Lakers eliminate Jazz in six...Cavaliers force a seventh game

UNDATED (AP) -- The Los Angeles Lakers are in the NBA Western Conference finals for the first time in four years. Kobe Bryant's 34 points led the Lakers past Utah 108-105, eliminating the Jazz in six games.

The Lakers built a 62-43 halftime lead and led by 16 at the start of the fourth quarter. But the Jazz hit a flurry of 3-pointers to get within two points in the final minute. The Jazz had a chance to tie it at the end, but Mehmet Okur and Deron Williams missed 3-pointers in the closing seconds and Utah's season is over.

Bryant also had eight points and six assists. Pau Gasol added 17 points and 13 rebounds for the Lakers. Williams had 21 to lead six Utah players in double figures.

It was the only win by the visiting team in the series. Home teams have posted a 21-and-2 record in all the NBA conference semifinals.

The Lakers will host the opener of the Western Conference finals next Wednesday against either San Antonio or New Orleans. That semifinal is tied 3-3 heading to a seventh game Monday in New Orleans.

There will be a decisive game-seven on Sunday to decide the Boston-Cleveland Eastern Conference semifinal.

LeBron James scored 19 of his 32 points in the second half and the Cavaliers beat the Celtics 74-69. James, whose jump shot has been missing in this series, made two key baskets midway through the fourth quarter to slow a Boston comeback.

Wally Szczerbiak hit a 3-pointer with 2:10 remaining and Joe Smith dropped two free throws with 14 seconds left to clinch it. Ex-Celtic Delonte West was the only other Cav in double figures with 10. Kevin Garnett led Boston with 25 points and eight rebounds. Paul Pierce scored 16.

The Celtics are 15-and-3 in game sevens at home.

Suns add Turner to their list

PHOENIX (AP) -- The Suns plan to interview Houston Rockets assistant Elston Turner next week in their continuing search for a head coach. The job was vacated last week when Mike D'Antoni left Phoenix and signed on to coach the New York Knicks.

The 48-year-old Turner has been an assistant to coach Rick Adelman for 11 years with Portland, Sacramento and Houston.

Kyle Busch on All-Star pole

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) -- Kyle Busch has the pole for tonight's NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. Busch is the Sprint Cup points leader with three wins and seven top-10 finishes in 11 races.

Busch was more than a half-second faster than Jeff Gordon, who will start on the outside of the front row.

Kurt Busch, Kyle's older brother, qualified third, followed by Martin Truex Junior, Greg Biffle and Jamie McMurray.

Owners mulling an option play

NEW YORK (AP) -- NFL owners could opt out of their labor deal with the players union next week. That leaves open the possibility of a 2010 season without a salary cap. NFL Players Association executive director Gene Upshaw says if the owners don't opt out on Tuesday at league meetings in Atlanta, "then it will be soon after that." Upshaw says the owners want to opt out but the players do not.

Well Werth the wait...Soriano homers twice in Cubs win

UNDATED (AP) -- Jayson Werth homered in his first three at-bats and tied a Philadelphia Phillies record with eight RBIs in a 10-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Werth had a chance to tie the major league record of four homers in a game but fouled out in the seventh inning.

Werth hit a three-run home run to right field in the second inning and followed with a 425-foot grand slam in the third. He then ripped a solo shot to left-center in the fifth.

The homers and eight RBIs were career highs for Werth. He became the 18th Phillies player to record three homers in a game.

Philadelphia's 45-year-old left-hander Jamie Moyer went 6-and-two-thirds innings for the win. He's 3-and-3.

The AL held a 7-5 edge on the first night of interleague play:

-- Kansas City won its fifth straight game, 7-6 over Florida. Brett Tomko hurled six innings for his first win in nearly six weeks. NL-East leading Florida has lost four in a row for the first time this season.

-- Adam Dunn homered and drew a tiebreaking walk with the bases loaded in the eighth inning in the Cincinnati Reds' fourth straight win, 4-3 over the intrastate rival Cleveland. Brandon Phillips also homered.

-- Melvin Mora hit a tiebreaking double in the fifth inning and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Washington Nationals 5-3 for their sixth win in seven games. Luke Scott homered and southpaw Garrett Olson won his third game since being recalled from Triple-A Norfolk.

-- Andy Sonnanstine carried a shutout into the eighth inning and added two singles to a 12-hit outburst in the streaking Tampa Bay Rays' 3-1 victory over the St. Louis. The Rays have won eight of nine.

-- Atlanta nipped Oakland 3-2. Ex-Athletic Mark Kotsay drove in the winning run with an eighth-inning double. The A's have lost four straight and six of seven.

-- It was a wild battle of Texas with the Rangers outscoring Houston 16-8. Josh Hamilton went 5-for-5 with two long homers and five RBIs.

