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By Zoran Milosavljevic BELGRADE (Reuters) - Euroleague holders Maccabi Tel Aviv and record eight-time winners Real Madrid edged closer to the playoffs of Europe's elite club competition with contrasting wins on Thursday. Maccabi edged Panathinaikos 73-70 while Real recovered from an early 14-6 deficit to blow away Red Star Belgrade 85-61 after the visitors committed a whopping 19 turnovers. Maccabi playmaker Jeremy Pargo produced another inspired performance, leading his team with 16 points as the champions repelled a second-half onslaught by the visitors. Having led by double figures in the first half, Maccabi were pegged back by some fine long-range shooting after the interval and Yogev Ohayon also played a key role in the victory with a pair of crucial three-pointers.

Sacramento Kings starting point guard Darren Collison will undergo surgery Tuesday to repair a right hip flexor strain and might not play again this season, the NBA team announced Thursday. Collison will meet with Dr. William Meyers in Philadelphia on Monday before undergoing surgery on the muscle injury and will be re-evaluated in three to six weeks, the Kings said. Six weeks after the operation will be the eve of the Kings' final regular-season game, on April 15 at the Los Angeles Lakers. Collison, 27, was injured in the first half of a February 5 loss at Dallas and has not played since, the Kings going 3-4 in his absence entering Friday's home game with reigning NBA champion San Antonio.

Indiana Pacers star Paul George underwent Thursday his first full practice session since breaking his right leg last August and said he hopes to return for NBA games in March. Most expected that George would miss the entire 2014-15 NBA campaign but he vowed to return for at least a portion of the season and took a major step toward that goal Thursday. "It felt really good," George said.

By Lisa Maria Garza and Jon Herskovitz DALLAS (Reuters) - Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant was questioned by police at the scene of a 2011 incident in which a witness reported that Bryant's girlfriend was dragged by an unidentified man across a Texas Walmart parking lot, according to police documents. Neither Bryant or the Cowboys have commented on the report that was released as the National Football League has been rocked by a series of highly publicized domestic violence incidents among players including Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson. In the 2011 incident in Texas, a Walmart security guard told police a person reported to him that a black man dragged Bryant's girlfriend Ilyne Nash from a white Mercedes, which was registered to Bryant, and across the parking lot.

By David Bailey MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - A federal judge on Thursday overturned the NFL's suspension of Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who had pleaded no contest to charges of hitting his son with a switch, and sent the case back to the league's arbitration process for resolution. In a 16-page ruling, U.S. District Court Judge David Doty said National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell acted beyond his authority in November when he suspended Peterson, the league's most valuable player in 2012, until at least April 15. Doty, siding with the players' union, said the NFL could not retroactively suspend Peterson under a new personal conduct policy announced by Goodell in December for behavior that occurred under the old code. The ruling basically allows Peterson to return to the Vikings but it was unclear if the Vikings would take him - and his $13 million salary for 2015 - back.

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Michael Saunders is expected to be sidelined until the Major League Baseball All-Star Game break in July because of a knee injury, the team announced Thursday. Saunders, a 28-year-old Canadian, suffered the injury when he stepped on a soft patch of grass surrounding the head of a sprinkler while chasing a fly ball at batting practice on Wednesday. Doctors said Saunders, who reported early for workouts to the Blue Jays' Florida camp for an early start on pre-season preparations, suffered a torn left meniscus. The Blue Jays obtained Saunders from Seattle in an off-season deal for pitcher J.A. Happ and had hoped he would become Toronto's starting leftfielder.

Miami (AFP) - Michael Beasley rejoined the Miami Heat on Thursday, signing a 10-day contract after completing a season for the Chinese Basketball Association's Shanghai Sharks earlier this month.

By Simon Evans PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida (Reuters) - American journeyman Jim Herman grabbed the early clubhouse lead at the Honda Classic after shooting a five-under-par 65 in the opening round at blustery PGA National on Thursday. World number one Rory McIlroy, looking to make a winning start to his build-up to the April 9-12 Masters, was four-over par through five holes after a rough start that included a pair of double-bogeys. Herman, 37 and seeking his first PGA Tour win, was bogey-free and managed five birdies despite strong winds on the Champion Course. Two-time British Open winner Padraig Harrington of Ireland, who has slumped to 297th in the world rankings, recovered from an early bogey at the second en route to a 67 that left him two shots off the early lead.

