• ABC 3 Sports

Last Update on May 28, 2009 06:30 EDT

NBA-WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Los Angeles Lakers are one victory away from their second straight trip to the NBA Finals.

Kobe Bryant scored 22 points and the Lakers grabbed a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference finals by dominating the fourth quarter of a 103-94 triumph over the Denver Nuggets in Los Angeles.

The score was tied after each of the first three quarters, the fourth time that's happened in an NBA playoff game. But the Lakers controlled the final period, opening on an 11-0 run for their first lead of the second half. Bryant, Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol scored all but seven of the Lakers' 27 fourth-quarter points.

Odom and Gasol each finished with double-doubles to help the Lakers overcome Carmelo Anthony's game-high 31 points. Odom contributed 19 points and 14 rebounds while Gasol chipped in 14 points and 10 boards.

Game 6 is Friday in Denver, where the teams split games 3 and 4 of the series.

NHL-WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

DETROIT (AP) -- Darren Helm has never scored a regular-season goal in his NHL career, but he's put the Detroit Red Wings back in the Stanley Cup finals.

The defending champions have advanced by winning the Western Conference finals in five games, outlasting Chicago 2-1 in overtime. Helm ended it at 3:58 of the extra session, putting the Wings in the finals for the sixth time since 1995.

Helm has managed just one point in 23 career regular-season games, but he has three goals in 16 games during this postseason. His latest goal actually went off his skate after Tomas Holmstrom fanned on a shot attempt near the crease.

Neither team scored until Dan Cleary tallied just over six minutes into the third period. Patrick Kane tied it with 7:07 left in regulation.

Blackhawks netminder Cristobal Huet turned back 44 shots and forced overtime with a sensational stop on Johan Franzen in the closing seconds of the third period.

The Red Wings beat Pittsburgh in six games to win the Cup last year. The Penguins advanced to the finals by completing a four-game sweep of Carolina on Tuesday.

NHL-AVALANCHE/ROY

DENVER (AP) -- Hall of Famer Patrick Roy has turned down an offer to coach the Colorado Avalanche. Roy informed the team of his decision Tuesday night. He cited family reasons, according to a spokeswoman for the junior league club Roy co-owns and coaches.

Roy will stay with the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, where Roy is also general manager.

NHL-WINTER CLASSIC

BOSTON (AP) -- Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs believes the NHL's next Winter Classic will be played at Fenway Park.

Jacobs admits the NHL hasn't confirmed the site of the game to him and adds that it is up to the league to announce it. That announcement is expected in July.

MLB-SCHEDULE

UNDATED (AP) -- The Los Angeles Dodgers certainly have adjusted to life without Manny Ramirez.

The Dodgers are 11-and-3 in their last 14 games after James Loney collected four RBIs in an 8-6 win at Colorado. The Dodgers trailed 3-2 before scoring five times in the seventh, capped by Loney's three-run double.

Juan Pierre went 3-for-5 with two RBI for the second straight game. He's hitting .421 in 19 games since replacing the suspended Ramirez in left field May 7.

The Dodgers own the major league's top record at 33-15, including a 12-and-7 mark since Ramirez began his suspension.

Also in the National League, the New York Mets have moved back into first place in the NL East following a 7-4 win over Washington. Daniel Murphy had a career-high five RBIs, including a tiebreaking two-run homer that was originally ruled a double before umpires checked the video. Johan Santana had an uneven game, allowing three runs and issuing six walks but striking out 12 over six innings for his seventh win.

Philadelphia fell a half-game behind the Mets with a 6-2 loss at Florida. Dan Uggla and Cody Ross to support Blake Badenhop , who held the Phillies to a run and five hits in five innings.

Adrian Gonzalez hit his major league-leading 18th home run and drove in three runs as San Diego outscored Arizona 8-5, the Padres' 11th win in 12 games. David Eckstein added three hits and an RBI as the Padres took the rubber match of the three-game set.

Randy Johnson earned his 299th victory by holding Atlanta to a run and three hits in six innings of San Francisco's 6-3 win over the Braves. Johnson opened with three perfect innings and retired 15 of his first 16 hitters after entering the game 3-and-4 with a 6.26 ERA.

Nick Stavinoha had two RBIs and scored the go-ahead run to lead St. Louis to a 3-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, putting the Cardinals back atop the NL Central. The Redbirds have won seven of their last nine and haven't allowed more than three runs in any game in the stretch. The Cards top the Brewers by a game.

Cubs' starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano went wild in a ball-tossing, bat-swinging tirade after being ejected and wasn't around to see Reed Johnson's go-ahead homer in the eighth in the Cubs' 5-2 win over Pittsburgh. Zambrano was tossed in the seventh by umpire Mark Carlson after Nyjer Morgan scored the tying run on a wild pitch.

Jay Bruce homered twice and Bronson Arroyo tossed a five-hitter in Cincinnati's 6-1 win over Houston. Bruce was in a 1-for-18 slump before hitting a solo shot and a two-run blast to help the Reds complete a three-game sweep.

Over to the American League, where the Toronto Blue Jays have completed an 0-and-9 road trip by blowing leads of 8-3 and 10-8 in a 12-10 loss at Baltimore.

Nolan Reimold ended the game by ripping a three-run homer in the bottom of the 11th, a half-inning after Aaron Hill put Toronto ahead with a two-run shot.

The collapse occurred after Roy Halladay left after seven innings with an 8-3 lead.

It's the first time the Blue Jays have gone winless on a road trip of at least nine games.

