In brief: Bayless, Roy lead Blazers past Suns
Basketball: Jerryd Bayless had a career-high 29 points and made three free throws in the final 9 seconds, and the Portland Trail Blazers overcame a 15-point third-quarter deficit to beat the Phoenix Suns 105-102 at home.
Brandon Roy added 27 points and eight rebounds for the injury plagued Blazers, who have won two in a row after dropping six of eight games. LaMarcus Aldridge and Martell Webster each had 15 points and seven rebounds.
Amare Stoudemire had 27 points and Grant Hill scored 20 points for the Suns, who have lost six straight on the road for the first time since Jan. 28 to Feb. 20, 2004. Channing Frye had 17 points and Steve Nash had 16 points, 13 assists and five rebounds.
•Tolliver added by Blazers: The Trail Blazers called up forward Anthony Tolliver from their NBA Development League affiliate to provide depth to the injury-depleted team.
The 6-foot-9, 240-pound forward out of Creighton averaged 20.7 points and 9.9 rebounds in seven starts with the Idaho Stampede. He played in 19 games with the San Antonio Spurs last season.
•White leaves Minnesota college hoops: Prized recruit Royce White says he’s leaving the Minnesota basketball team because of his legal troubles and the stress they are causing his family and the program.
White made the announcement in a video posted on YouTube.
White is currently indefinitely suspended from the team while police investigate the theft of a laptop computer from a dorm room in November. White says he’s innocent.
•Seattle falls to Wright, Oakland: Larry Wright had 21 points and converted four clutch free throws down the stretch as visiting Oakland, Mich., beat Seattle 77-68 in college basketball.
Wright hit a fall-away baseline jumper with 3:52 left and drew a foul from Seattle’s Charles Garcia to pull within one point and get Garcia to foul out. The three-point play tied the game 67-67.
•WNBA Tulsa team moves to Western Conference: The WNBA team formerly known as the Detroit Shock is changing conferences as part of its offseason move to Tulsa, Okla.
The WNBA released its schedule for the 2010 season, and the Tulsa franchise announced that it would be moving to the Western Conference. There were only five teams left in the West – and seven in the East – after the Sacramento Monarchs ceased operations.
Rams cancel practice due to swine flu
Football: The St. Louis Rams canceled practice with an undisclosed number of swine flu cases on the team, just three days before a home game against the Houston Texans.
Coach Steve Spagnuolo would not say how many players had the illness but said five or six players had flulike symptoms, and added that other players had reported symptoms the last few weeks.
•Browns and Holmgren to talk again: Mike Holmgren left Cleveland on Wednesday without a contract to take over as the Browns’ director of football operations. Team spokesman Bill Bonsiewicz said money has not been discussed, despite reports that Holmgren could command upwards of $10 million a year, but that the two sides agreed to talk again in the coming days.
•Holliday signs with Marshall: Marshall athletic director Mike Hamrick says West Virginia assistant John “Doc” Holliday has signed a five-year contract to coach the Thundering Herd.
Hamrick said Holliday will be paid $600,000 per season. It’s the first head coaching job for the 52-year-old Holliday after three decades as an assistant, most of them with the Mountaineers.
Atkins, Gonzalez agree with Orioles
Baseball: Third baseman Garrett Atkins and reliever Mike Gonzalez have reached preliminary agreements with the Baltimore Orioles, people familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press.
The deals are pending physicals, according to the people, who spoke separately on condition of anonymity because the contracts had not been completed as of Thursday afternoon.
•NCAA informs ASU of possible violations: The NCAA is accusing Arizona State of a “lack of institutional control” of the baseball program, citing allegations that include impermissible recruiting phone calls and a failure to monitor baseball staff members.
The Arizona Republic reported that the university last month received a notice of the allegations. The case is not expected to be heard by the NCAA infractions committee until next summer.
In 2005, the NCAA placed ASU on two years’ probation, citing the football program for similar violations.
Rangers respond to benchings with rout
Miscellany: Henrik Lundqvist stopped 35 shots and made coach John Tortorella’s decision to bench a pair of veteran players look smart as the New York Rangers snapped a five-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the New York Islanders in Uniondale, N.Y.
Ryan Callahan scored a pair of goals and added two assists.
•Penn State plays for third consecutive title: Penn State is one win away from setting another volleyball record, earning the chance for a third straight national title by beating Hawaii 3-1 in Tampa, Fla.
Penn State (37-0) will face Texas on Saturday night. The Longhorns (29-1) swept Minnesota in the other semifinal.