in brief

PRO BASKETBALL

James' trash-talking in return
stirs ire of ex-Cavs teammate

LeBron James may have ruined another friendship back in Ohio.

Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson didn't appreciate some of James' words and actions on Thursday during the Miami star's heated homecoming to Cleveland. James, who scored 38 points in the Heat's 118-90 win, was subjected to almost constant booing, taunts and profanity.

According to Gibson, James dished out a little of his own.

"Some things went on last night," Gibson said, "that I didn't like."

James engaged in some trash talk with Cleveland's bench, jawing at some coaches and former teammates. After making a tough, baseline jumper while scoring 24 points in the third quarter, James spun just in front of Cleveland's players and mouthed something in their direction. Later, he and a smiling Gibson exchanged words.

Gibson also took issue with comments that it appeared the Cavaliers were acting too outwardly friendly toward James, who played seven seasons in Cleveland. Center Anderson Varejao hugged James as the teams lined up for tip-off and a few players shook hands or bumped fists with the two-time defending league Most Valuable Player.

"I've heard that, and that kind of rubs me the wrong way," Gibson said. "We all know LeBron and we all know that he enjoys being in front of the camera. To say we were fraternizing and being friendly ... nobody knows what was said and the things that were said probably could not be repeated right now."

The game was a broadcast boon for TNT. The cable network reported the game delivered a 4.2 rating, which translates to nearly 7.1 million viewers.

Also: The Denver Nuggets and coach George Karl are discussing a contract extension through the 2011-12 season.

Karl, 59, who is closing in on 1,000 career wins, is in the final year of his contract. He missed the last couple of months last season while fighting throat and neck cancer. He recently received a clean bill of health, but said his doctors will continue to monitor him.

Charlotte Bobcats guard Stephen Jackson sent a letter to fans apologizing for his ejection and ensuing one-game suspension for verbally abusing a referee.

Jackson's letter was e-mailed to season-ticket holders and posted on the Bobcats' website hours before he was to play against New Jersey in his first game since his punishment.

Jackson, who has become the face of the NBA's crackdown on bad behavior this season, said he let his teammates and coaches down, "but more importantly, I let our fans down."

MISCELLANEOUS

Djokovic wins, pulls Serbia
into Davis Cup tie with France

Novak Djokovic brought host Serbia back into the Davis Cup final against France by defeating Gilles Simon 6-3, 6-1, 7-5 to tie the opening singles in Belgrade, 1-1.

Gael Monfils cruised past Janko Tipsarevic 6-1, 7-6 (4), 6-0 to give France the opening singles.

Djokovic, ranked third in the world, impressed as he extended his Davis Cup-winning streak to six singles.

Simon made Djokovic work for the victory, finally succumbing on a fourth match point by sending a backhand wide.

Also: Henrietta King, wife of boxing promoter Don King, has died in South Florida. She was 87.

Don King's spokesman, Robert Weneck, confirmed that Henrietta King died Thursday night of complications from stomach cancer.

Weneck said Don King and her family were with her when she died at Hospice by the Sea in Boca Raton.

Henrietta and Don King were married for more than 50 years.

Texas-El Paso has accepted an invitation from the New Mexico Bowl and will face Brigham Young on Dec. 18 in a matchup of former Western Athletic Conference rivals.

UTEP, which is returning to the postseason for the first time since 2005, currently is a Conference USA member. The Miners will be the first team from outside the Mountain West and Western Athletic conferences to appear in the Albuquerque bowl game, which started in 2006.

Kansas State will play Syracuse in the inaugural Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 30 at Yankee Stadium, the first bowl game in the Bronx in nearly five decades.

The Wildcats accepted an invitation to the game late Thursday night, after becoming bowl eligible for the first time since 2006.

Former Seton Hall basketball coach Bobby Gonzalez was accepted into a one-year pretrial intervention program that will allow him to avoid a criminal record stemming from his shoplifting arrest.

Gonzalez, who was fired by the school, will be required to perform 50 hours of community service and pay restitution to a store at the upscale northern New Jersey mall where he was accused of taking a $1,400 satchel. If he completes the one-year program, shoplifting and criminal mischief charges will be dismissed, according to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

The PGA Tour is moving the Reno-Tahoe Open back from July to its traditional slot in the first week of August, with next year's event set for Aug. 4 to 7 at Montreux Golf & Country Club.