(Reuters) - Kobe Bryant refused to let a second successive game slip through his fingers as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 99-96 in a cliffhanger on Friday to avoid going down 3-0 in their NBA playoff series. Bryant endured a 9-for-25 shooting night to score 36 points, including eight of his team's final 10 points, helping the Lakers get the home win needed in the second-round West matchup. Kevin Durant tallied 31 points, but missed a long, potential game-tying three-pointer in the final seconds, while Russell Westbrook and James Harden each had 21 in the loss. ...

(Reuters) - The Atlanta Braves handed Tampa Bay a rare home loss when they chased top pitcher James Shields after six innings in a 5-3 victory over the Rays on Friday. Freddie Freeman's run scoring double in the fifth put Atlanta ahead to stay and the Braves added another run two batters later for a 4-2 advantage. Martin Prado made it a 5-2 game with a seventh inning homer as the Braves, who lead the National League East, won for the 10th time in 12 road games. Tampa Bay, chasing Baltimore for the American League East's top spot, lost at home for only the fifth time in 19 games this season. ...

Two outs were all that separated Justin Verlander from yet another rare achievement — and an exclusive club that includes Cy Young, Nolan Ryan and only three other pitchers.

Andre Iguodala finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists as the Philadelphia 76ers rallied to beat the Boston Celtics 92-83 in game four of their Eastern Conference series.

American Jason Dufner rolled in four birdies on his final five holes for a four-under 66 and a one-shot lead after the second round of the PGA Tour's Byron Nelson Championship.

Andy Pettitte gave the New York Yankees a Turn Back the Clock night.

Lakers guard Steve Blake and his wife received multiple online threats after he missed a big shot late in Game 2 of Los Angeles' second-round playoff series with Oklahoma City.

May 1 8 (Infostrada Sports) - Scores from the second round of the Byron Nelson Championship on Friday in Irving, Texas. The cutwas set at 142. 133 Jason Dufner (U.S.) 67 66 134 Chad Campbell (U.S.) 68 66 Ryan Palmer (U.S.) 64 70 Matt Kuchar (U.S.) 66 68 Pat Perez (U.S.) 67 67 Dicky Pride (U.S.) 66 68 Marc Leishman (Australia) 65 69 135 Keegan Bradley (U.S.) 67 68 Ryuji Imada (Japan) 67 68 Charley Hoffman (U.S.) 66 69 136 Jason Day (Australia) 68 68 Ken Duke (U.S.) 69 67 J.J. Henry (U.S.) 68 68 Scott Piercy (U.S.) 66 70 137 Blake Adams (U.S.) 66 71 Billy Mayfair (U.S.) 69 68 D.A. Points (U.S. ...

* Dufner takes control with strong finish * Leads by one shot going into third round (Updates at end of round) May 18 (Reuters) - American Jason Dufner birdied four of hislast five holes to go a stroke clear of a congested leaderboardin Friday's second round of the Byron Nelson Championship inIrving, Texas. Three weeks after clinching his maiden PGA Tour victory atthe New Orleans Classic, Dufner fired a four-under-par 66 in thetoughest conditions of the day to post a seven-under total of133. ...

Kerry Wood arrived in the majors 14 years ago, a fresh-faced kid with No. 34 on his back, slinging fastballs at 100 mph, delivering breaking pitches that were often unhittable and striking out 20 batters in just his fifth start.