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Kobe Bryant never gets tired of being the Lakers' closer. And though he savored the chance to stop Los Angeles' longest losing streak in nearly three years with yet another flawless game-winning shot, Bryant is hoping he won't have to bail out the Lakers quite so frequently in the final weeks before they defend their title.

Simon Gagne fired a pass toward Mike Richards, but New York Islanders defensemen Mark Streit's stick got in the way. The lucky deflection sent the puck past goalie Dwyane Roloson with 6:06 left to play, and completed a Philadelphia Flyers rally for a 3-2 win Tuesday night. Philadelphia beat the Islanders for the 15th straight time, the NHL's longest current run by one team over another.

The Minnesota Twins suddenly have a glaring concern about closing games for the first time since Joe Nathan took over in 2004. Tests on Nathan's right throwing elbow have revealed a significant tear in the ulnar collateral ligament, an injury that could require season-ending Tommy John surgery. Nathan's 246 saves over six seasons are the most in the majors during that span.

The Kansas City Chiefs' running game just got a big boost. The Chiefs signed free agent running back Thomas Jones, who led the New York Jets to the AFC championship game last season and was the NFL's third-leading rusher. The team announced the deal Tuesday, but declined to disclose the terms.

Notre Dame wants to remain independent in football, but that might not matter if the Big Ten and Pac-10 decide to expand and create sweeping changes to major college sports. "Our preference is clear," Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said Tuesday. "I believe we're at a point right now where changes could be relatively small or they could be seismic." Swarbrick...