Everett returns to Buffalo

Orchard Park, NY (Sports Network) - Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett returned to Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sunday, more than three months after suffering a severe spinal injury on the same field in the team's season- opener.
Everett met with teammates before the team's home finale against the New York Giants. He was expected to watch the game from a suite in the building.
On September 9, Everett was hurt while trying to make a tackle on Denver's Domenik Hixon during the second-half kickoff. He hit Hixon with his helmet and immediately fell face-first to the turf.
Hixon, coincidentally, is now with the Giants....Full Story

Warriors wrap up road trip against LeBron, Cavs

(Sports Network) - The Golden State Warriors finish a five-game road trip this evening, as they battle the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena.
This is the second and final meeting of the campaign between the squads. On November 6th, Daniel Gibson drained five three-pointers to lift Cleveland to a 108-104 victory over Golden State at ORACLE Arena.
The Cavaliers have won three in a row in the series. Golden State has lost two of three and 14 of its last 16 at Cleveland.
Golden State is 2-2 on the swing, and will try and get back on the winning track against the Cavaliers. On Saturday, Vince Carter's three-pointer with 24.6 seconds left gave New Jersey the lead, and the Nets didn't allow the Warriors to score over the final 3:12 in a 100-95 victory over Golden State at the Izod Center.
Stephen Jackson ended with 21 points to lead Golden State, which shot just 38.6 percent from the field, including 6-of-25 from three-point range. Monta Ellis had 19 points and Andris Biedrins finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Warriors, who have dropped two in a row...Full Story

Knicks, Lakers battle at MSG

(Sports Network) - The Los Angeles Lakers wrap up a four-game road trip, as they visit the New York Knicks this afternoon at Madison Square Garden.
This is the first of two meetings between the clubs this season. The Lakers are scheduled to host the Knicks on January 29, 2008 at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks were 2-0 against the Lakers last season. The Lakers have lost two of their last three at New York.
Los Angeles is 2-1 on the swing. On Friday, Andrew Bynum scored a career-high 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, 106-101, at the Wachovia Center.
Derek Fisher finished with 21 points and seven assists for the Lakers, who won despite a quiet 19-point, seven-rebound performance by superstar Kobe Bryant. Lamar Odom had 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers, who have won three of four, and seven of their last nine games overall.
After tonight's contest, the Lakers return home for a five-game homestand. They will host Phoenix, Utah, Boston, Philadelphia and Indiana at the Staples Center on the upcoming stand....Full Story

Kings open homestand against Iverson, Nuggets

(Sports Network) - The Sacramento Kings begin a four-game homestand when they welcome the Denver Nuggets tonight to ARCO Arena.
This is the second meeting of the campaign between the clubs. On December 8th, Allen Iverson scored 23 points, handed out 10 assists and hit the game-sealing free throws as the Nuggets survived multiple rallies by the Kings to earn a 101-97 victory at the Pepsi Center.
Denver has won three in a row over Sacramento. The Nuggets snapped a 20-game series road losing streak on March 11, 2007.
Sacramento goes for its third straight victory this evening. On Wednesday, Ron Artest scored 26 points and handed out eight assists to lift the Kings over the Milwaukee Bucks, 102-89, at the Bradley Center...Full Story

Pistons try to extend winning streak against Rockets

(Sports Network) - The streaking Detroit Pistons conclude a two-game homestand when they host the Houston Rockets tonight at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
This is the second and final meeting of the campaign between the clubs. On December 12, Tracy McGrady scored a game-high 29 points as the Rockets survived a tense final minute to beat the Pistons, 80-77, at the Toyota Center.
Houston has won two in a row in the series. The Rockets have lost six straight and 10 of its last 11 at Detroit.
Detroit enters tonight's contest on a four-game winning streak. Tayshaun Prince led a well-balanced Detroit attack with 16 points, and the Pistons cruised to a 94-67 stomping of the Memphis Grizzlies at The Palace.
Chauncey Billups ended with 14 points and seven assists, while Richard Hamilton also scored 14 points for the Pistons, who have won 11 of their last 13 games overall. Rookie Arron Afflalo scored 12 points off the bench, and Antonio McDyess collected 11 points and 11 rebounds in the victory...Full Story

Falcons Redman to start against Saints

Flowery Branch, GA (Sports Network) - Chris Redman will get the start at quarterback for the Falcons when Atlanta hosts New Orleans on Monday night. Head coach Bobby Petrino confirmed the decision on Thursday afternoon.
"We're going to start with Chris Redman," Petrino said. "We liked the way he finished the game the other day. He gave us a lift. He's got a lot of confidence. So we're going to start with him."
Despite being out of football for the better part of three years, Redman threw two touchdowns passes and led a fourth-quarter comeback against the St. Louis Rams last week...Full Story

Kidd disputes report about purposely sitting out

New York, NY (Sports Network) - New Jersey Nets star point guard Jason Kidd disputed a newspaper report that said he intentionally skipped Wednesday's game against the New York Knicks in hopes of gaining a contract extension or a trade.
Kidd told WFAN-AM radio in New York that he had a migraine headache and was unable to play in New Jersey's 100-93 loss. The migraine was the official reason given by the Nets for Kidd's absence on Wednesday.
"I did have a migraine and I was sick," Kidd said Thursday afternoon on the Mike and the Mad Dog program. "I would never disrespect the game, first of all, by not playing because the game has been so good to me."
The New York Post, citing team sources, said Kidd simply decided to sit out the game.
"He's on strike," the Post quoted one team source as saying.
There were reports last week that the Nets turned down Kidd's request for a one-year contract extension. Kidd also said those reports were false...Full Story

Skelton to face Chagaev for WBA heavyweight title

London, England (Sports Network) - Ruslan Chagaev will defend his WBA heavyweight title on January 19 by facing Matt Skelton in Dusseldorf, Germany.
Skelton's promoter, Frank Warren, made the announcement Thursday.
The 40-year-old Skelton, a native of Bedford, Bedfordshire in the UK, is 21-1 with 18 knockouts and has won his last three fights. He beat Michael Sprott in July in a majority decision for the British heavyweight title.
Chagaev, who is 23-0-1 with 17 KOs, won the title with a 12-round majority decision over Nikolay Valuev on April 14.
Chagaev was ruled out of a fight with WBO champion Sultan Ibragimov for October 13 due to hepatitis. Evander Holyfield replaced Chagaev and lost a 12- round unanimous decision.

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