IN BRIEF
BASKETBALL
Ankle injury sidelines Spurs guard Ginobili
San Antonio Spurs star guard Manu Ginobili will be sidelined two to three weeks with a stress reaction in his right ankle.
The team announced the injury to Ginobili's right distal fibula Thursday, saying it was diagnosed after X-rays, an MRI exam and a C-T scan. It is not the same ankle that Ginobili had surgery on last summer after the Olympics, forcing him to miss the first 12 games of the season.
Also: The Orlando Magic announced All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson will miss the rest of the season after having shoulder surgery.
Nelson had a successful procedure performed by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., and the Magic said he would need an estimated four to six months of rehabilitation.
All-Star Danny Granger of the Indiana Pacers will miss up to three weeks with a partial tendon tear in the sole of his right foot, the team said.
An MRI exam conducted in Minneapolis revealed the tear, which occurred in the first half of Wednesday's game at Charlotte.
The Boston Celtics recalled rookie guard J.R. Giddens from their NBA Development League affiliate, the Utah Flash.
Giddens was recalled after being reassigned to the Flash on Feb. 5.
After a week of rumors that he'd be out after the trade deadline, John Paxson made it short and sweet: He's not going anywhere.
"I'm the GM of the Bulls. I'm not resigning," he said. "I'm here and I'm going to be here, and that puts an end to it."
Final television ratings showed a big increase in viewership for the NBA All-Star Game.
The game in Phoenix on Sunday, featuring a Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O'Neal reunion, earned a 4.5 national rating on TNT, the network said. That's up 17 percent from last year.
The game, won by the West 146-119, was watched by more than 7.6 million people.
GOLF
Opening 63 gives Lefty one-shot lead at Riviera
With a flop shot that was amazing even by his standards, Phil Mickelson took a step toward shaking off his West Coast doldrums with his best round ever at Riviera.
From 40 yards behind the 10th green, his ball buried in the rough and his landing area no bigger than a hub cap, Lefty hit a shot that barely cleared the bunker and settled 6 feet from the hole to start his day with a birdie.
It sent him to an 8-under-par 63 and a one-shot lead over Scott McCarron at the Northern Trust Open in Los Angeles.
Also: The No. 21 UNLV men's golf team shot par 288 in the second round and fell to 12th place at the 17-team John A. Burns Intercollegiate at Leilehua Golf Course in Wahiawa, Hawaii.
Arizona led by six shots after a second-round 280 gave it a total of 20-under 556. The Rebels were at 1-under 575.
Arizona's Tarquin Macmanus led by two shots at 10-under 134 after shooting 70. UNLV junior Eddie Olson was tied with three others at 138 after a 5-under 67.
Robert-Jan Derksen of the Netherlands made eight birdies to shoot an 8-under 64 and take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Johnnie Walker Classic in Perth, Australia.
Derksen was a shot clear of Mardan Mamat of Singapore and Tony Carolan of Australia.
HOCKEY
NHL plans to open next season in Europe
The NHL is heading back to Europe.
The Detroit Red Wings will open the 2009-10 regular season against the St. Louis Blues with a two-game series in Stockholm, and the Chicago Blackhawks will play two games against the Florida Panthers in Helsinki.
The games are scheduled for Oct. 2 and 3.
Also: The Ottawa Senators will be without Daniel Alfredsson for at least a week after their captain fractured his jaw in a 3-2 overtime loss Tuesday in Colorado.
New York Islanders forward Richard Park will be out four weeks because of broken ribs.
Tampa Bay Lightning defensemen Paul Ranger and Andrej Meszaros are scheduled to undergo shoulder surgery March 3.
Recovery time is expected to be within six months.
The Carolina Hurricanes have placed forward Justin Williams on injured reserve with a broken hand.
A bus carrying the Albany River Rats of the American Hockey League flipped onto its side on slick roads in western Massachusetts, injuring four players and the minor league team's radio commentator.
None of the injuries was considered life-threatening.
MISCELLANEOUS
Leach finally irons out new deal at Texas Tech
Coach Mike Leach and Texas Tech agreed on a new contract after months of contentious negotiations.
Leach signed the contract -- a five-year, $12.7 million deal -- shortly after he and Kent Hance, the university's chancellor, met for about two hours to hammer out an agreement. Hance said the negotiating part lasted only about 15 minutes.
Also: Israeli Andy Ram will be allowed to compete in a Dubai tennis tournament next week after the United Arab Emirates said it would permit the seventh-ranked doubles player to enter the country.
The Arab nation came under sharp criticism after it banned Israeli women's tennis player Shahar Peer this week from entering the country to participate in the lucrative Dubai Tennis Championships.
Top-ranked Rafael Nadal will skip next week's Dubai championships to rest a minor knee injury ahead of Spain's opening Davis Cup match next month.
NASCAR indefinitely suspended a member of Jeremy Mayfield's crew for violating NASCAR's new substance abuse policy.
Paul Chodora failed a mandatory test Feb. 11 at Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR said. Chodora is the first person punished under a policy that went into effect this season. NASCAR did not cite the substance found.
Mark Cavendish won a stage for the second straight day and two-time defending champion Levi Leipheimer kept his race lead for the fourth straight day after the fifth stage of the Tour of California.
Cavendish completed the 134.3-mile road race from Visalia to Paso Robles in 5 hours, 7 minutes and 28 seconds.
Canadian officials say security for the 2010 Winter Olympics in British Columbia will cost $715 million -- more than five times the original estimate.
British Columbia will pay $200 million while Canada pays for the rest -- including any unforeseen expenses.
The UNLV women's tennis team (3-2) moved up one spot to No. 49 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association national rankings, while the Rebels men (6-2) debuted this week at No. 73.