By Simon Evans PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida, Feb 26 (Reuters) - American journeyman Jim Herman grabbed the early clubhouse lead at the Honda Classic after shooting a five-under-par 65 in the opening round at blustery PGA National on Thursday. World number one Rory McIlroy, looking to make a winning start to his build-up to the April 9-12 Masters, was four-over par through five holes after a rough start that included a pair of double-bogeys. Herman, 37 and seeking his first PGA Tour win, was bogey-free and managed five birdies despite strong winds on the Champion Course. Two-time British Open winner Padraig Harrington of Ireland, who has slumped to 297th in the world rankings, recovered from an early bogey at the second en route to a 67 that left him two shots off the early lead.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton has met with Major League Baseball officials amid reports the 33-year-old slugger suffered a drug and alcohol relapse, according to multiple reports Thursday. Hamilton, a five-time All-Star and the 2010 American League Most Valuable Player, met with league officials Wednesday, confirmed the Angels, who appeared to be preparing for a possible suspension. Right shoulder surgery figures to sideline Hamilton for at least the first month of the upcoming season anyway. Hamilton was suspended from Major League Baseball from 2004 into 2006 for cocaine and alcohol issues and the New York Daily News reported that he has suffered a relapse in both areas during the off-season.

Venezuelan ace closing relief pitcher Francisco Rodriguez has signed a two-year Major League Baseball contract worth $13 million to remain with the Milwaukee Brewers, the team said Thursday on its website. Rodriguez, nicknamed "K-Rod" after the one-letter baseball scoring abbreviation for strikeout and the first letters of his last name, is a five-time All-Star and over 13 seasons is 46-41 with a 2.73 earned-run average. Rodriguez re-signed with Milwaukee a year ago after having been traded to Baltimore during the 2013 campaign. The Brewers hope Rodriguez can help them reach the playoffs for only the third time since losing the 1982 World Series in their only trip to Major League Baseball's best-of-seven championship final.

A US federal judge overturned on Thursday the National Football League's suspension of Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, saying an arbitrator exceeded his authority in upholding the ban. US district judge David Doty reinstated Peterson following his appeal of a suspension that was imposed last September when the star rusher faced charges of causing reckless or negligent injury to a child. NFL-appointed arbitrator Harold Henderson upheld the sanction in December, saying the ban was allowed under tougher sanctions for players involved in domestic violence imposed by the league in August in the wake of an incident involving Baltimore running back Ray Rice knocking his then-fiancee unconscious in an Atlantic City casino elevator. "The NFL responds that Henderson, after a 'careful review' of the policy and new policy, correctly determined the commissioner had 'broad discretion' under the collective bargaining agreement to impose the enhanced discipline set forth in the new policy.

By Steve Bittenbender LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Reuters) - A former basketball player for the University of Louisville in Kentucky pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that he had raped and sodomized two women. Chris Jones, 23, is one of three men charged in the alleged incident early Sunday in an apartment complex near campus, police said. The allegations come at a time of heightened national scrutiny of criminal sexual conduct by student athletes, and the response by their schools. A Tennessee jury late last month convicted two former Vanderbilt University football players of the campus rape of an unconscious female student. Jones was suspended from the team just days earlier on Feb. 17 and missed a game the following night at Syracuse University after it was discovered he had sent a threatening text to another female, said Kenny Klein, the university’s sports information director.

Nic Henning, who possesses the worst possible world ranking of joint 1,555th, belied his lowly golfing status by shooting a West Course record-tying nine-under 62 to lead after the Joburg Open first round on Thursday. The 45-year-old South African fired five birdies and an eagle in a remarkable outward 29 and at that stage looked capable of returning the European Tour's first 59. Henning then managed only two birdies on the back nine and had to settle for a one-stroke lead over compatriots Titch Moore and Tjaart van der Walt and Belgian Thomas Pieters. "That was fantastic, I haven't shot 29 for a couple of years and on the last hole of that front stretch I told myself I had to make a birdie and I did that," Henning told reporters at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Club.

By Daniel Lovering FALL RIVER, Mass. (Reuters) - Former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez smoked marijuana and bought food and drinks for friends at a Rhode Island restaurant hours before prosecutors say he fatally shot an acquaintance, a witness testified on Thursday. Kelly Rose Belanger, former manager of the South Street Cafe in Providence, said Hernandez arrived at the restaurant with a woman and other people around 9:30 p.m. on June 16, 2013, and at one point stepped out to smoke marijuana with another man. "I asked them to put it out because the other customers could smell it, and they did," Belanger said at Massachusetts Superior Court in Hernandez's trial on charges of murdering Odin Lloyd, a man who was dating his fiancée's sister.

