: sports

||| NBA. With Iverson, Detroit is 7-2; Denver is 7-1 with Billups in the lineup

A.I., Billups are doing it well

||| Allen Iverson, playing now for the Pistons, and Billups, for the Nuggets, improve the skills for their new teams. ||| Detroit snapped the Cavaliers’ eight-game winning streak and Denver has been getting better since Billups was acquired two weeks ago.

The Associated Press
 

Allen Iverson has fit in well with the Detroit Pistons. Chauncey Billups has been every bit as good – or better – with the Denver Nuggets.
Iverson, acquired from Denver for Billups, Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb, scored 23 points in Detroit's 96-89 home victory over Cleveland on Wednesday night.
"It's early, but it's exciting," Iverson said.
Detroit ended Cleveland's eight-game winning streak and has won four of its last five after dropping its first two games with Iverson in the lineup.
"It's way too early to know anything about them," Cleveland's LeBron James said.

Denver has got a good club," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Chauncey is a great addition."

Billups scored 22 points in Denver's 91-81 road victory over San Antonio. The Nuggets have won four straight to improve to 7-1 since adding Billups.
"We've had a tough eight or nine games where we've played some tough teams in some tough buildings, and we've been successful," Billups said. "We've just got to try and continue to build on what we've done." In other NBA games Wednesday night, it was: Portland 116, Chicago 74; Toronto 101, Miami 95; Minnesota 102, Philadelphia 96; Dallas 96, Houston 86; Utah 105, Milwaukee 94; Sacramento 105, New Orleans 96; the Los Angeles Clippers 108, Oklahoma City 88; and Atlanta 91, Washington 87.

Denver has got a good club," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Chauncey is a great addition."

In Auburn Hills, Mich., Rasheed Wallace had 10 of his 21 points during the fourth quarter, and Richard Hamilton added 15 points.
James had 25 points, but was 8-of-21 from the field and missed all four of his 3-point attempts.
"That happens in this league," James said. "You have good games and bad games."
In San Antonio, Carmelo Anthony added 21 points, Kenyon Martin had 18 points and Nene finished with 16.
The Nuggets held Tim Duncan to 12 points and snapped San Antonio's three-game winning streak.
"Denver has got a good club that can compete with anybody," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Chauncey is a great addition." |||

||| NHL. In the top goalie duel the Canucks won

Luongo was better

Ira Podell | AP Writer
 

Henrik Lundqvist's matchup against Roberto Luongo was hard enough. Trying to beat the NHL's hottest goalie without any help from his teammates was way too much to ask.
Lundqvist allowed five goals on 17 shots to Vancouver before the second period was 6 minutes old, and the Canucks held on for a 6-3 victory over the New York Rangers on Wednesday night.
All it took was eye contact with coach Tom Renney and a simple summoning with a finger to get Lundqvist to quickly skate off to the comfort of the bench.
Luongo uncharacteristically allowed three goals, but finished with a season-high 39 saves in the victory.
What was expected to be a duel between Luongo and Lundqvist – the two favourites for this season's Vezina Trophy – turned out to be an offensive show. In the only other NHL games Wednesday night, Boston beat Buffalo 7-4, and Washington topped Anaheim 6-4. |||  

||| NFL. The quarterback will try to play on Sunday

Quinn has broken finger

Tom Withers | AP Writer
 

Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn broke his right index finger in the first half of Monday night's win over Buffalo, but will try to play Sunday against the Houston Texans.
The team initially thought Quinn only bruised his hand after banging it on the helmet of a Bills player. But after he complained of soreness following Wednesday's practice, X-rays were taken and revealed a fracture on the tip of his finger.
Quinn was cleared to play by a specialist at the Cleveland Clinic.
"We plan to monitor him on a regular basis, just to make sure that it's not getting worse or anything like that," Browns coach Romeo Crennel said Thursday.
Making his second career start and first on the road, Quinn stayed in against Buffalo and finished 14-of-36 for 185 yards.
Late in the fourth quarter, he completed passes of 12 and 16 yards to set up Phil Dawson's winning 56-yard field goal with 1:39 left. |||

BRIEFS

Mike Mussina announced his retirement even as he comes off his first 20-win season. Mussina, who turns 40 next month, was 270-153 in 18 seasons in the majors. He becomes the first pitcher to retire after a 20-win season since Sandy Koufax in 1966. Mussina went 20-9 for the Yankees this season to become the oldest pitcher in history to win 20 games for the first time. AP

The Cincinnati Bengals say Chad Ocho Cinco, the wide receiver formerly known as Chad Johnson, was deactivated for Thursday night's game with the Pittsburgh Steelers for violating a team rule. The Bengals did not specify the violation and said there would be no further comment until after the game. AP

Bayern Munich is hoping to sign United States forward Landon Donovan on a loan deal similar to the one David Beckham has reached with AC Milan, and possibly longer. Donovan has spent 10 days practicing with Bayern and will return home today. Both Donovan and Beckham play for the Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer. AP

George Steinbrenner passed control of the New York Yankees to his youngest son, Hal. The elder Steinbrenner has gradually withdrawn from the team's day-to-day operations in recent years, and brothers Hal and Hank were appointed co-chairmen in April. Their father headed a group that bought the team in 1973, and he became perhaps the most high-profile owner in all of sports. AP

The four cities vying for the 2016 Summer Games get the chance today to make their case to the regional group with the most influence – and most votes – in the Olympic movement. Chicago, Tokyo, Madrid and Río de Janeiro will make presentations to the general assembly of the European Olympic Committees, which represents 50 countries and holds the balance of power in the Olympic world. AP