Aldridge scores 30 points as Trail Blazers edge Dallas

NBA: LaMarcus Aldridge scored 30 points and Brandon Roy added 21 off the bench, including a key jumper with less than a minute to go, as the Trail Blazers beat the Dallas Mavericks 104-101 in Portland.

The Blazers led 100-94 with 3:50 left, but Jason Terry’s basket narrowed it to 100-99. Roy hit a pair of free throws before a pull-up jumper that made it 104-99 with 47 seconds left.

Dirk Nowitzki hit a pair of free throws, but after a timeout with 8.8 seconds on the clock, he missed a 3-point attempt from the corner and time ran out for the Mavericks.

• Bulls win, move into first in East: Derrick Rose scored 23 points in Chicago’s seventh straight win, a 98-79 victory over the Washington Wizards at Chicago, that moved the Bulls into sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference.

The Bulls (48-18) moved one-half game ahead of the Boston Celtics.

Capitals push streak to nine straight

NHL: Marcus Johansson scored his second goal of the game 6:43 into the third period, Mike Knuble added Washington’s second power-play goal and the Capitals extended their winning streak to nine games with a 4-2 victory over the Canadiens in Montreal.

Johansson also scored a power-play goal 1:06 into the game.

• GMs stop short of recommending ban on head shots: After a second day of meetings, NHL general managers have decided against recommending a ban on head shots to curb concussions. Instead, they will propose tighter enforcement of rules on charging and boarding.

The general managers also will propose longer suspensions for illegal head hits and repeat offenders.

NFL’s Goodell open to talks after ruling

NFL: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell doesn’t expect labor talks to resume until after a U.S. District Court judge rules on the players’ injunction to stop the lockout.

Appearing on NFL Network, Goodell said that there has been virtually no dialogue with the NFL Players Association since mediated negotiations collapsed last Friday.

“For us to go back to mediation, you call me and we’ll be there,” Goodell said.

Eskimo musher victorious in Iditarod

Miscellany: John Baker’s win in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race was more than just one man finally achieving his lifelong dream. It was also a victory for Alaska Natives.

Hundreds of fans and traditional Eskimo drummers greeted the 48-year-old Eskimo musher as he crossed the finish line at Nome, Alaska, in the world’s longest sled dog race.

“We are lucky when we are able to do something good and share it with other people,” said Baker – a soft-spoken Inupiat Eskimo who already had celebrity status in western Alaska before winning the Iditarod on his 16th try.

The Kotzebue musher is the first Alaska Native musher to win the Iditarod since Jerry Riley did it in 1976, and he is the first Eskimo to win since the 1,150-mile Anchorage to Nome race began in 1973.

Baker shattered the race record, coming in three hours earlier than four-time champion Martin Buser did when he set the previous record in 2002. Baker completed this year’s race in eight days, 19 hours and 46 minutes.

• Women’s teams graduate players at higher rate: A study released found the women’s teams in this year’s NCAA basketball tournament graduated their players at a higher rate than their male counterparts.

An annual report by the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Diversity and Ethics shows all the women’s teams graduated at least 50 percent of their players compared with 76 percent of the men’s teams reaching the 50 percent mark.

• Polanco re-injures elbow: Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Placido Polanco re-injured his surgically repaired left elbow in the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Dunedin, Fla.

Polanco hyperextended his elbow on a swing in his only plate appearance.

“It’s just a day-to-day thing I think,” Polanco said.