Tony Parker scored 22 points on his 30th birthday, Tim Duncan had 18 and the San Antonio Spurs beat the fading Los Angeles Clippers 105-88 on Thursday night, pushing their winning streak to 16 and taking a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series.

Once the Lakers' 77-75 Game 2 loss Wednesday to the Oklahoma City Thunder became official, Kobe Bryant looked frustrated Metta World Peace didn't pass him the ball. Most other teammates walked off the court with a solemn expression. Andrew Bynum, for some reason, left with a smile on his face. But there was one particular reaction that struck Blake the most. It went beyond any disappointment for missing the final shot, lamenting the Lakers blowing a seven-point lead or assessing their chances of overcoming a 0-2 deficit. Various fans sent messages to the Twitter account of Kristen Blake, Steve's wife, filled with profanity-laced death threats toward the Lakers' guard and his family.

SAN ANTONIO -- On his 30th birthday, Tony Parker first kept the San Antonio Spurs on pace for what might be another lopsided playoff sweep. Then the All-Star who's always quick to needle Tim Duncan about his age finally acknowledged his own. "I'm old. Used," said Parker, laughing. Chris Paul, meanwhile, isn't acknowledging anything: Not his aching body that everyone but him is talking about, or the Los Angeles Clippers' season careening toward the end this weekend unless things change fast.

ROME (AP) Top-ranked Novak Djokovic overcame a poor first set and a smashed racket to beat Juan Monaco 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 and reach the Italian Open quarterfinals on Thursday.

Braves 7, Marlins 0: Brandon Beachy: the best pitcher you haven’t heard of. He shuts out the Marlins on five hits and ups his record to 5-1 with a 1.33 ERA. Giants 7, Cardinals 5: Bad Cardinal defense and a little more offense than usual gave the Giants some runs on a day when Matt Cain wasn’t at his best. But let’s not totally blame the D. Adam Wainwright continues to be shaky, walking four and allowing six hits in five and two-thirds. Pirates 5, Nationals 3: Two solo shots for Andrew McCutchen and a two-run job for Rod Barajas. James McDonald struck out 11 in five and two-thirds. The Nats struck out 14 times overall, adding a nice breeze to what was already a beautiful evening in our nation’s capital.

Dwight King scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period as the Kings edged the Coyotes 2-1 to take a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals. What we learned in Los Angeles' economical 2-1 win over Phoenix in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals: • Another night, another set of heroes. The Kings were a very beatable team Thursday night. They were outplayed early on as the Coyotes pushed the pace and they never fully established the punishing forecheck or relentless puck pursuit that defined their first two dominant efforts in the series.

LOS ANGELES -- On opening night on a different continent, Jarret Stoll played on a line with Scott Parse and Trent Hunter -- two players who are either no longer in the organization or not active. By December, in the waning days of the Terry Murray era, Stoll was among those Los Angeles Kings forwards accused of under-producing offensively -- and therefore, he was seen as a contributor to their lack of secondary scoring. Those who predicted how the season would unfold for Stoll and the Kings should proceed to the nearest casino.

LOS ANGELES -- The Phoenix Coyotes played much better in Game 3 than they did in Game 2 of this Western Conference Finals series. They've got two days to figure out a way to play even better in Game 4. While the Coyotes were able to stay with the Los Angeles Kings in Game 3, they weren't able to beat them -- and they're in a 3-0 hole after the 2-1 loss at Staples Center. "We're disappointed that we didn't get the results we want," Phoenix coach Dave Tippett said. "Certainly through the playoffs there's been some real positives to how we played. But this last series, we just haven't been able to get enough guys to the level that we need to get to. We talked about that after the first couple games.

DECATUR, Ala. -- Oakland Raiders linebacker Rolando McClain has been sentenced to 180 days in jail for assault and other charges stemming from a fight in his hometown when he allegedly threatened to kill a man and fired a gun next to his head. Decatur Municipal Judge Bill Cook convicted the 22-year-old former Alabama star Thursday of third-degree assault, menacing, reckless endangerment and discharging a firearm in the city limits. He fined McClain $2,000.

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed placekicker Connor Barth to a four-year, $13.2 million contract. The 26-year-old who was second in the NFL in field goal percentage last season was designated the team's franchise player in March. Barth converted 26 of 28 attempts in 2011, including 15 straight to end the year -- the NFL's longest current streak. Since joining the Bucs in 2009, Barth is 63-of-75 on field goal attempts and 71-of-71 on extra points. He is the only kicker in club history who has made three field goals of 50-plus yards in one game, Nov. 15, 2009 at Miami.

The bad news for Raiders linebacker Rolando McClain is that he was convicted on multiple charges and sentenced to 180 days in jail.  The good news is that he gets another bite at the legal apple. Lawyer Harvey Steinberg, who apparently has expanded his client base from current and former Broncos to current and former Raiders, tells Adam Schefter of ESPN that Steinberg has filed a request for a jury trial, and that “the process starts all over again.” Of course, McClain could be convicted all over again, too.  But Steinberg will have a better idea of the evidence he’ll be facing and the arguments the prosecution will use and the possible path to reasonable doubt after having an initial run-through that, in the end, meant nothing to McClain’s overall legal standing.

Brandon Marshall Investigation New York police are likely to wrap up their investigation into an incident in March involving Brandon Marshall.Tags: SportsCenter, Police Investigation Brandon Marshall Investigation New York City police have decided not to bring charges against Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall for an altercation outside a nightclub in March, according to Marshall's attorney, Harvey Steinberg. "Brandon was the victim here and never did anything wrong," Steinberg said. "This confirms that."

WESTMONT, Ill. -- Running back Matt Forte declined Thursday to speak about his contract negotiations with the Chicago Bears, but he said he appreciated the public support of his teammates and liked the team's offseason moves to bolster the offense. Forte was designated the Bears' franchise player in March, and the two sides have continued to try to work out a long-term deal. They have until July 16 to agree on a contract or Forte must play under the franchise tag, which would pay him $7.74 million in 2012. Forte rushed for 997 yards and three touchdowns on 203 carries and had 52 receptions in 2011. He missed the team's final four games after spraining the medial collateral ligament in his right knee.