Kopitar, Kings top Caps, as Ovechkin scores 200th goal

Washington, DC (Sports Network) - Anze Kopitar registered two goals and an assist as the Los Angeles Kings escaped with a 5-4 win over the Washington Capitals at the Verizon Center.

Patrick O'Sullivan, Michal Handzus and Kyle Calder also tallied for the Kings, who have won five of their last six games. Alexander Frolov, Dustin Brown and Jarret Stoll each collected two assists, while Jonathan Quick made 41 saves.

Mike Green had a goal and an assist, and Alex Ovechkin notched his league- leading 37th goal of the season for Washington, which suffered just its fourth regulation loss at home this season (21-4-1). The goal-scoring leader among defenseman, Green has lit the lamp in five straight games and raised his season total to 17. Green led all rearguards last season with 18 goals.

Jose Theodore yielded five goals on 35 shots in defeat.

The Capitals cut their deficit to 4-3 courtesy of Ovechkin's 200th career goal. The No. 1 overall pick in 2004, Ovechkin spun around in the right circle and snapped a wrister into the far side of the net with 9:28 remaining in the third period.

The "Great 8" became just the fourth player in NHL history to score 200 goals in his first four years in the league, joining Wayne Gretzky, Mike Bossy and Mario Lemieux.

Calder crashed the crease and jammed the puck home to seemingly cement the win with 1:33 left in the game, but Green's long wrister from the right point was redirected by Brooks Laich with 1:06 remaining and Theodore on the bench.

Quick made several excellent saves in the game's dying seconds to preserve the win.

Washington's Alexander Semin opened the scoring just 15 seconds into the game with his 20th goal of the season. Laich came out from behind the enemy cage and spotted the former first-round pick all alone in the slot for a one- timer.

Kopitar pumped in the equalizer at the 8:55 mark of the first period. While on a two-man advantage, the third-year center drifted into the middle of the right circle and unleashed a laser of a wrist shot past the glove of a screened Theodore.

Los Angeles stormed out of the gate in the middle stanza. Kopitar lifted the puck over the catching glove of Theodore 13 seconds into the frame for a 2-1 Kings lead.

Moments later, Handzus netted a short-handed goal to widen the gap. With O'Sullivan off for holding, Frolov snapped a shot that squeezed through the left arm and torso of Theodore and laid in the crease. Handzus followed up the play and banged in the loose puck at the 1:02 mark.

Still on the power play, Green went upstairs on Quick at 1:43.

O'Sullivan restored a two-goal lead at 7:26 of the second. A turnover just inside the Kings' blue line led to an outlet pass from Kopitar to O'Sullivan, who broke in alone and beat Theodore over the glove with a wrister.

Game Notes

Nicklas Backstrom recorded two assists for Washington...Semin has scored at least 20 goals in each of his last three campaigns...Los Angeles has won five of the last seven meetings with the Caps.

Michael Phelps' Contract With Kellogg Co. Will Not Be Renewed

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Cereal and snack maker Kellogg Co. says it will not renew its sponsorship contract with Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps because of the photo that showed him inhaling from a marijuana pipe.

The Battle Creek, Mich.-based company said Thursday that Phelps's behavior — caught on camera and published Sunday — is "not consistent with the image of Kellogg."

The company put Phelps on boxes of its Frosted Flakes and Corn Flakes.

Phelps has kept the backing of many sponsors since the photos surfaced that showed him inhaling from a marijuana pipe.

Phelps's agent was not immediately available to comment.

Kellogg says its contract with Phelps expires at the end of the month.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Patience May Finally Pay Off For Dallas Mavericks

When life in the NBA seems to be bleak because the competition seems to be so superior, it’s not uncommon for team executives to seek intervention from higher authorities.

"My dear basketball gods," someone like Mark Cuban might say, "please grant me the strength to be patient.

"AND DO IT RIGHT NOW!"

Patience is an important component in competing for a title, and Mavericks fans perhaps understood that a little better after Monday.

In defeating the Magic 105-95 in Orlando, the Mavericks registered their most significant victory since Jason Kidd was acquired at the trading deadline almost a year ago.

No doubt the victory was a bit tainted. All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson had to leave the game with a shoulder injury in the third period, and Orlando played without him for the last 21 minutes.

In the Mavericks’ most impressive victories this season, someone has been hurt. They beat the Rockets with Yao Ming sidelined and the Spurs with Manu Ginobili injured.

But the victory over Orlando was less tarnished because the Mavericks played such good defense.

The Magic leads the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage, but the Dallas defense limited Orlando to 3-of-20 from the 3-point line. Nelson would have undoubtedly helped in that area. He was 3-of-9 when he left the game, which means the rest of the Magic shooters combined to go 0-of-11.

