Pacers take fire out of Heat; Spurs clip LA

(Reuters) - The Indiana Pacers left no doubt which was the team on a mission as they routed the cold shooting Miami Heat 94-75 on Thursday to take a surprising 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semi-final series.

Key witness adamant Clemens used drugs, admits lying

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The key witness in Roger Clemens's perjury trial stuck to his testimony that the former baseball ace used performance-enhancing drugs even as the defense hammered him on Thursday for saying he had lied to investigators.

Ice hockey: Canada, U.S. and Sweden eliminated by late goals

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Jesse Joensuu scored a late winner as Finland dumped the United States out of the world ice hockey championships at the quarter-final stage.

Phillies hold on to give Halladay the win

(Reuters) - Two-time Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay finally got some run support from his Philadelphia team mates and won for the first time in more than a month on Thursday as the Phillies eked an 8-7 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

Kings beat Coyotes, edge closer to Cup finals

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The giant-killing Los Angeles Kings extended their magical playoff run, moving to just one win from their first Stanley Cup finals appearance since 1993 with a 2-1 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes on Thursday.

Eagles' McCoy awarded five-year contract extension

(Reuters) - The Philadelphia Eagles rewarded LeSean McCoy with a five-year contract extension after the running back enjoyed a breakout 2011 season, the National Football League (NFL) team said on Thursday.

Pepsi drops sponsorship of horse show after video of animal abuse

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) - Soft drink maker Pepsi said on Thursday that it was dropping sponsorship of a prestigious national horse show, one day after ABC News broadcast footage of a horse in training for a show being beaten by a trainer.

Saints' Vilma files defamation lawsuit against Goodell

(Reuters) - Suspended New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma has filed a defamation lawsuit against National Football League (NFL) Commissioner Roger Goodell over statements regarding a "bounty" scheme reportedly used by the Saints.

Sex, age may affect athletes' concussion recovery

(Reuters) - Female and high school athletes may need more time to recover from a concussion than their male or college counterparts, according to a U.S. study that comes amid rising concern about concussions in young athletes.

American Dave Zabriskie takes Tour of California lead

BAKERSFIELD, California (Reuters) - American David Zabriskie grabbed the Tour of California lead on Thursday with a dominant victory in the stage five individual time trial.