Feb 26 (Infostrada Sports) - Scores from the European Tour Joburg Open on Thursday in Johannesburg -9 Nic Henning (South Africa) 62 -8 Titch Moore (South Africa) 63 Thomas Pieters (Belgium) 63 Tjaart Van der Walt (South Africa) 63 -7 Garth Mulroy (South Africa) 64 Dean Burmester (South Africa) 64 Jason Scrivener (Australia) 64 -6 Scott Henry (Britain) 65 Joachim Hansen (Denmark) 65 Wallie Coetsee (South Africa) 66 An Byeong-Hun (South Korea) 65 Sam Hutsby (Britain) 66 Andrew Curlewis (South Africa) 65 Simon Dyson (Britain) 65 Jorge Campillo (Spain) 65 -5 Niclas Fasth (Sweden) 66 Ben Evans ...

(Reuters) - Two-time winner Yani Tseng of Taiwan carded a six-under-par 66 to share the opening round lead with Americans Brittany Lang and Stacy Lewis at the women's Thailand Open, the fourth event on this year's LPGA Tour, on Thursday. Former world number Tseng, who won the event in 2011 and 2012, dropped the only shot of her round on the final hole after firing seven birdies. Lewis scorched the front nine at the Siam Country Club in Chonburi, starting with an eagle on the first and then added five birdies to make the turn on 29.

Kevin Garnett received a hero's welcome in his return to Minnesota, even if his on-court contribution to a 97-77 NBA win over Washington was relatively modest. Garnett on Wednesday finished with five points, eight rebounds and two blocks for the Timberwolves, who notched their second victory in three games. Kevin Martin led the Timberwolves with 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting, Andrew Wiggins added 19 points and Nikola Pekovic contributed 15 points and 13 rebounds. Washington grabbed an early 15-point lead, but soon collapsed into a fifth straight defeat.

With point guard Rajon Rondo suspended for one game for a heated argument with coach Rick Carlisle, the Dallas Mavericks fell 104-87 to Atlanta. Dallas had won three straight NBA games coming into the contest, but they were without three starters. Chandler Parsons missed his third straight game with an ankle injury, Tyson Chandler was out with a hip injury and Rondo was serving his one-game ban by the team for a shouting match with Carlisle during the third quarter of Tuesday's win over Toronto. Recently acquired reserve forward Amare Stoudemire was also missing.

The Chicago Bulls, reeling from the loss of again-injured Derrick Rose, fell 98-86 to the Charlotte Hornets. The Bulls announced on Tuesday that Rose, the 2011 NBA Most Valuable Player, had a meniscus tear in his right knee and would need surgery for the second straight year. The right knee injuries come after Rose missed an entire season recovering from a torn left knee ligament. "I don't know what to say other than it's so unfair," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said before Wednesday's game.

World number one Rory McIlroy, preparing for his 2015 US PGA Tour debut, is relishing his role as the dominant player in golf. "Of course I want to be that guy," McIlroy said. The Northern Irishman, whose appearance at this week's Honda Classic launches his build up to the Masters, will be gunning for a third straight major title at Augusta National in April. With 14-time major champion Tiger Woods' season in limbo after back pain forced him out of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines earlier this month, McIlroy is under even more scrutiny.

The naming of Davis Love III as captain of the 2016 U.S. Ryder Cup team was well received by his peers but it may be a tougher sell to fans who still have nightmares over the epic collapse he oversaw at Medinah in 2012. Despite other candidates without a blemish the size of Love's on their resumes, the man who captained the worst U.S. finishing-day flop in Ryder Cup history was given a chance to atone for the devastating defeat. Besides bringing back bad memories for U.S. fans, Love's hiring even raised the eyebrow of world number one Rory McIlroy, a member of the winning European side at Medinah. Others championed to lead the Americans at Hazeltine outside Minneapolis included Paul Azinger, who in 2008 was the last U.S. captain to win the Cup, and three-time Presidents Cup-winning captain Fred Couples.

