Pyle Slips Past Story

Title defense No. 1 is in the books for Cain Velasquez.

After failing to hold onto the UFC belt in 2011, Velasquez made good in his second attempt, retaining the title in dominating fashion over Antonio Silva with a technical stoppage due to strikes at 1:21 of Round 1 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

"The important thing was to stay moving," Velasquez said. "Look for takedowns. Look for punches. But never stay in front of him."

That's exactly what he did. Silva (18-5) did well to defend Velasquez's first takedown attempts, but whatever game plan the 33-year-old 6-foot,4, 263-pound Brazilian brought into the Octagon with him vanished when he was crushed by a right hand to the jaw.

Velasquez, 30, followed a money right hand with a stream of strikes while Silva was on all fours. Referee Mario Yamasaki gave a close look and soon after pulled the plug on the fight. Silva protested, but only for a moment.

Blackhawks Stay Alive

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CHICAGO -- All that tinkering with the power play, all the practice time and the tweaked combinations finally paid off for the Chicago Blackhawks when they needed it most.

Jonathan Toews and Andrew Shaw scored with the man advantage in the second period, and the Blackhawks avoided elimination with a 4-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night in Game 5 of the second-round playoff series.

Shaw added his third career playoff goal in the third as the Blackhawks stopped the Red Wings' three-game winning streak by creating chaos in front of Jimmy Howard, who had shut down Chicago's attack while moving Detroit to the brink of the Western Conference finals.

Rangers Eliminated By Bruins

Rangers Eliminated By Bruins

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Rangers Eliminated By BruinsRangers Eliminated By BruinsRangers Stay Alive, Force Game 5Rangers Stay Alive, Force Game 5Breaking Down The Rangers' Game 4 WinBreaking Down The Rangers' Game 4 WinCold Hard BlastsCold Hard Blasts

BOSTON -- Claude Julien decided not to give his goalie a pep talk after a pratfall in the crease handed the Rangers a goal that had the potential to turn the series around.

Instead, the Bruins coach waited until after Tuukka Rask responded with 28 saves to help Boston beat New York 3-1 in Game 5 on Saturday and advance to the Eastern Conference finals.

"That's what I told Tuukka at the end of the game, 'You can start laughing now,' " Julien said after the Bruins followed their seven-game series against Toronto by avoiding a nail-biter against the Rangers.

Spurs Take Commanding 3-0 Lead With OT Win

Spurs Take Commanding 3-0 Lead With OT Win

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Tim Duncan scored the first five points of overtime, and the San Antonio Spurs rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 104-93 Saturday night and move a win away from the NBA Finals.

The Spurs grabbed a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals and now have won five straight this postseason. With the memory of blowing a 2-0 lead a year ago in the West finals to Oklahoma City, when they lost the next four, the Spurs shook off their sloppy play early and pushed the young Grizzlies to the edge of elimination in the first West final played in Memphis.

San Antonio, which didn't lead this game until the opening minute of the fourth quarter, can wrap up the series Monday in Memphis and get back to the finals for the first time since their last title in 2007.

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Matt Kuchar made a 12-foot birdie putt at the 16th hole, the same place where his long Saturday at Colonial began, and led four players by a stroke after three rounds.

Kuchar had a 1-under 69 that included some near misses and two nice par-savers to close his round to get to 11-under 199. Graham DeLaet, Boo Weekley, Chris Stroud and Matt Every were tied for second.

When the second round was suspended Friday night because of an approaching storm, Kuchar had just hit his tee shot at the par-3 16th. He resumed there at 7:13 a.m. Saturday with a two-putt from about 40 feet. That was part of three quick pars to keep his one-stroke lead after two rounds, and he then played in the final group that finished just after 5 p.m.

CONCORD, N.C. -- Kyle Busch has shown repeatedly he can win at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the Nationwide and Truck series. The question remains whether he can capture that elusive first Sprint Cup victory.

Busch dominated Saturday, racing to his sixth Nationwide Series victory of the season and record seventh career win at the 1.5-mile track. He also was the Truck Series winner at the track last week, his fifth victory in that circuit at Charlotte.

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AP Photo/Chuck BurtonKyle Busch raced to his sixth Nationwide Series victory of the season and record seventh career at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

On Sunday, he looks to make it a clean sweep of all three series events with a win in the Coca-Cola 600. Busch has finished in the top eight in 10 of the last 11 Sprint Cup races at CMS but never has won -- a clear source of frustration.

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Jeff Overton expressed his frustration on Twitter about his disqualification midway through the third round of the Colonial for illegally using a putting aid after starting play.

With threesomes going off the Nos. 1 and 10 tees after the weather-suspended second round was completed earlier Saturday, there was a backup when Overton's group had completed the ninth hole. He went to a nearby putting green while waiting to tee off at No. 10.

Soon after coming off the course, Overton tweeted "3 group back up at the turn. Rules official tells me we can practice chipping and putting. Disqualified for using my practice putting aid!"

Will Bruton Smith Move Charlotte Race To Las Vegas?

Ryan McGee and Ricky Craven on the chance Bruton Smith moves the fall Charlotte race to Las Vegas.

Will Bruton Smith Move Charlotte Race To Las Vegas?

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CONCORD, N.C. -- NASCAR chairman Brian France is not in favor of moving a Sprint Cup race from Charlotte Motor Speedway to Las Vegas.

Earlier this week, Speedway Motorsports Inc. chairman Bruton Smith said there was a 70 percent chance he would seek to move the October Chase race from CMS to his 1.5-mile track in Sin City.

That would leave the hub of NASCAR with only one point race, the Coca-Cola 600 in May, and the All-Star race held the week before.