Associated Press
AVONDALE, Ariz. ó Martin Truex Jr. bounced back from a midweek NASCAR penalty with a pole-winning run at Phoenix International Raceway.
Truex turned a lap of 135.120 mph Friday to qualify first in his No. 1 Chevrolet. It was a huge lift for his team, which failed post-race inspection last week at Texas to draw a 50-point penalty. Crew chief Kevin Manion also was fined $50,000.
Kurt Busch qualified second for Sunday’s race with a lap of 134.589 in his No. 2 Dodge. It’s the first time in NASCAR that the Nos. 1 and 2 will start next to each other on the front row for a Sprint Cup race.
Defending three-time series champion Jimmie Johnson qualified third, and was followed by Kasey Kahne and Denny Hamlin.
BASEBALL
ATLANTA ó Tim Hudson has agreed to a new three-year contract with the Atlanta Braves.
Hudson could have returned to the Braves under a $12 million mutual option, but the two sides focused on talks for a longer deal after the right-hander showed he had overcome major elbow surgery.
– SEATTLE ó Shortstop Jack Wilson and the Seattle Mariners agreed to a $10 million, two-year contract.GOLF
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. ó Justin Leonard has shot an 8-under 64 in the second round of the Children’s Miracle Network Classic to surge to the top of the leaderboard in the final PGA Tour event of the season.
NFL
CHARLOTTE ó Carolina running back DeAngelo Williams is questionable for the Panthers’ game against Atlanta with a sore left knee.
Williams sat out practice Friday for the second time in three days. He ranks fifth in the NFL with 768 yards rushing, including 307 in the past two games.
NHL
RALEIGH ó Questionable before the game because of swine flu, Kyle Okposo felt just fine afterward.
The New York winger snapped a shot past Carolina netminder Manny Legace with 14.4 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Islanders a 4-3 victory over the Hurricanes on Friday night.
Tuomo Ruutu, Ray Whitney and Tim Gleason scored for the Hurricanes, who are winless in 14 games, a streak that ties the franchise record.
Capitals 3, Wild 1
WASHINGTON ó Brian Pothier scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Washington Capitals won their fourth in a row without Alex Ovechkin, beating Minnesota 3-1.
Thrashers 7, Kings 0
ATLANTA ó Ilya Kovalchuk and Maxim Afinogenov each had two goals and two assists for Atlanta, and Ondrej Pavelec made 38 saves for his first career shutout.
Sabres 2, Flames 1, SO
BUFFALO, N.Y. ó Jason Pominville scored the winner in the fourth round of the shootout, and Ryan Miller made 25 saves for Buffalo.
Blue Jackets 3, Ducks 2, SO
COLUMBUS, Ohio ó Rick Nash scored the shootout winner and also had a goal in regulation for Columbus, and Mathieu Garon stopped both Anaheim shooters in the tiebreaker.
Blackhawks 3, Maple Leafs 2
CHICAGO ó Patrick Kane scored an early unassisted goal, and Cristobal Huet made 29 saves in Chicago’s third straight win and sixth in a row at home.
NBA
MINNEAPOLIS ó Dirk Nowitzki scored 15 of his 20 points in a tense third quarter and had 11 rebounds to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 89-77 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.
Magic 88, Nets 72
ORLANDO, Fla. ó Dwight Howard had 26 points and 12 rebounds aand Orlando put away winless New Jersey.
Jazz 112, 76ers 90
PHILADELPHIA ó Carlos Boozer had 24 points and 12 rebounds, Wesley Matthews added a career-high 16 points for short-handed Utah.
Warriors 121, Knicks 107
NEW YORK ó Stephen Jackson scored 23 points, three other players had 22, and Golden State sent New York to the worst 10-game start in franchise history.
Trail Blazers 86, Hornets 78
NEW ORLEANS ó LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points and 13 rebounds, helping Portland to an 86-78 victory over a New Orleans team that lost Chris Paul to a sprained ankle.
Hawks 97, Celtics 86
BOSTON ó Joe Johnson scored 24 points, Jamal Crawford had 18 and the Atlanta Hawks pulled away in the fourth quarter.
Josh Smith scored 14 for Atlanta.