The Kansas City Chiefs quickly dispelled rumors they are shopping Pro Bowl running back Larry Johnson before this weekend's NFL draft. Team spokesman Bob Moore said Thursday the Chiefs have not offered Johnson to anybody and that no team has been given permission to speak with him. "Anybody who is reporting it's true is simply not telling the truth," Moore said.

The St. Louis Rams' long search for a return man ended Wednesday when the team acquired Dante Hall from Kansas City in exchange for a fifth-round pick in this weekend's draft. "We have filled a need with one of the top players in football at his specialty, returning punts and kicks," Rams coach Scott Linehan said.

After the humiliation that was Game 2 of their playoff series against the Phoenix Suns, the Los Angeles Lakers fell behind by 17 points early in Game 3. At that stage, with the home crowd booing, Lakers star Kobe Bryant figured there were two directions his team could take. "You can put your tail between your legs or come back fighting," he said.

The Utah Jazz shot poorly again and rushed on offense a few times, yet coach Jerry Sloan was about as tickled as he gets. Utah's defense was good enough to overcome any offensive struggles, and the Jazz beat Houston 81-67 Thursday night to cut the Rockets' lead to 2-1 in their playoff series. The Jazz held the Rockets without a field goal for 10 minutes in the second half and didn't allow Houston's...

The Detroit Pistons showed they know how to close out quarters. Now they want to close out another series. Tayshaun Prince scored 23 points, Chauncey Billups added 21 and the Pistons beat Orlando 93-77 Thursday night to take a 3-0 lead in the first-round playoff series. The victory ended a postseason trend for the Pistons -- they had lost their last six Game 3s when leading 2-0 -- and left them one...

Though the Bay Area is abuzz with excitement for the Golden State Warriors' first home playoff game in 13 years, the Warriors are getting a few remedial lessons in keeping their cool. Warriors coach Don Nelson said Thursday he will fine Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson for being ejected from Golden State's 112-99 loss in Game 2 of the club's first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks.

George Karl has a simple solution for the Denver Nuggets' lack of bench production. "I'll ask A.I. to come off the bench," Karl said Thursday. Of course he needs Allen Iverson in the starting lineup. But Karl is sick of hearing about how the reserves aren't producing. The Nuggets' backups have scored just 13 points in the first two games of the first-round series with San Antonio.

Two months ago, Washington Wizards guard DeShawn Stevenson fancied calling himself "Mr. Fifty." He was so proud of the number -- which represented his shooting percentage -- that he jokingly said he would no longer speak to any teammate who wasn't making at least half his shots. On Thursday, Stevenson humbly walked off the court as Mr.

Larry Bird's first big move after becoming the Indiana Pacers president four years ago was to oust Isiah Thomas as coach in favor of old Boston Celtics teammate Rick Carlisle. Near-constant turmoil since the 2004 brawl between Pacers players and Detroit Pistons fans during Carlisle's second year led to ever-growing loss totals and Bird's announcement Wednesday that Carlisle was being fired after a...

The Ottawa Senators got to Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils early and often, and then avoided what could have been an embarrassing letdown. Jason Spezza scored 90 seconds into the game, and the Senators jumped to a 4-0 first-period lead before holding on for a 5-4 victory Thursday night in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal.

The San Jose Sharks silenced the fans at Joe Louis Arena while stunning the Detroit Red Wings with goals 24 seconds apart. Matt Carle and Mike Grier scored midway through the first period and Evgeni Nabokov made 34 saves to lead San Jose to a 2-0 victory Thursday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.

Jaromir Jagr's calm demeanor gradually gave way to agitation. Standing in the middle of the New York Rangers locker room Thursday, Jagr grew weary with the line of questioning now that his team finds itself trailing a series for the first time this postseason. "It's the same question over and over: 'Do we have to change something?"' Jagr said, raising his voice slightly.

The Ducks want to keep the traffic jam going in Anaheim -- right in front of Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo. "Goaltenders are human, and there's an old saying that you can't stop what you can't see," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said Thursday. "What we obviously have to do is get traffic, second- and third-chance opportunities, move the puck side to side, get deflections, screens, all of that stuff...

Red Wings forward Tomas Holmstrom has an eye injury that will sideline him Thursday night when Detroit opens its second-round series against San Jose. "The doctors want no blood on his eye before he plays," Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said Wednesday. "It's a blow because he scored 30 goals this season, and he's one of our key players.

Over a career that lasted more than two decades, Scott Mellanby twice made it to the Stanley Cup finals, played in the NHL All-Star game and became one of hockey's most respected leaders. That said, he'll always be remembered for his coup de grace on a rodent. The 40-year-old Mellanby retired Tuesday, less than a week after the Thrashers were swept in the first round of the playoffs.

Two-time champion Tony Stewart likened NASCAR to professional wrestling and accused it of using bogus caution flags to shape races in biting comments made on his weekly radio show.