Suns go for eight straight wins vs. Clippers

(Sports Network) - Pacific Division rivals battle tonight, as the scorching Phoenix Suns welcome the Los Angeles Clippers to US Airways Center.
The Clippers and Suns split four contests last season, while Los Angeles has won two of the last three games at Phoenix.
Phoenix wraps up a two-game homestand tonight. On Wednesday, Shawn Marion scored 25 points and Steve Nash finished with 18 and 15 assists to lead the Suns to an easy 127-111 win over the Sacramento Kings at US Airways Center.
Leandro Barbosa also had 18 points and Grant Hill recorded 15 points and six assists for the Suns, who have won seven straight, with the last two coming against the Kings. Amare Stoudemire ended with 13 points and six boards for Phoenix, which edged Sacramento 100-98 on Tuesday night at ARCO Arena.
The Suns are scheduled to visit the Golden State Warriors on Monday at ORACLE Arena. Phoenix is 4-1 at home this season...Full Story

Liverpool hopes to continue good away form

Newcastle, England (Sports Network) - Liverpool's poor form away from Anfield last season was a big reason why the Reds finished a distant third place in the Premiership standings.
This season things have changed, with the club recording four wins and two draws away from home, and hoping to keep that good form going when the team visits St James' Park on Saturday to meet Newcastle.
Assistant coach Alex Miller knows how much emphasis the team has placed on winning away games, and he feels confident that his men will continue to thrive.
"We knew at the start of the season that if we were to have any chance then we needed to be better away because we just weren't good enough last year," Miller told the club's website. The opening day win at Aston Villa set us up nicely and we have gone on from there...Full Story

Valencia, Koeman taking it "step by step"

Santander, Spain (Sports Network) - Valencia manager Ronald Koeman needs more time to turn his new club into the team he wants, but it's still important to make little gains every day.
"The team can't play as I want in only two weeks. We have to go step by step," he said.
Koeman recently left PSV in the Netherlands to take over Valencia and with his new club fourth in La Liga - level on points with third-place Barcelona - he can't give afford to give away points while he reshapes the club.
"This is a great club. By now, I'm not working in signing new players," Koeman said. "I'm studying the squad I have in my hands ... I trust my players."
With Real Madrid, Villarreal and Barcelona - the top three teams in the league - playing easier opponents this weekend, Valencia has to return from Santander with at least a draw against seventh-place Racing on Sunday.
A win is obviously what Koeman really wants...Full Story

Federer, Ferrer advance to Masters Cup final

Shanghai, China (Sports Network) - Roger Federer and David Ferrer were semifinal winners Saturday at the Tennis Masters Cup and will play for the title of the lucrative season-ending event on Sunday.
The top-seeded Federer had a surprisingly easy match against nemesis Rafael Nadal, posting a 6-4, 6-1 triumph, while the sixth-seeded Ferrer cruised past American Andy Roddick, 6-1, 6-3.
Federer's 59-minute victory against Nadal was his most one-sided in the rivalry, which the Swiss star has recently dominated. The world No. 1 has captured five of the last seven matches with the Spanish sensation, losing only in the finale at the Monte Carlo Masters and French Open this spring.
"For me to beat him on hard court indoors is a great result," said Federer, who is now 6-8 lifetime against Nadal. "And the way I played today, I wish I could play every time like this against him. But it's not that easy."...Full Story

Jazz begin road trip in Toronto

(Sports Network) - The Utah Jazz are on a roll and open a three-game road trip against the Toronto Raptors tonight at Air Canada Centre.
Utah is 6-2 on the season and has won four straight games, including Monday's 117-93 victory over the Sacramento Kings at EnergySolutions Arena. Carlos Boozer scored 32 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Jazz, who have scored more than 100 points in each game during their winning streak and are averaging 110.3 during that span.
Andrei Kirilenko added 15 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, while Ronnie Brewer had 13 points in the win. Mehmet Okur and Gordan Giricek each recorded 12 points for Utah, which will also visit Cleveland and Indiana on the trek....Full Story

Chelsea's Carvalho faces eight weeks on sideline

London, England (Sports Network) - Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho could be sidelined for up to eight weeks after he suffered a back injury in the club's 1-1 draw with Everton on Sunday.
Carvalho has undergone scans on his back and they have revealed that he has damaged his spinal column.
Portuguese team doctor Henrique Jones confirmed the injury, and now Chelsea manager Avram Grant will be left to piece together a defense that is already missing keeper Petr Cech as well as defenders John Terry and Paulo Ferreira.
Chelsea is currently fourth in the Premiership standings, five points behind leaders Arsenal and Manchester United, and will face Derby on November 24 after the international break.

