Boilermakers battle for Big Ten supremacy

JaJuan Johnson scored 17 points to lead No. 19 Purdue over No. 6 Michigan State 72-54 on Tuesday night in Lafayette, Ind., and move the Boilermakers within one game of the Spartans in the Big Ten standings.

Michigan State (20-5, 10-3) had held its previous three opponents to less than 50 points, but the Boilermakers (20-6, 9-4) shot 48 percent and scored their 50th point with nearly 11 minutes remaining.

•No. 2 Sooners rally: Courtney Paris scored 23 points and grabbed 20 rebounds to help No. 2 Oklahoma rally to beat the Texas Tech Lady Raiders (14-11, 4-7 Big 12) 80-72 in Lubbock, Texas.

The Sooners (23-2, 11-0) trailed 63-54 with 8:08 left.

NHL

Bruins first to 40 wins

David Krejci had a short-handed goal and an assist, and the Boston Bruins snapped a season-worst four-game losing streak by pulling away late to rout the Carolina Hurricanes 5-1 in Raleigh, N.C.

The Bruins (40-10-8) became the first NHL team to reach 40 wins this season.

•Canucks put out Flames in SO: Ryan Kesler scored twice and Pavol Demitra had the shootout winner as the Vancouver Canucks overcame a late third-period deficit to beat the Calgary Flames 4-3 in Calgary, Alberta.

With goalie Roberto Luongo pulled for an extra attacker, Kevin Bieksa scored the game-tying goal on a shot through a crowd with 51 seconds remaining in the third period.

•Avs bury Senators in OT: Wojtek Wolski scored off his rebound 80 seconds into overtime, lifting the Colorado Avalanche to a 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators in Denver.

•Stars’ Richards placed on IR: Dallas Stars center Brad Richards was placed on injured reserve because of a fractured right wrist. He could miss the rest of the regular season.

NBA

Knicks down Spurs in OT

Nate Robinson followed his slam dunk title by showing off his entire game, scoring 32 points and grabbing 10 rebounds to lead the New York Knicks to a 112-107 overtime victory over the San Antonio Spurs in New York.

Chris Duhon and Wilson Chandler each scored 17 points for the Knicks.

Tim Duncan had 26 points and 15 rebounds for the Spurs.

•Hornets slide by Thunder: Chris Paul drove the lane for a layup with 2.7 seconds left to lift the New Orleans Hornets to a 100-98 win over the Thunder in Oklahoma City.

Kevin Durant scored a career-high 47 points for the Thunder and nailed a fallaway 3-pointer from the right wing to tie the game with 13.8 seconds to play.

•McGrady will miss season: The Houston Rockets’ Tracy McGrady will miss the remainder of the season to undergo microfracture surgery on a lingering left knee injury, ESPN.com reported.

•Thunder trade for Chandler: The Oklahoma City Thunder have acquired center Tyson Chandler from New Orleans in a deal that sends veterans Joe Smith and Chris Wilcox to the Hornets.

The Hornets also got the rights to DeVon Hardin, a second-round pick out of California in last year’s draft.

Football

Jackson pleads not guilty

San Diego Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson pleaded not guilty to two charges of driving under the influence in San Diego.

A readiness hearing was set for March 23 in San Diego County Superior Court.

Jackson, on probation from a 2006 DUI conviction, faces charges of driving under the influence of alcohol and-or drugs and driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher.

•Broncos cut Bly: The Denver Broncos continued their salary purge by releasing 11-year veteran cornerback Dre’ Bly, who had spent two years starting opposite star Champ Bailey.

Auto racing

Push for new Cup race

Speedway Motorsports Inc. owner Bruton Smith plans to spend upward of $70 million to help Kentucky Speedway land a lucrative NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

The Kentucky Legislature is ready to help offset some of the cost, if Smith can finally end the track’s decade-long pursuit of a date on the crowded Cup calendar.

•Daytona ratings down: The Daytona 500’s television ratings declined as the rain-shortened race missed out on the final laps that typically draw the most viewers.

Sunday’s event on Fox drew a preliminary national rating of 9.2 and a 19 share, the network said.

Last year’s full race drew a 10.2/20.

Miscellany

Chelsea to test Sounders

Chelsea is coming to Seattle to play the expansion Sounders in a summer exhibition match.

The MLS team announced that it would host the Premier League powerhouse as it tunes up for the upcoming season.

The Sounders will be taking time out of their first year in the United States’ top division.

•Leipheimer keeps lead: Levi Leipheimer bumped wheels with Lance Armstrong, but recovered to maintain his lead after Thor Hushovd won the third stage in the rain-soaked Tour of California in Modesto, Calif.

Hushovd claimed the 101-mile stage from San Jose to Modesto in 4 hours, 28 minutes and 12 seconds.

•Dubai defends Israeli rejection: Security worries led authorities to bar an Israeli woman from playing in a Dubai tennis tournament, organizers said as a new showdown loomed between the Emirates’ hunger for big-time sports events and its stance on Mideast political tensions.

•Sturm to fight Sato: Felix Sturm will defend his WBA middleweight title against Koji Sato on April 25 in Germany.

The fight will be held in the city of Krefeld, Sturm’s Universum promoters said.