Rose catches fire, leads Bulls past Hawks
NBA: Derrick Rose scored 33 points, Luol Deng added 23 and the Chicago Bulls beat the Atlanta Hawks 95-83 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at Chicago on Tuesday night to take a 3-2 lead in the series.
Taj Gibson had 11 points – all in the fourth quarter. Rose also scored 11 in the fourth, and the Bulls pounded the Hawks 26-15 in the quarter.
Game 6 is Thursday in Atlanta, and Chicago is one win from its first conference finals appearance since 1998, when Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen wrapped up their second championship three-peat.
• Riley, Forman honored: Miami Heat president Pat Riley and Chicago Bulls general manager Gar Forman are co-recipients of the NBA Executive of the Year award for engineering overhauls that so far have propelled their teams to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
• Pacers will retain Bird: The Indiana Pacers announced that they will keep Larry Bird as team president after he met with owner Herb Simon in Los Angeles.
The Pacers made their first playoff appearance since 2006 this season in the final year of Bird’s contract.
Red Wings win again, force decisive game
Hockey: Henrik Zetterberg and Valtteri Filppula scored less than two minutes apart in the third period, and the Detroit Red Wings rallied again for a 3-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks in Detroit, forcing a decisive seventh game after trailing 3-0 in the pulsating second-round series.
San Jose must defend home ice Thursday night to avoid becoming the fourth NHL team to lose a best-of-7 series after leading 3-0.
• Kootenay downs Portland: Forward Joe Antilla scored at 6:12 of overtime as the Kootenay Ice won 3-2 over the Portland Winterhawks in Game 3 of the Western Hockey League finals at Cranbrook, B.C.
That gives the Ice a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 playoff series.
Antilla took a pass in the high slot from Max Reinhart and scored with a wrist shot high on the glove side. It was Antilla’s second overtime goal in this postseason.
Cyclists honor racer who died in crash
Miscellany: The teammates of Wouter Weylandt crossed the finish line side by side and with arms linked at the Giro d’Italia in Livorno, Italy, honoring the cyclist who died in a crash a day earlier.
After a somber day of ceremonial riding, Weylandt’s Leopard-Trek team withdrew from the race, one of pro cycling’s three major tours.
The teams observed a minute’s silence at the start of the fourth stage and wore black ribbons on a day in which no points were awarded.
Tyler Farrar, a Wenatchee native and Weylandt’s close friend and training partner, rides for Garmin-Cervelo but was invited to join the Leopard-Trek cyclists for the final part of the stage. He was in tears as the riders hit the line in unison. Farrar had said he would pull out of the race after the stage.
• Jockey found dead: A 24-year-old jockey who rode this year’s Kentucky Derby second-place finisher to his only win was found dead in his vehicle at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.
Michael Baze of Glendora, Calif., was pronounced dead at 4:47 p.m. EDT in his vehicle parked in the stable area of the track, Jefferson County Deputy Coroner Jim Wesley said.
There were no signs of foul play and the case was being treated as a death investigation. An autopsy was planned.
• FIFA corruption allegations made: Soccer’s governing body was hit with new corruption allegations when six FIFA executive committee members were accused of receiving or demanding bribes during bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
In Zurich, FIFA President Sepp Blatter said he will ask for evidence that supports the claims and forward any allegations to the FIFA ethics committee.
• La Russa sick, takes leave from Cardinals: St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa has been diagnosed with shingles and was having tests at the Mayo Clinic, and it was uncertain when he would return to the team.
Bench coach Joe Pettini will run the Cardinals while La Russa is away.
• Greek sprinters found guilty: Seven years after causing a scandal that shook the Athens Olympics, Greek sprinters Costas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou were convicted of perjury for faking a motorcycle accident to cover up a missed doping test on the eve of the 2004 Games.
The runners were given suspended 31-month jail sentences – meaning they are highly unlikely to serve any jail time.