Keep in mind, however, that this is a Dallas team that lost a game to Utah in December when the Jazz was playing without Carlos Boozer, Paul Millsap and Deron Williams.

The Mavericks have had some good victories over decent teams that will be in the playoffs — Phoenix, Atlanta, Portland and Detroit.

Generally speaking, however, they have beaten teams they were supposed to beat but lost to the elite teams in the league. Only four teams have won more than 75 percent of their games this season — Orlando, Cleveland, Boston and the Lakers — and before Monday, the Mavericks were 0-5 against those four.

The question that has faced them the entire season was, could they break through? Finally, they did.

And that’s a product of patience. If there is almost universal criticism of the Mavericks, it’s that they have not made great personnel decisions — particularly in the last couple of years.

Fans and media have had very helpful suggestions: trade Dirk Nowitzki, blow up the nucleus, dump Josh Howard, rescind the Kidd-Devin Harris trade, etc., etc.

The Mavericks, however, have refused to panic. No doubt they were at least flirting with panic when they were 2-7 to start the season. But they won five consecutive games to even the record and since that poor start, they are 26-12.

In making the Kidd trade, Cuban and Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson have made it clear they are going for a championship right now. That has been amusing to some, but what should they be saying? That they are competing for the final playoff spot?

The truth is the Mavericks have two Hall of Fame-potential players, two players who either have been or are close to being All-Stars, and they have done a decent job developing their bench.

They should be in the mix — and, in fact, they are — for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. It should be expected of them and demanded of them. Anything less, and it is a statement on the players and they should be held accountable.

But writing them off at any time during the first 47 games of the season makes no sense — not with 35 games still left. And look at what’s happened — Andrew Bynum out 8-12 weeks in Los Angeles with a knee injury and Chris Paul day-to-day with a groin injury.

The opportunity is there for the Mavericks, and so are the challenges. They have back-to-back games against playoff-level teams beginning tonight in Dallas against the Blazers and then in Utah on Thursday.

Right now, you could argue that the Mavericks are playing their best basketball of the year. Then again, if we’re being consistent, it’s only a small part of a long season. There is much more to prove.

jhubbard@star-telegram.com Jan Hubbard, 817-390-7760

Phelps’ Free Ride Too Much For Some

Michael Phelps may be getting something of a free pass from his sponsors and fans, but not everyone is as forgiving.

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott, known for his tough stance on drugs, says his narcotics department is investigating whether Phelps violated the law and whether he should be charged.

And a couple of drug experts (one an anti-doping authority) aren’t too happy that Phelps is sliding by.

“For probably the most accomplished athlete in the history of the Olympics to be doing that, I found it very disheartening,” said Gary Wadler, a professor of medicine at New York University and an adviser to the World Anti-Doping Agency. “The message it sent is very sad.”

Mike Gimbel, a substance-abuse expert who served as the Baltimore County drug czar for 23 years, said he has already grown a little frustrated with how casually some people are dismissing it as no big deal.

“The facts are, pot is the No. 1 drug that sends kids to drug treatment in Maryland,” Gimbel said. “It’s really out of control. To make it that it’s an issue about pot is the wrong approach. It’s not. It’s an issue of Michael’s judgment and decision-making.”

| Star News Services

Shaq Among List of All-Star Reserves With 15th Appearance

The NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix will have a decidedly Magical feel.

Eastern Conference coaches voted two Orlando Magic players as All-Star reserves, guard Jameer Nelson and forward Rashard Lewis, to join the leading vote-getter in the fans' first-team balloting, center Dwight Howard. The Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns have two All-Stars each.
ROSTERS: 58th NBA All-Star Game

Among those playing the best who did not make the Feb. 15 game are Cleveland Cavaliers guard Mo Williams, Celtics guard Rajon Rondo, Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry and Utah Jazz forward Paul Millsap.

The Lakers' Phil Jackson will coach the West as Los Angeles has clinched that conference's best record; the East coach will be decided this weekend between Orlando's Stan Van Gundy and Cleveland's Mike Brown.

Shaquille O'Neal is an All-Star for the 15th time, second to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 19 appearances. O'Neal will be reunited with the Lakers' Jackson and Kobe Bryant, with whom he feuded in the past. But hugs and high-fives were exchanged when the Suns and Lakers met in Phoenix in November. Nelson, New Jersey Nets guard Devin Harris and Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger are the only first-time All-Stars, all as reserves for the East squad.

NBA coaches voted for seven reserves from their respective conferences but could not vote for their own players. NBA Commissioner David Stern will select replacements if All-Stars cannot play because of injuries.

New Orleans, San Antonio and the Los Angeles Lakers also had multiple players on the West roster.

But for the second year in a row, only two of the Boston Celtics' Big Three made the initial roster: Paul Pierce was voted in with starter Kevin Garnett, while Ray Allen was left out.

