FanFare 4/28/03

Briefly

Basketball

Shaquille O'Neal came up with the monster game the Los Angeles Lakers needed to even their series with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

O'Neal had 34 points, 23 rebounds and six assists Sunday as the three-time defending NBA champions rallied for a 102-97 victory over the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves to tie their first-round playoff series 2-2.

Los Angeles scored 22 of the game's final 33 points, holding the Timberwolves without a field goal for a 5-minute stretch of the fourth quarter.

Kobe Bryant added 32 points for the Lakers, including 13 in the fourth quarter.

Kevin Garnett had 28 points, 18 rebounds and five assists for Timberwolves. Troy Hudson also had 28 points.

Game 5 will be played Tuesday night in Minnesota.

Paul Pierce scored 21 of his 37 points in the third quarter Sunday when the Boston Celtics erased a 12-point halftime deficit and went on to beat the visiting Indiana Pacers 102-92.

Boston leads the first-round playoff series 3-1 and can clinch Tuesday in Game 5 in Indiana.

Tony Delk had 21 points for Boston and Walker added 17.

Jermaine O'Neal's 25 points and 19 rebounds led the Pacers.

The Orlando Magic are one victory away from bouncing the top-seeded team in the East out of the playoffs.

Tracy McGrady had 27 points and nine assists as the Magic defeated the visiting Detroit Pistons 100-92 Sunday to take a 3-1 lead in their first-round playoff series. Drew Gooden added 20 points and 13 rebounds while Darrell Armstrong came off the bench to score 18.

Chauncey Billups led Detroit with 25 points

The Magic can win the series Wednesday in Detroit.

Zach Randolph had 25 points and 15 rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers beat the visiting Dallas Mavericks 98-79 Sunday to avoid being swept in the first-round playoyff series.

The series will return to Dallas Wednesday for Game 5, with the Mavericks leading 3-1.

Hockey

Roman Cechmanek stopped 33 shots for his second career playoff shutout and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Ottawa Senators 2-0 Sunday to even their second-round playoff series at 1-1.

Cechmanek made up for his dismal performance in Friday's series opener by posting his first shutout in these playoffs. Simon Gagne and Mark Recchi scored for the Flyers.

Game 3 of the best-of-seven series is Tuesday in Philadelphia.

Tennis

Serena Williams sent the United States into the next round of the Fed Cup, beating Klara Koukalova 6-2, 6-2 in Lowell, Mass., for a third straight victory by the Williams sisters over the Czech Republic.

The United States took a 2-0 lead into Sunday's play, and Serena Williams needed just 50 minutes to put the Americans into the quarterfinals in July, when they will face Italy.

She gave the United States an unbeatable lead in the best-of-five competition. Venus Williams defeated Iveta Benesova 6-3, 6-2 in the last singles match, then the sisters completed the 5-0 weekend sweep with a 6-0, 6-1 doubles victory in 44 minutes, beating Daja Bedanova and Eva Birnerova.

The United States has won the Fed Cup a record 17 times and is the favorite this year. The final is in November.

Andre Agassi celebrated his first day as the oldest men's player to be ranked No. 1 in the world with a dramatic comeback victory over Andy Roddick to win the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston on Sunday.

Agassi supplanted Australian Lleyton Hewitt on Saturday night as No. 1, but he had to work hard Sunday to beat Roddick 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. It was the 58th career title for Agassi, who will turn 33 on Tuesday.