Federer, Roddick post Day-4 wins in Shanghai

Shanghai, China (Sports Network) - World No. 1 Swiss Roger Federer and former top-ranked American star Andy Roddick were Wednesday's Red Group round- robin winners at the exclusive $3.7 million Tennis Masters Cup. Roddick has already clinched a berth in Saturday's semifinals here.
The top-seeded Federer rebounded from a Monday loss against Fernando Gonzalez by whipping fourth-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko 6-4, 6-3, while a fifth- seeded Roddick improved to 2-0 this week by handling a seventh-seeded Gonzalez 6-1, 6-4 on the hardcourt at Qi Zhong Stadium. Roddick moved to 7-3 lifetime versus the Australian Open runner-up Gonzalez.
Federer got past Davydenko in 1 hour, 26 minutes with the help of four service breaks, compared to two for the Russian, while Roddick doused "Gonzo" in 1 hour, 5 minutes by winning 21 more points (59-38) than his Chilean counterpart. The massive-serving American, who fired only four aces in the big win, also broke Gonzalez three times, while the Chilean failed to record one break in the setback.
The amazing Federer is now 16-1 all-time in his Masters Cup round-robin matches and 11-0 lifetime versus Davydenko, who succumbed to the super Swiss in this year's U.S. and French Open semifinals...Full Story

Nadal, Djokovic both lose at Masters Cup

Shanghai, China (Sports Network) - Two of the world's top-three players suffered round-robin losses on Tuesday, as Rafael Nadal succumbed to fellow Spaniard David Ferrer and Serbian Novak Djokovic gave way to Frenchman Richard Gasquet at the $3.7 million Tennis Masters Cup.
A sixth-seeded Ferrer secured a berth in Saturday's semifinals here by coming from behind to beat the second-seeded Nadal 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, while the eighth- seeded Gasquet whipped a third-seeded Djokovic 6-4, 6-2. Nadal is the reigning three-time French Open champion and Wimbledon runner-up, while Djokovic was this year's U.S. Open runner-up.
Ferrer ran out to a 5-1 third-set lead against Nadal here on Day 3 and ultimately prevailed in 2 hours, 40 minutes. Ferrer managed to record one more service break than Nadal, as he piled up a whopping six en route to the big victory at this exclusive eight-player event....Full Story

Henin outlasts Sharapova in WTA Tour final

Madrid, Spain (Sports Network) - Justine Henin of Belgium outlasted Russia's Maria Sharapova to win her the season-ending WTA Tour Sony Ericsson Championships.
The top-seeded Henin, who disposed of Serbia's Ana Ivanovic, 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals, dropped the first set and was down 3-4 in the second before rebounding to take a 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 victory in a battle that nearly lasted 3 1/2 hours, a record for a three-set final at this tourney.
Henin also won this title last year and secured her 10th singles crown of 2007. The last woman to win as many 10 titles in a single season was Martina Hingis, who won 12 times in 1997. The Belgian is also riding a 25-match winning streak, dating back to a semifinal loss to Marion Bartoli at Wimbledon.
Sharapova was the 2004 winner of this event and was gunning for just on her second title of 2007. Her lone victory of the year came in a U.S. Open tuneup this summer at the Acura Classic in San Diego. She also lost in the final at the Australian Open and reached the title match at the Wimbledon tuneup in Birmingham...Full Story

Favre reaches 60,000 yards

Green Bay, WI (Sports Network) - Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre became just the second quarterback in NFL history to throw for 60,000 yards in a career Sunday.
Favre needed 94 yards coming into the team's game against the Minnesota Vikings to reach the mark and found running back Vernand Morency for a short three-yard gain in the second quarter to reach the mark.
Favre joins Dan Marino as the only quarterbacks to throw for 60,000 yards in a career. Marino threw for 61,361 in his Hall of Fame career with the Miami Dolphins.

Nadal, Ferrer win Masters Cup openers

Shanghai, China (Sports Network) - Rafael Nadal recovered from a shaky start to best Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the opening match at the Tennis Masters Cup on Sunday.
The French Open champion dropped the first set to Gasquet but steadied himself over the final two frames to win, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, on the indoor hardcourt at Shanghai's state-of-the-art Qi Zhong Stadium. Nadal, the World No. 2, has now beaten Gasquet four consecutive times in his career.
Later, David Ferrer upset Serbia's Novak Djokovic in the second Gold Group match, making it a perfect day for Spain. The underrated Ferrer doused Djokovic in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.
Swiss great Roger Federer, who headlines the Red Group, is the defending champion here and starts his bid for a fourth Masters Cup title in five years on Monday.
The top-seeded/world No. 1 Federer is joined in a very tough Red Group by No. 4 Russian Nikolay Davydenko, No. 5 American Andy Roddick and No. 7 Chilean Fernando Gonzalez...Full Story