Traded to the Suns at last season's deadline, O'Neal endured the worst season of his career and had his record-tying streak of 14 consecutive All-Star appearances end. Now he's back in the showcase game, and trails only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with 19 for most appearances.

Abdul-Jabbar, a Lakers assistant, will help coach the West team.

The 36-year-old O'Neal was averaging 18.2 points and 9.1 rebounds entering Thursday night's showdown against the Spurs. He needed five more points to catch Hakeem Olajuwon for seventh on the NBA's career scoring list.

O'Neal isn't the only veteran on a West roster flush with experience. The Spurs' Tim Duncan and the Bryant are each making their 11th appearances, while Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki was picked for the eighth time and Houston center Yao Ming for the seventh time.

Carmelo Anthony, who's missed the last 10 games with a broken bone in his right hand, was left off the roster even though he's been cleared to play Friday night at Charlotte. That leaves point guard Chauncey Billups the lone selection from the division-leading Nuggets.

"I was definitely excited. My next question right directly after that was, 'Did Melo make it?' Of course I'm disappointed in that," Billups told The Associated Press. "The only reason why is because of the injury. It's just an unfortunate situation."

Acquired in a trade with the Pistons on Nov. 3, Billups has given Denver a steady backcourt presence. The four-time All-Star is averaging 19.0 points and 6.5 assists.

Stoudemire, Yao, Bryant, Duncan and Chris Paul of the Hornets were voted by fans to start for the West. The East starters are Garnett, Howard, Dwyane Wade, Allen Iverson of the Pistons and LeBron James of the Cavaliers.

Coaches were then required to vote for two guards, two forwards, a center and two at-large reserves. The other picks for the West were Pau Gasol of the Lakers, Tony Parker of the Spurs, Brandon Roy of the Trail Blazers and David West of the Hornets. Filling out the East roster are Raptors forward Chris Bosh and Hawks guard Joe Johnson.

There was little controversy in fan voting — besides Stoudemire beating out Spurs reserve Bruce Bowen by just 68,000 votes — but the ballots turned in by the league's coaches left a bunch of deserving players with a gripe.

Allen was passed over despite averaging 18.0 points and helping Boston to a 38-9 record. The eight-time All-Star was skipped over last year, too, but was later added by commissioner David Stern as an injury replacement for Caron Butler.

All-Star Game rosters

EASTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS
No.	Player, team	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	College/HS/Country	All-Star Selections
4	Chris Bosh, Toronto	F/C	6-10	230	Georgia Tech	4th
5	Kevin Garnett, Boston	F	6-11	220	Farragut Academy	12th
33	Danny Granger, Indiana	F	6-8	225	New Mexico	1st
34	Devin Harris, New Jersey	G	6-3	185	Wisconsin	1st
12	Dwight Howard, Orlando	C	6-11	265	SW Atlanta Christian Academy	3rd
3	Allen Iverson, Detroit	G	6-0	165	Georgetown	10th
23	LeBron James, Cleveland	F	6-8	250	St. Vincent/St. Mary HS	5th
2	Joe Johnson, Atlanta	G	6-7	235	Arkansas	3rd
9	Rashard Lewis, Orlando	F	6-10	215	Alief Elsik HS	2nd
14	Jameer Nelson, Orlando	G	6-0	190	St. Joseph's	1st
34	Paul Pierce, Boston	F	6-7	235	Kansas	7th
3	Dwayne Wade, Miami	G	6-4	210	Marquette	5th
WESTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS
No.	Player, team	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	College/HS/Country	All-Star Selections
1	Chauncey Billups, Denver	G	6-3	202	Colorado	4th
24	Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers	G	6-6	205	Lower Merion HS	11th
21	Tim Duncan, San Antonio	F	6-11	260	Wake Forest	11th
16	Pau Gasol, L.A. Lakers	F	7-0	227	Spain	2nd
11	Yao Ming, Houston	C	7-6	310	China	7th
41	Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas	F	7-0	245	Germany	8th
32	Shaquille O'Neal, Phoenix	C	7-1	315	Louisiana State	15th
9	Tony Parker, San Antonio	G	6-2	177	France	3rd
3	Chris Paul, New Orleans	G	6-0	175	Wake Forest	2nd
7	Brandon Roy, Portland	G	6-6	211	Washington	2nd
1	Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix	F/C	6-10	245	Cypress Creek HS	4th
30	David West, New Orleans	F	6-9	240	Xavier	2nd

***

Union Sees Gains in N.F.L. Bottom Line

TAMPA, Fla. — After a contentious search process, N.F.L. players will select a new union chief in six weeks, and that’s when the real contentions will begin.

