A day after Kobe Bryant's impassioned tirade about the importance of keeping the Los Angeles Lakers together, they gave a performance that amplified his every point.

Bryant scored 28 points, Andrew Bynum had 14 points and 19 rebounds, and the Lakers roared to a 30-point lead early in the second quarter before holding on for a 103-92 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night.

American ski superstar Lindsey Vonn won her second World Cup globe in two days in Sochi on Sunday after she was crowned super-combined champion when the event was cancelled because of fog.

The 27-year-old Vonn, who on Saturday won her fifth successive downhill globe, was winning her third successive title in the discipline which disappears from the women's calendar next season.

AC Milan stormed back to the top of Serie A with a 3-0 win at lowly Cesena on Sunday as they made light of the absence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

In two games since the big Swede has been suspended for slapping Napoli's Salvatore Aronica, Milan have won.

The New York Knicks rebounded from their first loss of Jeremy Lin's magical run to defeat the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks 104-97 on Sunday.

Just two days after committing a season-high nine turnovers in a loss to New Orleans, the 23-year-old Lin bounced back in superb fashion against the mighty Mavericks.

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish is keen to see Steven Gerrard, Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll play together on a regular basis after they all featured in the FA Cup thrashing of Brighton.

Despite Suarez and Carroll arriving at Anfield in January last year, the trio started together for the first time in the 6-1 fifth round home win Sunday.

Lionel Messi hit four goals to inspire Barcelona to a 5-1 victory over Valencia, but the champions still remain 10 points behind leaders Real Madrid.

Messi, playing his 200th game for the club, took his league goals tally to 27 for the season and 42 in all competitions although third-placed Valencia had stunned the Spanish and European champions by taking a shock early lead.

The same racial stereotypes that dogged Yao Ming early in his National Basketball Association career are now being cast upon Harvard educated, New York Knicks star Jeremy Lin.

American sports network ESPN was forced to apologize Saturday for an anti-Asian slur directed at Chinese-American Lin that appeared in a story about the point guard following the Knicks 89-85 loss on Friday night.

Andre Villas-Boas insists he still has the full backing of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich despite his side's recent slump.

The pressure on Villas-Boas's position increased when his side were unable to overcome Championship club Birmingham City in the FA Cup fifth round tie at Stamford Bridge.

Shanghai Shenhua are hoping new signing Nicolas Anelka can revolutionize Chinese football, but he will first have to find his feet in a country where foreign players have struggled to settle.

The former Chelsea striker -- the Chinese league's most high-profile signing to date -- follows in the footsteps of a slew of foreign imports to China including Paul Gascoigne, Hamilton Ricard, Carsten Jacker and Paul Rideout.

Bayern Munich's director of sport Christian Nerlinger admitted he was "mystified" by his team's first-half performance in the goalless draw at bottom side Freiburg which saw them slip to third in the German league.

Even Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes said Bayern's performance in the opening 45 minutes was "sluggish" as the Bavarian giants came off second best to a spirited Freiburg team who are threatened with relegation.