In brief: Johnson leads qualifying at Homestead

NASCAR: Jimmie Johnson’s run for his fourth straight Cup title starts from the pole.

Johnson turned a lap of 173.919 mph Friday to top qualifying at Homestead-Miami Speedway, a big boost for the Hendrick Motorsports star as he tries to become the first driver in NASCAR history to win four consecutive championships.

Johnson won his fourth pole of the season in the No. 48 Chevrolet hours after it was announced he signed a contract extension to drive for Hendrick Motorsports through the 2015 season. He has 23 career poles in 291 Cup races.

Johnson goes into Sunday’s Chase for the championship finale with a 108-point lead over Mark Martin and needs only to finish 25th or better to win the title.

•Couple wins in Truck Series finale: Kevin Harvick made a late pass to cap a dominating show to win the season-ending Trucks Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and wife Delana clinched the owners’ championship when Ron Hornaday Jr. – who had already wrapped up his fourth Trucks title – finished eighth.

Warriors beat Blazers, snap skid

Basketball: Monta Ellis scored a season-high 34 points and had eight assists, Anthony Morrow added 23 points, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Portland Trail Blazers 108-94 in Oakland, Calif., to snap a three-game losing streak.

Rudy Fernandez had 19 points and five assists, Brandon Roy added 17 points and Greg Oden had 16 points but was plagued by foul trouble throughout the second half for Portland.

•Magic win fourth in a row: Vince Carter scored 26 points, Rashard Lewis had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and the visiting Orlando Magic beat the Boston Celtics 83-78.

Dwight Howard grabbed 15 boards and Mickael Pietrus added 14 points for Orlando, which won the rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference semifinal for its fourth consecutive victory.

Paul Pierce scored 21 for Boston, which has lost three of its last four, and three of five at home.

•Syracuse runs away with upset of UNC: Brandon Triche and Arinze Onuaku combined for 13 points in Syracuse’s 22-1 run to open the second half and the Orange went on to an 87-71 victory over No. 6 North Carolina in the championship game of the 2K Sports Classic in New York.

The Orange (4-0) were the only unranked team in the semifinals of the tournament that benefits Coaches vs. Cancer but they left Madison Square Garden with blowout wins over No. 13 California and the Tar Heels (4-1).

•Turner leads Ohio St. over Cal: Evan Turner had 26 points and 14 rebounds, his fourth double-double in as many games, and No. 15 Ohio State beat No. 13 California 76-70 in the third-place game of the 2K Sports Classic.

Against the Golden Bears (2-2), the Buckeyes used a 21-3 run spanning halftime to take a 52-28 lead with 15:40 to play.

•Nova takes down Dayton: Corey Fisher scored 18 points to lead No. 5 Villanova past No. 18 Dayton 71-65 in the second round of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Fisher was 10 for 12 from the free-throw line and converted his last four shots in the final minutes to help the Wildcats (4-0) hold off a late rally from the Flyers.

NFL union opposes teammate reporting

Football: The NFL Players Association opposes commissioner Roger Goodell’s call for players to tell their teams’ medical staffs if they think a teammate shows symptoms of a concussion, saying that is not an adequate solution.

“If every player were a medical doctor that could recognize symptoms of concussions, then that would be a great idea,” NFLPA assistant executive director George Atallah said in a telephone interview.

•Polamalu out: Steelers safety Troy Polamalu did not practice all week because of a left knee injury and will not play Sunday in Kansas City. He may miss the Nov. 29 game at Baltimore as well.

Rain cuts round at LPGA Championship

Golf: Sophie Gustafson has moved within two shots of leader Lorena Ochoa at the weather-delayed LPGA Tour Championship in Richmond, Texas.

Rains swamped the Houstonian Golf and Country Club before dawn and the start of the second round was pushed back six hours.

Wendy Ward of Edwall, Wash., was at 3 under through 11 holes, and tied for fifth place, when play was suspended.

•Westwood has 2-shot lead in Dubai: Lee Westwood shot a 3-under 69 to take a two-stroke lead after the second round of the Dubai World Championship, increasing his chance of winning the European money title in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

•Pair tied for lead: D.A. Points shot a 2-under 70 at Del Monte, and Matt Bettencourt had a 71 in wind and rain at Spyglass Hill to share the second-round lead in the Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational in Pebble Beach, Calif.

McCabe lifts Florida to OT victory

Miscellany: Bryan McCabe’s goal 40 seconds into overtime gave the Florida Panthers a 2-1 win over the host Detroit Red Wings.

Steven Weiss scored Florida’s other goal. Nathan Horton had two assists and Scott Clemmensen stopped 39 shots.

Detroit lost its second straight at home.

•No replay for World Cup qualifier: The French Football Federation has rejected an appeal from its Irish counterpart to ask FIFA to allow a replay of the contentious World Cup qualifier between the two countries.