Dirk Nowitzki helped the Dallas Mavericks put an end to two slumps at once.

Nowitzki scored 25 points and the Mavericks snapped a three-game skid by beating the undermanned Denver Nuggets 105-95 on Wednesday night. It was also Dallas' first victory in five tries against the Nuggets.

A superb performance from Cesc Fabregas guided Barcelona to a 2-0 win over Valencia here on Wednesday in their Spanish Cup second leg clash and a place in the final as they won 3-1 on aggregate.

The former Arsenal captain - who achieved his dream move back to the club where he started as a youngster last summer - scored a goal and set up Xavi for the second to round off a show stealing performance.

Juventus have one foot in the Italian Cup final after Martin Caceres scored a brace to hand them a 2-1 win over AC Milan in the semifinal, first leg at the San Siro on Wednesday.

Italian youth international Stephan El Shaarawy replied for the hosts but it wasn't enough.

Second-division Greuther Fuerth joined Bayern Munich, Borussia Moenchengladbach and Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals of the German Cup after they shocked Bundesliga side Hoffenheim 1-0 on Wednesday.

Bayern are chasing their 16th German Cup title and are into Saturday's draw for the last four after their 2-0 quarter-final win at VfB Stuttgart with France wing Franck Ribery scoring the opening goal.

Madrid striker Jose Callejon says he is confident under-fire coach Jose Mourinho will stay on at the Spanish giants beyond the end of the season.

Spain's sports media reported last month that Mourinho was fed up with bad relations in the dressing room and repeated losses to Barcelona and wants to leave at the end of the season.

Los Angeles Clippers guard Chauncey Billups suffered a torn left Achilles tendon in the team's 107-102 win at Orlando on Monday and will miss the rest of the NBA season, the team said Tuesday.

"Billups underwent an MRI today at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, which confirmed the injury," the Clippers said in a statement posted on their website.

Potential candidates for Olympic downhill gold in 2014 will put their technical and gliding skills to the test when they tackle the men's course for the first time in competition Wednesday.

Sochi will host the Olympic Games in two years’ time and over the next two weeks the world's top alpine skiers compete in four official World Cup races at the nearby Caucasus mountain resort of Rosa Khutor.

Athletic Bilbao advanced to the final of the Copa del Rey with a 6-2 rout of Mirandes on Tuesday, bringing an emphatic end to the third-tier club's historic run.

Goals by Iker Muniain, Markel Susaeta, and defender Jon Aurtenetxe had Bilbao up 3-0 by the 22nd minute as Mirandes was finally outclassed by a topflight club after having eliminated three straight to make the semifinals.

Finland's 2007 Formula One world champion Kimi Raikkonen set the fastest time in his Lotus-Renault during pre-season testing on Tuesday.

The 32-year-old Raikkonen - winner of 18 grands prix - is putting this year's model through its paces as he returns to Formula One after two years away.

Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer admits Bayern Munich are under pressure to perform in Wednesday's German Cup quarterfinal tie at VfB Stuttgart after losing top spot in the Bundesliga at the weekend.

Bayern are chasing a semifinal berth in Stuttgart on Wednesday and Germany goalkeeper Neuer says his side have to get back to winning ways after their 1-1 draw in Hamburg on Saturday allowed Borussia Dortmund to go top of the table.