The union said here Thursday that a study it commissioned showed that teams made an average profit of at least $24 million last year, even though owners, who have opted out of the existing labor agreement, have claimed that the financial crisis is squeezing their margins, and has caused some teams and the league office to lay off employees.

Players receive about 60 percent of revenue, a figure that owners said was untenable when they opted out of the agreement last spring, only two years after the deal was struck.

“The bottom line for players is they want to retain and improve upon what they already have in the collective bargaining agreement,” said Richard Berthelsen, the union’s acting executive director. “Football is a very good business. The revenue pie has continued to grow. The players see no reason why their slice of that pie should be any smaller in the future.”

The 2009 season will be the final one with a salary cap unless a new deal is reached before the next league year begins in March 2010. Gene Upshaw, the union’s longtime executive director, died last August. Berthelsen said the league had told him that it would make no new offer in negotiations until the union selected Upshaw’s successor.

If a new deal is not reached before the start of the 2010 league year, the 2010 season will be played with no cap. Kevin Mawae, the union’s president, on Thursday reiterated one of Upshaw’s central bargaining positions: that if the cap ever goes, players would never accept it again. Mawae said a system without a cap could only benefit players, but the lack of an agreement could also end with a doomsday scenario: a lockout that would test the resolve of players to stick together.

EAGLES’ JOHNSON HAS CANCER Philadelphia’s defensive coordinator, Jim Johnson, has had a recurrence of skin cancer, this time in his spine. The Eagles’ trainer, Rick Burkholder, told both The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Philadelphia Daily News on Thursday that Johnson was diagnosed as having melanoma on Monday at Pennsylvania Hospital. Burkholder said Johnson had begun radiation treatments at Bryn Mawr Hospital.

Burkholder said Johnson had a bone tumor in his back, in the same area where skin cancer was diagnosed in 2001. No surgery is scheduled for Johnson and he intends to continue coaching, Burkholder said. (AP)

HART A PROUD ALUMNUS No, Jim Hart said, he did not think the Cardinals would make the Super Bowl in his lifetime.

But he is now a believer. Hart, the former St. Louis Cardinals quarterback, proudly wore a Cardinals Alumni jacket Thursday at a news conference for Gridiron Greats, a nonprofit organization that provides financial assistance for retired N.F.L. players.

“I think they’ll be a force to be reckoned with for a long time,” Hart, 64, said.

The last time the Cardinals were a title contender, Hart was their quarterback, leading the Cardiac Cardinals to the playoffs in 1974 and 1975. They did not win a playoff game under Hart, who was in St. Louis for 18 seasons and remained popular there after his retirement in 1984.

A few years later, the Cardinals departed for Phoenix, and St. Louis was football-less until the Rams arrived in 1995, forging their own identity late in the decade by winning the Super Bowl.

“Those of us in St. Louis thought that we were a group of guys without a team,” said Hart, the Cardinals’ career passing leader. “Because after the Rams won, they didn’t want anything to do with us, either. Then, of course, with the Cardinals being gone, the distance made it not real conducive to staying in touch. So when people ask about my team leaving St. Louis, I say: ‘My team didn’t leave. The players that I played with, most of them, are still in St. Louis, and that’s my team.’ ”(NAILA-JEAN MEYERS )

STEELER INJURY CONCERNS For the first time this week, Hines Ward’s knee was not the only talked-about body part. Attention on Thursday turned to Ben Roethlisberger’s back. “Ben’s health is often the subject of inaccurate reports,” Coach Mike Tomlin told the designated pool reporter after practice. “He’s fine.”

According to the pool report, Roethlisberger appeared to be trying to stretch his mid-torso region during practice, but otherwise he had an effective workout in the rain. Roethlisberger was hit hard in the ribs/back area in the A.F.C. championship game against Baltimore, but did not miss a play.

Ward, who has faced questions for two weeks about his sprained right knee, practiced for the first time since being hurt in the A.F.C title game. Ward worked with the regular offense, blocking and catching passes but running at three-quarters speed. (NAILA-JEAN MEYERS)

Venus & Serena Win Doubles Title

AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Venus and Serena Williams won their eighth doubles Grand Slam title with victory at the Australian Open.

The sisters brushed aside Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia and Japan's Ai Sugiyama 6-3 6-3 to claim the trophy for the third time in Melbourne.

"I'd like to thank Serena for being the best partner," said 28-year-old Venus. "I wouldn't want to play with anyone else. She's amazing."

Serena, 27, targets her 10th major singles title on Saturday.

She faces Russian Dinara Safina, with the world number one ranking also up for grabs.

On another roasting day in Melbourne, the Rod Laver Arena roof was closed for Friday's doubles final.

The Williams sisters, seeded 10th, breezed through the first set in 38 minutes.

The second set was more hard-fought as the pairs exchanged breaks six times in nine games before the Williams came through.