In brief: Pacquiao files suit against Mayweather

Manny Pacquiao upped the ante Wednesday in his standoff with Floyd Mayweather Jr. by filing a lawsuit alleging that Mayweather and others defamed him by falsely accusing Pacquiao of using performance-enhancing drugs.

The suit filed in federal court in Las Vegas further complicates efforts to reach an agreement for a proposed March 13 fight between the two boxers. The fight has been stalled by demands by the Mayweather camp that both fighters submit to random blood and urine tests leading up to the bout.

Pacquiao claimed in the suit that he has never tested positive for any performance- enhancing drugs, but that Mayweather, his father and uncle, Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions chief Richard Schaefer embarked on a campaign to make people think he used drugs.

James delivers win on 25th birthday

NBA: Anderson Varejao made his first career 3-pointer with 17.2 seconds left – a 25th birthday present to teammate LeBron James – to give Cleveland a 106-101 victory over the visiting Atlanta Hawks.

James scored a season-high 48 points with 10 rebounds.

•Nets earn third victory: Brook Lopez had 21 points and 14 rebounds, Yi Jianlian scored 22 and the New Jersey Nets beat the New York Knicks 104-95 at East Rutherford, N.J., to end a 10-game losing streak and improve to 3-29 on the season.

•Raptors edge Bobcats: Chris Bosh had 33 points and 13 rebounds, Andrea Bargnani matched his career high with 28 points, and the Toronto Raptors beat the visiting Charlotte Bobcats 107-103.

•Magic drub Bucks: Vince Carter overcame a hard collision to score 25 points, rallying the Orlando Magic for a 117-92 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks at Orlando, Fla.

•Blazers knock off Clippers: Brandon Roy tallied 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists to lift the Portland Trail Blazers to a 103-99 win over the visiting Los Angeles Clippers.

Also, the Trail Blazers signed forward Shavlik Randolph with a hardship exemption from the league.

Cincinnati trips 10th-ranked UConn

College basketball: Freshman Lance Stephenson was fouled with less than a second left and made both free throws, rallying the host Cincinnati Bearcats (9-3) to a 71-69 win over the 10th-ranked Connecticut Huskies (9-3) in a Big East opener for both teams.

Gagne’s hat trick sparks Flyers

NHL: Simon Gagne scored three goals and added an assist, and the Philadelphia Flyers handed the visiting New York Rangers their worst loss of the season, 6-0.

•Brodeur blanks Penguins: Martin Brodeur made 32 saves for his second straight shutout against the Pittsburgh Penguins and record 105th overall, leading the New Jersey Devils to a 2-0 victory in Newark, N.J.

•Avalanche edge Senators: Ryan O’Reilly scored the winning goal early in the third period, and Craig Anderson stopped 27 shots in the Colorado Avalanche’s 4-3 road win over the Ottawa Senators.

Labonte helps Canada defeat U.S.

Hockey: Charline Labonte made 38 saves and Canada continued its recent dominance over the United States women with a 2-1 exhibition victory in St. Paul, Minn.

Karen Thatcher scored for the Americans, who have dropped six of seven to Canada.

•Crosby to lead Canada’s Olympic team: Sidney Crosby, the youngest captain in NHL history to win a Stanley Cup was chosen for Canada’s Olympic hockey team, four years after being left off the underachieving squad that finished a disappointing seventh in Turin, Italy.

Among those selected were goaltender Martin Brodeur; defensemen Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger; forward Jarome Iginla; and center Joe Thornton, the NHL scoring leader.

Irsay backs decision to pull Colts starters

NFL: Indianapolis owner Jim Irsay, after three days of hearing national media personalities and local fans express outrage over the Colts’ decision to pull their starters in the second half of a 29-15 loss to the New York Jets on Sunday, responded.

Not only did he support the decision made by president Bill Polian and first-year coach Jim Caldwell, Irsay approved it.

“For anyone to attack the virtues, the intentions or the integrity of what we’re trying to do, I think, is misguided because our goal is to win a world championship,” he said.

•Teammates want Bruce to play: Isaac Bruce’s final NFL game might be back in the very place where he spent his most productive years.

San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Singletary said the 37-year-old Bruce’s teammates approached the coach to say they wanted the 16th-year veteran to play Sunday at St. Louis in the team’s last game.

Josh Morgan, who replaced Bruce in the starting lineup, went to Singletary’s office and made the case that Bruce deserved this chance.

Bruce has been inactive the past five games.

Hurricanes encounter more bad news

College football: Miami’s 2009 season ended with a loss, and the 2010 campaign isn’t off to a great start.

Running back Graig Cooper could miss all of next season because of a severe right knee injury.

Cooper was hurt Tuesday when his knee gave way after a misstep on slippery turf late in the first half of Miami’s loss to Wisconsin in the Champs Sports Bowl.

•Lawsuit dismissed: A judge in Atlanta dismissed a lawsuit filed by former University of Georgia football player Decory Bryant, who claimed the school’s athletic department failed to secure him an insurance policy that would have paid out $500,000 if he suffered a career-ending injury.

Woods had ‘fat lip’ after car accident

Miscellany: Tiger Woods had a “fat lip” but no other visible facial injuries when he met with Florida state troopers four days after the accident outside his home, according to a television report.

Officers had no reason to believe the golfer was a victim of domestic violence, according to Florida Highway Patrol spokeswoman Kim Montes.

•Diamondbacks sign Johnson: The Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to terms with former Atlanta Braves second baseman Kelly Johnson on a one-year contract.

•Davis will concentrate on individual races: American speedskater Shani Davis plans to skate in all five individual distances at the Vancouver Olympics in February and will not compete in the team pursuit, according to U.S. Speedskating.

•No sanctions: The board of directors for the U.S. soccer federation has voted unanimously not to sanction the United Soccer League or the North American Soccer League in 2010.

The USL and NASL were unable to meet the minimum requirement of eight viable teams, and the board has given each seven days to work out an interim solution.