Ex-Seattle Prep standout Martell Webster leads Minnesota Timberwolves to exhibition victory over Los Angeles Lakers | NBA

NBA

Jolly-good show by Martell: Martell Webster, a former Seattle Prep standout, scored a game-high 24 points to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 111-92 victory over the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers on Monday in London.

Webster, previously a Portland Trail Blazer, made 8 of 13 shots from the field in the exhibition opener for both teams.

Many in the crowd of 18,689 at O2 Arena came to see Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, who is recovering from offseason knee surgery. Bryant was scoreless on 0-for-3 shooting in slightly more than six minutes on the court. Fans chanted "Kobe, Kobe" to no avail in the second half.

"Minnesota looked great," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "We looked like we just got off vacation."

Crawford wants to stay with Atlanta: Guard Jamal Crawford, a graduate of Rainier Beach High School in Seattle, said he wants a long-term deal to remain with the Atlanta Hawks.

Crawford, voted the league's Sixth Man Award last season, will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2010-11 season.

"What do I want? I want to be here," the 30-year-old Crawford said at the start of the Hawks' training camp. "I love being here. I love being here. I had a ball every time."

Crawford said he realizes his wish to re-sign with Atlanta doesn't mean it will be granted. "If I move forward and I'm not here or whatever happens, I understand," he said. "I know it's a business."

College athletics

U.S. Supreme Court won't decide who owns "SC" initials: The U.S. Supreme Court won't decide who really owns the initials "SC" when it comes to college sports, Southern California or the University of South Carolina.

The court refused to hear an appeal from South Carolina, which wanted to trademark a baseball-cap logo with the initials "SC."

The Trojans already have a trademark on a version of "SC" and say the Gamecocks' symbol looks too much like theirs. Courts have rejected South Carolina's trademark.

"We are pleased the Supreme Court did the right thing and ended this after 13 years," said Michael Adler, a Los Angeles lawyer for USC. "We'd rather beat them on the football field than fight them in litigation, but if they won this, they could have used this (logo) on any merchandise."

College basketball

Wisconsin-Milwaukee reported NCAA violation involving Pearl in 2004: Wisconsin-Milwaukee reported an NCAA violation in 2004 after Bruce Pearl invited a recruit to a party at his Milwaukee home while he was coach there.

Coaches are not allowed off-campus contact with high-school juniors, and the university punished itself for the secondary violation by reducing the amount of future contact with the recruit. ESPN identified the recruit as Mike Schachtner, who would go on to play at Wisconsin-Green Bay.

Pearl coached at Wisconsin-Milwaukee from 2001 to 2005 before being hired to coach at Tennessee, which is being investigated for his recruiting practices. NCAA investigators questioned Pearl during the summer about a photo of him and recruit Aaron Craft allegedly taken at Pearl's home in 2008, when the prospect was a high-school junior. Pearl acknowledged in September he provided misleading information to the investigators, and Tennessee punished him by prohibiting him from participating in off-campus recruiting until Sept. 24, 2011, and docking his salary by $1.5 million over five years.

Horse racing

Carry On John wins Inaugural at Portland Meadows: Carry On John beat runner-up Wasserman by three-quarters of a length in the $21,650 Inaugural Handicap on opening day of the 64th season at Portland Meadows.

Carry On John and Wasserman, the 2008 Longacres Mile winner, each raced last month at Emerald Downs in Auburn.

Carry On John is owned by Emerald Downs president Ron Crockett and trained by H.R. "Pat" Mullens. Ricky Frazier rode the 6-year-old gelding, who ran 6 furlongs in 1 minute, 11.18 seconds and paid $4 to win.

NHL

Flames sign Morrison: Forward Brendan Morrison, 35, signed a one-year contract with Calgary.

Morrison, who spent last season with the Washington Capitals, scored at least 20 goals in a season four times for the Vancouver Canucks.

Cycling

Samples reportedly might indicate Contador was doping: The New York Times is reporting Alberto Contador had eight times the allowable amount of a chemical that indicates doping in his system during this year's Tour de France, which he won for the third time.

A urine sample taken on July 20 reportedly showed a plasticizer — found in intravenous bags such as the ones used for endurance-boosting blood transfusions. Contador tested positive for clenbuterol one day later.

Olympics

Coroner's report on luger is released: Nodar Kumaritashvili's "relative lack of experience" on challenging tracks played a significant role in the 21-year-old's death during a luge training run hours before the start of the Vancouver Olympics, according to a coroner's report.

The British Columbia Coroners Service report, issued 235 days after Kumaritashvili crashed, declared the Georgian's death accidental and revealed he was killed immediately when his body flew at 90 mph over the track wall and into a metal post at the Whistler Sliding Centre.

Seattle Times news services