game 2 when they scored three goals in a third-period comeback win.
Jannik Hansen and Alex Burrows scored and Roberto Luongo made 30 saves for the Canucks, who will try to even the series when they host Game 4 on Friday night.
To do it, Vancouver will have to do a better job on special teams and against Byfuglien.
The Canucks were 0 for 4 on the power play and allowed two goals to Chicago in six times short-handed. Byfuglien played a big role after being moved up from defense to play on the top line with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, who had three assists.
•Staal participates in practice: Pittsburgh Penguins center Jordan Staal skated with his teammates only five days after undergoing surgery to repair a severed tendon in his right foot. Staal was injured in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series.
NCAA proposes rule changes on elbows
College basketball: The NCAA is recommending tougher penalties for players who throw elbows, and women’s teams could be experimenting with a 3-point line equitable to the men’s arc next season.
If the new elbow rule passes, referees would be required to call a flagrant or intentional foul for anything more than incidental elbow contact above the shoulders.
Derby runner-up will skip Preakness
Horse racing: Kentucky Derby runner-up Ice Box is skipping the Preakness Stakes on May 15. Trainer Nick Zito said it’s more likely the 3-year-old colt will be pointed to the Belmont instead.
Williams sisters move to Rome quarterfinals
Tennis: Top-ranked Serena Williams, in her first tournament in three months, defeated Andrea Petkovic of Germany 6-2, 3-6, 6-0 at the Italian Open in Rome. Venus Williams ousted Shahar Peer of Israel 6-3, 6-4.
Second-ranked Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark lost her third-round match to Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain, and eighth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland was ousted by Czech player Lucie Safarova, who rallied to win 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (1).
New IRL event set for Baltimore
Auto racing: The Indy Racing League has the green light to launch a new event in Baltimore. City officials approved a contract with local investors to launch a race known as the Baltimore Grand Prix.
The league is expected to sign a sanctioning agreement in the next two weeks.