Thunder silence Lakers to take 3-1 series lead

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A late three-pointer by Kevin Durant capped a dramatic fightback by the Oklahoma City Thunder as they left the Los Angeles Lakers on the verge of playoff elimination with a 103-100 win in Game Four on Saturday.

Lakers avoid 0-3 hole as Sixers tie series

(Reuters) - Kobe Bryant refused to let a second successive game slip through his fingers as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 99-96 in a cliffhanger on Friday to avoid going down 3-0 in their NBA playoff series.

Braves deny Shields seventh win of season

(Reuters) - The Atlanta Braves handed Tampa Bay a rare home loss when they chased top pitcher James Shields after six innings in a 5-3 victory over the Rays on Friday.

Djokovic downs Federer to set up Nadal final

ROME (Reuters) - World number one Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer in straight sets on Saturday and will play Rafa Nadal in the Rome Masters final for the second year in a row.

Horseracing-I'll Have Another wins Preakness Stakes

BALTIMORE (Reuters) - Kentucky Derby champion I'll Have Another won the $1 million Preakness Stakes on Saturday to remain on course for the Triple Crown, the greatest prize in U.S. thoroughbred horse racing.

Nadal wears down Ferrer to reach Rome final

ROME (Reuters) - Five-times champion Rafa Nadal wore down fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 7-6 6-0 on Saturday to reach the final of the Rome Masters.

Injured Williams confident for French Open

ROME (Reuters) - Serena Williams said she expected to be 100 percent fit for next week's French Open despite withdrawing from the Italian Open on Saturday because of a back injury.

Drogba fires Chelsea to Champions League glory

MUNICH (Reuters) - Chelsea stunned Bayern Munich to win the Champions League for the first time as Didier Drogba struck the decisive penalty in a shootout at the Allianz Arena following a tension-soaked final which ended 1-1 after extra time on Saturday.

Impressive Sharapova reaches Rome final

ROME (Reuters) - Defending champion Maria Sharapova will take on Li Na of China in the Italian Open final after a confident 6-3 6-4 victory over Germany's Angelique Kerber on Saturday.

Rally car hits crowd in south France, two killed

PARIS (Reuters) - Two people were killed and 15 others injured when a rally car ploughed into spectators during a race in the Var region of southern France, emergency services said on Saturday.