In Brief

BASKETBALL

Celtics' Garnett could be out two weeks with strained calf

Boston Celtics star Kevin Garnett could miss two weeks because of a strained right calf.

General manager Danny Ainge said Thursday that an MRI and a thorough examination showed Garnett's injury Wednesday was muscular and unrelated to a right knee injury that forced him to miss the 2009 playoffs and was surgically repaired.

"It's not anything to do with his knee, which is great news," Ainge said on Boston's WEEI radio. "It's one of those injuries that may keep him out for a couple of weeks at the most, I would say."

Garnett was hurt when he jumped for a dunk with 2:38 left in the first quarter of a 104-92 loss at the Detroit Pistons. The 6-foot-11-inch forward, who is averaging 15.4 points and a team-leading 9.8 rebounds, limped down the court before leaving the game.

Also: Portland All-Star guard Brandon Roy will be out "indefinitely" because of sore knees, the Trail Blazers said.

The team did not put a timeline on Roy's absence, but general manager Rich Cho suggested it would be lengthy.

The three-time All-Star has missed nine games this season, including the past six, because of knee issues. He is averaging 16.6 points in 23 games.

Houston Rockets forward Chuck Hayes will miss two to four weeks after spraining his right ankle in practice.

The 6-6 Hayes had an MRI and an X-ray that showed a "moderate to severe" sprain, the team said.

Hayes has started 20 games in place of center Yao Ming, who is out for the season with a stress fracture in his left ankle. The Rockets' best interior defender, Hayes is averaging 6.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 21.5 minutes.

The Oklahoma City Thunder sent rookie center Cole Aldrich back to the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League.

Aldrich played in seven games for Oklahoma City, averaging 1.0 points and 1.9 rebounds in 7.9 minutes.

The 20-year-old son of former NBA player Nick Van Exel was charged with capital murder in the death of a close friend, Dallas police said.

Nickey Maxwell Van Exel was arrested Wednesday night and jailed on $1 million bond in the death of Bradley Bassey Eyo, 23. Police said Eyo was found Sunday with a gunshot wound to his upper body near Lake Ray Hubbard, on the outskirts of Dallas.

Authorities determined that Eyo was killed at a home in the Dallas suburb of Garland and that his body was dumped near the lake, police said.

Paul Johnson, the younger Van Exel's attorney, said his client told police he shot Eyo, a longtime friend and neighbor, while the two were engaged in "horseplay" with a shotgun. He said Van Exel didn't know the gun, which belonged to his stepfather, was loaded.

Jelan Kendrick, a 6-6, 200-pound McDonald's All-American from Atlanta, is transferring to Mississippi.

Kendrick signed with Memphis, but left the team in November. He had several issues during his short time with the Tigers, including missing two weeks of preseason practice for "personal reasons." He returned, but never played in a game before leaving the program.

Tennessee State set an NCAA women's Division I record for fewest points in a game in an 82-11 loss at Georgia Tech.

The Tigers, according to STATS LLC, also tied another record by scoring three points in the first half.

HOCKEY

Bates' shootout goal propels Wranglers past Thunder, 4-3

Jamie Bates scored the lone goal in a shootout as the Wranglers beat the Stockton Thunder 4-3 in an ECHL game in Stockton, Calif.

It was the second straight win for Las Vegas (17-7-2-1, 37 points) over Stockton (12-10-2-4, 30) in a two-game series between the top teams in the Pacific Division.

Bates, a forward from Toronto, also scored in regulation for the Wranglers. Ryan Huddy scored twice for Las Vegas, with his second goal at 9:45 in the third period forcing the game into overtime.

Also: Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf will be out at least two games after a deflected puck broke his nose.

The Ducks put Getzlaf on injured reserve, which means he will miss the Ducks' home games against Philadelphia and Chicago.

Jack Campbell recorded 14 saves and Andy Iles didn't face a shot in nine minutes as the two U.S. goalies combined to shut out Germany 4-0 in preliminary round play of the World Junior Hockey Championships in Buffalo, N.Y.

Jon Merrill had a goal and an assist for the Americans, Charlie Coyle and Chris Kreider scored power-play goals and Jerry D'Amigo an even-strength tally.

The United States (3-0) has one game remaining in the preliminary round. The Americans will face Switzerland (2-1) today in a game that could decide the winner of Group A and an automatic bid in the semifinals.

MISCELLANEOUS

Berdych advances to semifinals of World Tennis Championships

Tomas Berdych defeated Marcos Baghdatis 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 to set up a semifinal with top-ranked Rafael Nadal at the World Tennis Championships in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Robin Soderling stopped Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1 and will face No. 2 Roger Federer. Nadal and Federer received byes into the semifinals of the exhibition.

Also: Nicolas Kiefer retired from tennis after a career in which the German reached a No. 4 ranking and the semifinals of the 2006 Australian Open.

Kiefer, 33, said on his website he wants to spend more time with daughter Mabelle Emilienne, who was born in August.

Kiefer won six tournaments in his career and ascended to the No. 4 ranking in 2000. He played for Germany in the Davis Cup and teamed with Rainer Schuettler for a doubles silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Tennis player Chanda Rubin's house burned during an intense thunderstorm, and lightning was a likely cause, Lafayette, La., fire officials said.

The 1990s tennis star was the only person in the house and got out safely after alarms alerted her to the fire Wednesday night, fire department spokesman Alton Trahan said.

An Angolan court sentenced a man to 24 years in prison after the attack on Togo's national soccer team this year that killed two people and left eight others wounded, including a goalkeeper.

Jean Antuan Pwaty, 42, a Congolese citizen, was convicted of murder, armed rebellion and attempted murder in the January attack, local radio reported.

An Olympic champion marathoner from Kenya was charged with wounding his security guard with a rifle and threatening to kill his wife and maid.

Sammy Wanjiru, 23, denies all charges and was released on bail.

According to local reports, Wanjiru wounded his security guard, William Masinde, with an AK-47 assault rifle in his home Wednesday in the town of Nyahururu.

Composite bats no longer will be used in the Little League World Series.

Little League officials announced a moratorium on the equipment based on research it commissioned from the University of Massachusetts in Lowell.

Composite bats have metal shells enclosing woven fibers inside the barrels. Critics say the bats endanger youngsters because balls fly off them at high speeds and can injure fielders, while supporters say they are lighter and easier to handle.