Sports briefs 4/20/04

Basketball

Indiana Pacers forward Ron Artest was chosen the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year on Monday. Artest received 476 points out of a possible 605, including 80 of 121 possible first-place votes from a panel of sports writers and broadcasters. Two-time defensive player of the year winner Ben Wallace of Detroit finished second, and Portland's Theo Ratliff was third. Artest finished third in the league with 2.08 steals a game, including a career-high eight steals against Dallas on March 24. Artest, however, will miss the Pacers' next game after he was suspended for one game by the NBA on Monday for leaving the bench during a confrontation in the team's win Saturday over Boston in the opening game of the first-round playoff series. Artest will miss Game 2 tonight.

Testimony in the Jayson Williams manslaughter trial resumed after jurors learned the prosecution failed to provide some evidence to defense lawyers for the retired NBA star. Jurors returned to the courtroom after a three-week delay caused by a dispute over withheld photographs and notes related to the shooting death of a limousine driver. State Superior Court Judge Edward M. Coleman informed the panel that the defense would be allowed to reopen its case; the defense had rested just before the additional evidence came to light. Coleman made the decision last week after rejecting a defense request to dismiss the case.

Football

Disgruntled running back Corey Dillon was traded by the Bengals to the New England Patriots for a second-round draft pick, ending a stellar and stormy seven-year stay with the Bengals. Dillon, 29, holds most of the franchise's rushing records, but chafed at his reduced role last year as Cincinnati enjoyed a renaissance season under coach Marvin Lewis. The Super Bowl champions were determined to improve a running game that ranked 27th last season.

Hockey

New Jersey Devils center Igor Larionov announced his retirement. The 43-year-old Larionov, the oldest player to compete in the NHL this season, signed with New Jersey as a free agent in September. Larionov finished his NHL career with 169 goals and 644 points in 921 regular season games. In addition to the Devils, Larionov played for the Vancouver Canucks, San Jose Sharks, Florida Panthers and Detroit Red Wings, with whom he won Stanley Cups in 1997, 1998 and 2002.

Tennis

Goran Ivanisevic lost in the first round of the Monte Carlo Masters on Monday to a qualifier who's just 235th in the ATP Tour rankings. Nicolas Devilder of France upset the 2001 Wimbledon champion 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 at the clay-court tournament. It's Devilder's first victory at a Tennis Masters Series event. Monte Carlo lost other top players Monday: U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick, James Blake and Mardy Fish withdrew, while three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten was eliminated.

-- From wire reports