Two-time winner Tseng Yani hit seven birdies on Thursday to share the overnight lead with American duo Stacy Lewis and Brittany Lang after the first round of the Honda LPGA Thailand. It might have been even better than six under, 66, for the Taiwanese golfer, but for a dropped shot on the final hole that tarnished an otherwise perfect round at the Siam Country Club. Nonetheless it left Tseng -- who won in Thailand in 2011 and 2012 -- in the unfamiliar territory of leading after the first round in a tournament for the first time in three years. Compatriot Lang had an indifferent start to the day, bogeying on six before rattling off five birdies in a row and eight in total to the leaders back at the clubhouse.

By Simon Evans PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida (Reuters) - The PGA Tour's 'Florida Swing,' golf's unofficial start of the road to the Masters, begins on Thursday with world number one Rory McIlroy heading a strong field in the Honda Classic at PGA National. World number six Sergio Garcia, who missed out on a playoff by one shot at Riviera last week, will also be looking to fine-tune his game along with Germany's Martin Kaymer and England's Justin Rose, the last two U.S. Open winners, respectively. American Russell Henley, who triumphed at last year's Honda Classic, is one of 12 former champions in the field.

By Letitia Stein TAMPA, Fla.(Reuters) - New York Yankees fans waited for six hours on Wednesday with baseballs, bats, cards and even a Wheaties box for slugger Alex Rodriguez to autograph in his first week back from a yearlong suspension in one of sport's biggest doping scandals. Media outlets from New York to Japan lugged cameras between the team's training facilities in Tampa, Florida, hoping for a sighting of the 14-time All-Star with 654 career home runs. "Love him, hate him, everyone has got an opinion," said Tom Ferguson, 50, of Tampa, waiting in line for an autograph. "He's the hottest thing in baseball right now." Each move by A-Rod, as he is popularly known, has become a daily guessing game since he arrived early for spring training.

By Simon Evans PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida, Feb 25 (Reuters) - The PGA Tour's 'Florida Swing,' golf's unofficial start of the road to the Masters, begins on Thursday with world number one Rory McIlroy heading a strong field in the Honda Classic at PGA National. World number six Sergio Garcia, who missed out on a playoff by one shot at Riviera last week, will also be looking to fine-tune his game along with Germany's Martin Kaymer and England's Justin Rose, the last two U.S. Open winners, respectively. American Russell Henley, who triumphed at last year's Honda Classic, is one of 12 former champions in the field.

By Bernie McGuire PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida (Reuters) - World number one Rory McIlroy was "shocked" at the appointment of Davis Love 111 as 2016 United States Ryder Cup captain. McIlroy is returning to competition at this week’s Honda Classic and teeing up for a first time this year on American soil following a three-week break since winning the Dubai Desert Classic. Northern Ireland's McIlroy, a triple European Ryder Cup-winning team member and four-times major champion, was asked about his reaction to the appointment of Love.  "It came as a big shock when they announced yesterday Davis was going to be the next U.S. captain," McIlroy told reporters. “It will be great to see Davis and (European captain) Darren (Clarke) go head-to-head at Hazeltine and they will be formidable opponents.

By Bernie McGuire PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida, Feb 25 (Reuters) - World number one Rory McIlroy was "shocked" at the appointment of Davis Love 111 as 2016 United States Ryder Cup captain. McIlroy is returning to competition at this week's Honda Classic and teeing up for a first time this year on American soil following a three-week break since winning the Dubai Desert Classic. Northern Ireland's McIlroy, a triple European Ryder Cup-winning team member and four-times major champion, was asked about his reaction to the appointment of Love. "It came as a big shock when they announced yesterday Davis was going to be the next U.S. captain," McIlroy told reporters.

Quail Hollow Club will host the 2012 Presidents Cup match play showdown between the United States and an International team, US PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said Wednesday. Quail Hollow will become the fifth golf course in the United States to host the biennial event. Liberty National (2017) and TPC Harding Park (2025) were previously announced as future sites for the Presidents Cup. "We're thrilled to add Quail Hollow Club to the growing list of exceptional venues to host the Presidents Cup," Finchem said.

International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach voiced dismay on Wednesday at criticism of the golf course for the 2016 Rio Games by the city's mayor. Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes told O Globo newspaper Tuesday he would have preferred the course never to have been built.

By Simon Evans PALM BEACH GARDENS (Reuters) - World number one Rory McIlroy begins the countdown to his 'career grand slam' bid at the Masters in this week's Honda Classic and says he feels entirely comfortable being the face of the sport. The decline of Tiger Woods, who is on a break from the game after his form and injury problems, only heightens the attention on the Northern Irishman who has three events before he tees up at Augusta looking to win all four majors by the age of 25. Asked whether he was comfortable being the main star of the sport, McIlroy was emphatic in his response.