Also in the AL, the Boston Red Sox tied a modern major league record by uncorking six wild pitches during a 4-2 loss at Minnesota. Daisuke Matsuzaka was responsible for four of those errant throws, tying an 80-year-old team record. Speedy Denard Span had four hits, a walk and two runs scored for the Twins, who dropped the Red Sox into a first-place tie with the New York Yankees in the AL East.

Hideki Matsui homered twice, Mark Teixeira smacked his 12th homer of the month and Derek Jeter reached base five times as the Yanks blasted Texas 9-2. A.J. Burnett allowed three hits over six shutout innings for his first victory in six weeks.

Jered Weaver and Brian Fuentes combined on a five-hitter to carry the Los Angeles Angels past the Chicago White Sox 3-1. Bobby Abreu hit a go-ahead two-run double and scored an insurance run in the Angels' three-run sixth.

Rookie Rick Porcello won his fifth straight start, allowing two runs over six innings of Detroit's 8-3 win at Kansas City. Placido Polanco homered and drove in three runs for the Central Division-leading Tigers, who took two of three from KC.

Ben Francisco crushed a three-run homer and drove in four runs as Cleveland knocked off Tampa Bay 12-7, giving the Indians their first three-game winning streak of the year. The Rays have dropped 16 straight in Cleveland since September 2005.

Russell Branyan hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth inning and Erik Bedard won for the first time in five starts as the Seattle Mariners beat the Oakland Athletics 6-1, avoiding a sweep.

MLB-PLAYER NEWS

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi says it's possible catcher Jorge Posada could rejoin the team for this weekend's series in Cleveland.

Posada hasn't played since straining his right hamstring during a game against Boston May 4. He caught for five innings in an extended spring training intrasquad game Wednesday, ran from first to third on a single and threw out a runner trying to steal second.

Meanwhile, Yankees center fielder Melky Cabrera could be out through the weekend after straining his right shoulder during Tuesday's loss at Texas. Cabrera exited that game after running into the wall while trying to make a catch in the first inning.

In other baseball news:

-- Veteran pitcher Daniel Cabrera has been designated for assignment by Washington after going 0-and-5 with a 5.85 ERA.

-- Baltimore pitcher Koji Uehara has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a nagging hamstring injury.

-- Houston has activated pitcher Brandon Backe from the disabled list and optioned lefty Wesley Wright to Triple-A Round Rock.

-- Cleveland Indians owner Larry Dolan has been hospitalized after what team officials termed a mild heart attack.

-- And former Cy Young Award winner Eric Gagne is coming back to pitch in his home province, accepting a deal with the Quebec Capitales of the independent Can-Am League.

FRENCH OPEN

PARIS (AP) -- The two No. 1 seeds won at the French Open Wednesday. On the men's side, Rafael Nadal stretched his French Open-record winning streak to 30 straight matches, beating Teimuraz Gabashvili of Russia 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in the second round. The top-seeded Spaniard has never lost at Roland Garros.

Others advancing at Roland Garros included third seed Andy Murray, No. 7 Gilles Simon and eighth seed Fernando Verdasco. Veteran Marat Safin was eliminated from his last French Open.

Women's top seed Dinara Safina rolled past another opponent, beating Vitalia Diatchenko of Russia 6-1, 6-1 in the second round. Safina took a 5-0 lead to open the match, stretching her streak to 17 straight games after winning 6-0, 6-0 in the first round.

Other winners in the women's draw included defending champion and eighth seed Ana Ivanovic , ninth seed Victoria Azarenka, and unseeded Maria Sharapova , who knocked off 11th seed Nadia Petrova.

Third-seed Venus Williams lost the first set to Lucie Safarova 7-6 before play was suspended because of darkness.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL-KENTUCKY/GILLISPIE

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- Former Kentucky men's basketball coach Billy Gillispie is suing the university, seeking at least $6 million he says he is owed on his deal after being fired without cause.

Gillispie was dismissed last spring and was working under a memorandum of understanding but hadn't signed a formal contract during the two years he coached the Wildcats. He contends that under that memorandum, he should be paid $1.5 million a year for four of the five years left on the deal. The suit also asks for an undisclosed amount of punitive damages, attorneys' fees, court costs and interest.

NASCAR-GORDON POINTS

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- NASCAR has penalized Robby Gordon 50 points for failing a postrace inspection at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Gordon's car was inspected after he placed third in Monday's rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600, his best Sprint Cup finish since 2005. Afterward the rear housing of his Toyota did not meet NASCAR's specifications.

Had Gordon not finished third, his car would not have been inspected. The loss of points does not knock him outside the important top-35 mark.

AUTO RACING-INDY 500

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- For the moment, Tony George remains the CEO of Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Track officials denied Wednesday that the board of directors voted to oust the 49-year-old CEO. Officials say George has instead been asked to create a more efficient plan for spending time running the family's businesses. George, the Indy Racing League founder, must report back to the board later this year.

SpeedTV.com reported Wednesday that the board, which is comprised of George, his mother, his three sisters and attorney Jack Snyder, had removed George as the speedway's CEO after 20 years in the position.

AUTO RACING-INDY 500/MEIRA

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Vitor Meira is out of the hospital three days after breaking two bones in his back in a crash during the Indianapolis 500. The Brazilian driver plans to stay in Indianapolis during his recovery, which he does not expect will require surgery.

Meira hopes to return for the final race of the season in October. A.J. Foyt Racing has hired veteran Paul Tracy to drive in his place this week at Milwaukee.