Semis are set at WTA Championships

Madrid, Spain (Sports Network) - Saturday's semifinals are now set at the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships, as top-seeded Belgian Justine Henin will meet fourth-seeded Serbian Ana Ivanovic and sixth-seeded Maria Sharapova will take on her seventh-seeded fellow Russian Anna Chakvetadze.
Friday's Sharapova-Ivanovic winner would not have to face the world No. 1 Henin here on Saturday, and it worked out for the 2004 Championships victor Sharapova, who dismantled her fellow 20-year-old Ivanovic 6-1, 6-2 on the fourth and final day of round-robin play on the hardcourt at Recinto Ferial Casa de Campo.
Sharapova pasted Ivanovic in 1 hour, 10 minutes, as she recorded five service breaks, compared to zero for the overmatched Serb.
The Australian Open runner-up and former world No. 1 Sharapova was a perfect 3-0 in this week's four-player Red Group, while the French Open runner-up Ivanovic went 2-1. The group was rounded out by eighth-seeded Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova (1-2) and second-seeded U.S. Open runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia (0-3). Hantuchova took the place of Wimbledon champion Venus Williams (dizziness) in the exclusive eight-player field...Full Story

James leads Cavs into Utah

(Sports Network) - The defending Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers continue their road trip when they visit the Utah Jazz tonight at EnergySolutions Arena.
Cleveland is 1-1 on its season-long six-game road trip. On Tuesday, Daniel Gibson drained five three-pointers as Cleveland knocked off the Golden State Warriors, 108-104, at ORACLE Arena.
Gibson finished with 22 points and LeBron James scored a team-best 24 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and dished out nine assists. Zydrunas Ilgauskas ended with 22 points and 13 rebounds, while Drew Gooden added 16 points and eight boards in the victory.
Guard Larry Hughes (bruised left knee) is expected to miss tonight's game. Hughes, who is averaging 7.3 points and 3.7 assists per game this season, did not play against Golden State...Full Story

Round-robin groups revealed for Tennis Masters Cup

Shanghai, China (Sports Network) - The two four-man groups for next week's season-ending Tennis Masters Cup were announced on Wednesday, as Swiss great Roger Federer will head up the Red Group, while powerful Spaniard Rafael Nadal spearheads the Gold Group. Federer is the defending champion.
The top-seeded/world No. 1 Federer is joined in a very tough Red Group by No. 4 Russian Nikolay Davydenko, No. 5 American Andy Roddick and No. 7 Chilean Fernando Gonzalez, while the second-seeded Nadal is joined in the Gold quartet by No. 3 Serbian Novak Djokovic, No. 6 Spaniard David Ferrer and No. 8 Frenchman Richard Gasquet. Spain will be the only country with more than one participant this year (Nadal and Ferrer).
Round-robin play will commence Sunday on the indoor hardcourt at Shanghai's state-of-the-art Qi Zhong Stadium, with two matches on the docket. The French Open champion Nadal will open up against Gasquet, while the nightcap will pit Djokovic versus Ferrer...Full Story

Wigan axe Hutchings after only 12 games

Manchester, England (Sports Network) - Wigan announced on Monday that the club has fired manager Chris Hutchings 12 games into the Premiership season following the club's 2-0 loss to Chelsea on Saturday.
The firing comes just six months after Hutchings was appointed to the manager role, following the departure of Paul Jewell at the end of last season.
Assistant Frank Barlow will take control of the team on a caretaker basis.
Hutchings served as an assistant to Jewell for six years before taking over in May. His tenure started well with two wins in the team's first three games, but Wigan has since been bounced out of the League Cup by Championship side Hull City and lost its last six games in league play.
"This has been a very difficult decision for me and the board to make but I felt we had to act in the best interests of the club and its long-term future," chairman Dave Whelan said in a statement.
"Chris has worked very hard since becoming manager and I cannot fault either his effort or commitment to the cause. However, it is crucial for the development of Wigan that we maintain our Premier League status this season and following results and performances in recent matches, we feel it is critical to act now."