By Daniel Lovering FALL RIVER, Mass. (Reuters) - Empty shell casings found near the body of a man Aaron Hernandez is accused of fatally shooting and one removed from a rental car the former NFL star returned were fired from the same weapon, a police officer said in court on Wednesday.  Microscopic examinations of the six shells, including five from the crime scene and one from a dumpster at a rental car agency, showed to a reasonable degree of ballistic certainty they were fired from the same unknown .45 caliber Glock handgun, Massachusetts State Police Sergeant Stephen Walsh testified. "It's consistent with having been fired from a Glock," Walsh, a ballistics expert, said repeatedly at Massachusetts Superior Court in Fall River, referring to several of the shell casings, as well as bullets recovered from the crime scene. Investigators have not found the gun used to kill Odin Lloyd, a semi-professional football player who was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancée.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida (Reuters) - The Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, will host the 2021 Presidents Cup, the PGA Tour announced on Wednesday. The team competition between the United States and the Internationals, which began in 1994, will take place between Sept. 30 and Oct. 3. This year's competition will be held at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon, South Korea from Oct. 6. The 2017 competition will be held at Liberty National in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Reporting By Simon Evans; editing by Toby Davis)

Underdog Manny Pacquiao said Wednesday he has a simple tactic to beat American favourite Floyd Mayweather in history's richest fight by two longtime rivals for the planet's top "pound-for-pound" boxer crown. The Philippines is in the throes of "Pacmania" as the 36-year-old, dubbed "The National Fist" by local media, is set to fly to the United States to train for the May 2 Las Vegas bout. The 38-year-old Mayweather, tipped as the favourite by bookmakers after announcing the megabucks fight last weekend, has not lost any of his 47 fights, in which he has scored 26 knockouts. His determination to play for his Kia Carnival team has raised fears he might get injured before the fight, which US media report could net him an $80 million pay cheque.

(Reuters) - Lawmakers on Tuesday night approved plans to build a new Los Angeles area football stadium, the Los Angeles Times reported, days after two NFL teams in California proposed constructing a shared arena near the city. The Inglewood City Council voted unanimously in favor of the 80,000-seat stadium planned as part of a larger mixed-use development project for the Hollywood Park site, the newspaper reported. Stan Kroenke, who owns the St. Louis Rams which played in Los Angeles before relocating to the Midwest some 20 years ago, is among the developers behind the estimated $1.86 billion stadium, the Times reported. Last Thursday, the San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders proposed a plan that would have the teams share a new stadium in the Los Angeles-area city of Carson if they fail to solve their current venue dilemmas.

Russell Westbrook registered his third triple double of the season as the Oklahoma City Thunder posted their season high tying seventh consecutive win with a 105-92 victory over Indiana. Serge Ibaka tallied 23 points with 10 rebounds and three blocks, while Enes Kanter added 15 points with five rebounds in the win. We did a great job of sticking together," said Westbrook.

Former NBA MVP Derrick Rose, who has already undergone two knee operations, will undergo surgery to repair a torn meniscus on his right knee, the Chicago Bulls announced. It will be the third operation in three years for Rose, who missed the entire 2012-13 season recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee. Rose suffered that injury in game one of the Bulls' playoff series against Philadelphia. He made a long-awaited return to the Bulls last season, but had it cut short after just 10 games after tearing the meniscus in his right knee.

(Reuters) - Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose will undergo surgery for a torn meniscus is his right knee, the National Basketball Association team said on Tuesday. The 2011 NBA Most Valuable Player, who was averaging 18.4 points per game this year, reported pain in his right knee earlier in the day, the Bulls said in a statement. "An exam and subsequent MRI confirmed a medial meniscus tear of the right knee," the team said. The Bulls said a timeline for recovery would be determined after the surgery.

Kevin Love equalled a career high with eight three pointers to lift the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 102-93 win over the Detroit Pistons. Love finished with 24 points on eight-of-14 shooting from beyond the arc and he grabbed nine rebounds as Cleveland on Tuesday won their third consecutive NBA game. LeBron James added 19 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds, while Kyrie Irving scored 18. Reggie Jackson finished with 22 points and added nine assists and eight rebounds for the Pistons who led by as many as 14 points early in the third quarter.