-- Delmon Young doubled twice and scored two runs to lead the Minnesota Twins to a 4-2 win over the Colorado Rockies. Nick Blackburn pitched seven strong innings for the win.

-- Arizona nipped Detroit 4-3. Eric Byrnes broke out of a slump with a homer and two RBIs.

-- The Chicago White Sox blanked San Francisco 2-0. Alexei Ramirez hit his first major league home run for all the scoring.

-- Last-place San Diego beat Seattle 6-4. Chris Young got his fourth win despite allowing four runs in his six innings. Trevor Hoffman earned his eighth save.

-- The L.A. Angels won the Battle of the Freeway by beating the Dodgers 4-2. Joe Saunders rebounded from his first loss and got the win.

-- The renewal of the Subway Series has to wait a day. The Mets and Yankees were rained out in the Bronx. They'll probably make it up in June.

-- Milwaukee and Boston were rained out at Fenway Park. They'll play a day-night doubleheader today.

In the lone National League game in Chicago, Alfonso Soriano knocked a pair of home runs in the Cubs' 7-4 win over Pittsburgh. Soriano homered in his first two at bats supporting Sean Gallagher to his first major league win. Geovany Soto and Mark DeRosa also went deep as the Cubs won for the seventh time in eight games. They've won three straight.

Magowan stepping down from Giants...Isringhausen to the DL...Setback for Prior

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Peter Magowan , who brought Barry Bonds to San Francisco, is stepping down as managing partner of the Giants, effective the end of this season.

The 66-year-old Magowan kept the Giants in San Francisco, purchasing the team before the 1993 season. The decision to acquire Bonds came soon after he bought the team. In 2000, the Giants opened a privately funded waterfront ballpark.

American Bar Association president William Neukom, a current partner in the Giants group, will take over for Magowan. Also, executive vice president Larry Baer will become team president effective October 1st.

In other big-league news:

-- The St. Louis Cardinals have placed struggling closer Jason Isringhausen on the 15-day disabled list because of a cut on his pitching hand. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported last weekend that the veteran right-hander hurt his hand striking a television set in frustration in manager Tony La Russa's office. He has an 8.00 ERA and six blown saves this season.

-- Oft-injured pitcher Mark Prior has another shoulder problem that will delay his debut with the San Diego Padres. Prior's agent, John Boggs, confirms the pitcher has a tear in his right shoulder capsule. Prior, who had surgery on the shoulder last year, will be kept from throwing for at least two weeks and then re-evaluated.

Lots of Byrd-ies

DULUTH, Ga. (AP) -- Jonathan Byrd carded a 6-under 66 and has a three-shot lead midway through the AT&T Classic. He's 12-under after 36 holes.

Kenny Perry and Ryan Palmer are next at 9-under. Defending champion Zach Johnson and Charles Howell III signed for a 2-under 70 and are four shots off the lead.

Langer in the hunt

HOOVER, Ala. (AP) -- Andy Bean and Monday qualifier Mike Goodes both shot 7-under 65 to share the first-round lead in the Champions Tour's Regions Charity Classic. Leading senior money winner Bernhard Langer is two strokes back.

Ladies to try again tomorrow in New Jersey

CLIFTON, N.J. (AP) -- Rain washed out play at the LPGA's Sybase Classic. The tournament has been trimmed from 72 holes to 54 with round two slated for today and the final 18 holes scheduled to be played on Sunday.

Annika Sorenstam, Song-Hee Kim and Rachel Hetherington share the lead after matching 5-under-par 67s in Thursday's opening round. They are one stroke ahead of two-time defending champ Lorena Ochoa and five others with 36 holes to play.

No change behind Hurricanes bench...Panthers GM stays

UNDATED (AP) -- Peter Laviolette will be back for a fifth season as coach of the Carolina Hurricanes. GM Jim Rutherford says the NHL team will retain the coach who in 2006 led the club to its only Stanley Cup championship. Speculation swirled for the past month about Laviolette's future after Carolina missed the playoffs in both seasons after its run to the title.

In another hockey note, the Florida Panthers say they've reached an agreement with Jacques Martin to remain the NHL club's general manager through the 2011-12 season. Martin was stripped of his duties as head coach last month but continued working in his role as GM.

Twelve expected to run in second jewel of Triple Crown

BALTIMORE (AP) -- The field for today's Preakness Stakes was reduced to 12 horses when Behind-at-the-bar was scratched with a bruised left front foot. The Todd Pletcher-trained thoroughbred was listed at 10-to-1 for the 133rd Run for the Black-Eyed Susans.

Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown is an early 1-to-2 favorite to put himself in position to become horse racing's first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978.

The weather forecast calls for a 30-percent chance of rain at post time .