Rockets beat Lakers for 22 straight

HOUSTON: The Houston Rockets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 104-92 on Sunday to claim their 22nd consecutive victory and take sole possession of first place in the Western Conference.

Corvo hat trick helps Hurricanes thrash Senators

RALEIGH, North Carolina: Joe Corvo delighted the home crowd with a hat trick against his former team as the Carolina Hurricanes crushed the Ottawa Senators 5-1 in an Eastern Conference match-up on Sunday.

Sharapova maintains perfect 2008 start

INDIAN WELLS, California: Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova weathered an untidy opening set to maintain her perfect start to the season at the Pacific Life Open on Sunday.

Eriksson prepares for Shinawatra

MANCHESTER, England: Sven Goran Eriksson will meet Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra to discuss his transfer plans this week boosted by a 2-1 win over Tottenham that kept the club's UEFA Cup hopes alive.

IN BRIEF (Page 24)

Sports

Rockets continue tear through NBA

ATLANTA, Georgia: The Houston Rockets matched the second-longest win streak in National Basketball Association history Wednesday, beating the Atlanta Hawks 83-75 for their 20th victory in a row.

CFA likely to bid adieu to French coach Loisel

China's sports governing body has reportedly decided to sack embattled women's soccer coach Elisabeth Loisel, according to the newspaper Soccer. The decision will officially announced once the team returns home on Saturday after a disastrous Algarve Cup in southern Portugal.

PSV ends Ramos' UEFA Cup reign as Spurs bow out

LONDON: PSV Eindhoven relinquished Juande Ramos' hold on the UEFA Cup after the Dutch league leader knocked out his Tottenham Hotspur side in a penalty shootout to reach the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Lampard scores 4 in Chelsea 6-1 victory

LONDON: England midfielder Frank Lampard struck four goals on Wednesday as Chelsea rebounded from its FA Cup reverse at Barnsley at the weekend to defeat Derby 6-1 in the Premier League.

IN BRIEF (Page 24)

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