Gallas earns draw for Arsenal with later equalizer

London, England (Sports Network) - William Gallas scored in stoppage time to help Arsenal salvage a 2-2 draw against Manchester United on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium.
The Arsenal defender handed United an own goal right before halftime to put the Red Devils ahead 1-0 at the break, but Francesc Fabregas pulled the Gunners level shortly after the restart.
Cristiano Ronaldo looked to have put United ahead for good in the 82nd minute, which would have ended Arsenal's 24-match unbeaten run and put United back at the top. However, Gallas atoned for his earlier miscue as he volleyed home the equalizer in stoppage time to give both teams a point.
Arsenal enjoyed plenty of possession in the opening half, but only really tested United keeper Edwin Van der Sar on one occasion.
The visitors had the better of the play but failed to find the net until right before the half.
A number of shots went off target as United was the more dangerous side, but it took a little help from the Arsenal defense to put Sir Alex Ferguson's club ahead.
Ronaldo got down the right flank with the ball and drove a cross to Wayne Rooney at the near post. The United striker did not get much on his shot, but it deflected into the net off of the sliding Gallas for a 1-0 United lead...Full Story

Davenport reaches Bell Challenge final

Quebec City, QC (Sports Network) - American Lindsay Davenport continued her push to a second title this year, ousting second-seed Vera Zvonareva in three sets to reach the final of the $175,000 Bell Challenge.
Appearing in her third consecutive quarterfinal since returning to the WTA Tour in August after nearly a year out of action, Davenport, who won the Bali Open this year, dropped her first set of the tournament but still managed to beat the Russian Zvonareva, 6-2, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3.
Davenport, who gave birth to her first child, Jagger Jonathan Leach, in June and returned to play in September, will square off against third-seeded Ukrainian Julia Vakulenko in the final.
Vakulenko overcame an injured right ankle to defeat American qualifier Julie Ditty, 6-1, 4-6, 7-5. The 28-year-old Ditty made the first semifinal appearance of her WTA Tour career.

Nadal ends Baghdatis' run; Gasquet loses but reaches Masters Cup

Paris, France (Sports Network) - Rafael Nadal rallied from a set down to beat Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus in Saturday's opening semifinal match at the Paris Masters.
The second-seeded Nadal earned a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory to reach the final, where he will play Argentina's David Nalbandian, a 6-2, 6-4 winner over 10th- seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the day's second semifinal.
Not only did Nadal eliminate Baghdatis, but he also ended the Cypriot's run toward a possible berth in the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup. Baghdatis needed to win this tournament and not have Gasquet reach the final to qualify for the elite eight-man tournament that starts November 11 in Shanghai.
Instead, Gasquet completed the field before even taking the court Saturday.
Baghdatis' setback turned out to be good for Gasquet, as Nalbandian needed just 68 minutes to move into his second straight Masters final. He beat Roger Federer for the Madrid Masters title last month, also toppling Nadal in the quarterfinals on his way to that crown...Full Story

Felton leads Bobcats over Bucks

Charlotte, NC (Sports Network) - Raymond Felton scored 26 points and added 12 assists, and the Charlotte Bobcats won their first season opener in franchise history, 102-99, over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Gerald Wallace scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Bobcats, who had lost each of their previous three season openers, but held off the Bucks for a win in Sam Vincent's first game as Bobcats head coach. Jason Richardson, in his first game for Charlotte after being acquired in the offseason from Golden State, finished with 21 points. Emeka Okafor had 17 points and 14 rebounds for the Bobcats, who are coming off a 33-49 campaign last season that represented the franchise-high in wins.
Michael Redd scored 21 points, and Mo Williams added 20 points for the Bucks, who have dropped two in a row to open the season. Andrew Bogut had 11 points and 17 rebounds, and Charlie Villanueva scored 14 points for Milwaukee. Highly touted prospect Yi JianLian started, and finished with two points and four rebounds in 15 minutes...Full Story

McLaren, Alonso announce split

Woking, England (Sports Network) - Formula One star Fernando Alonso and Team McLaren have mutually decided to part company, despite two years remaining on the driver's contract.
Alonso, who won the F1 championship in 2005 and 2006 with Renault, joined McLaren for the 2007 season and finished tied for second in this year's driver standings. He won four races and had 14 top-five finishes in 17 starts, but a third-place result in the final race of the year left him one point behind champion Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari.
"Since I was a boy I had always wanted to drive for McLaren, but sometimes in life things do not work out," said Alonso in a statement. "I continue to believe that McLaren is a great team. Yes, we have had our ups and downs during the season, which has made it extra challenging for all of us, and it is not a secret that I never really felt at home."
There were reports during the season that Alonso believed McLaren was giving preferential treatment to teammate Lewis Hamilton, who also tied for second in the driver standings.
"I know there have been suggestions of favoritism within the team and people say a lot of things in the heat of battle, but in the end I was always provided with an equal opportunity to win. Today's decision allows all of us to focus on 2008."
McLaren said a decision to end the relationship was not discussed until after the season.
"He is a great driver but for some reason the combination of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and Fernando has not really worked out, and in the end we reached a stage where none of us could find a way to move forward," said McLaren team chairman Ron Dennis. "We all believe that our joint decision to part company is for the best, and we will now continue to focus on our 2008 World Championship challenge."
McLaren has not yet announced plans to find a replacement driver.