Former world number one Martin Kaymer kept a diplomatic silence Friday on whether Tiger Woods could regain the top ranking -- but backed the "best player ever" to return to regular wins.

The German, who shot five-under-par 67 to stay in touch with the leaders in the Maybank Malaysian Open's round two, said it was just a matter of time before Woods was clocking up the victories again.

Reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel admitted Thursday he was having problems with his Red Bull, but insisted that his rivals should read nothing into his mediocre start to the season.

The German is going for his third world title on the bounce, a rare feat that would propel him towards the top bracket of all-time racers, all at the tender age of just 24.

C.J. Watson scored 16 points, including the game-tying 3-pointer at the end of regulation, and the Chicago Bulls pulled away in overtime to beat the Miami Heat 96-86 on Thursday night.

Carlos Boozer led the Bulls with 19 points and Kyle Korver added 17 points for the Bulls, who outscored Miami 12-2 in overtime to boost their lead in the Eastern Conference to four games.

The Los Angeles Lakers did not need superstar Kobe Bryant to beat the San Antonio Spurs 98-84 in the first of three games between the Western Conference rivals in 10 days.

Metta World Peace -- the player formerly known as Ron Artest -- scored 25 points and Andrew Bynum added 16 points and an astonishing 30 rebounds as Bryant, the league's leading scorer, missed his third straight game with a sore left shin.

The New York Knicks held off the Milwaukee Bucks 111-107, boosting their NBA post-season hopes with a victory over their closest pursuers in the playoff race.

Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 32 points. Tyson Chandler added 19 and J.R. Smith delivered the go-ahead three-pointer with 1:04 to play.

Struggling Wigan breathed life into the Premier League title race with a stunning 1-0 upset of Manchester United on Wednesday as Manchester City romped to a 4-0 win over West Bromwich Albion.

Just days after United looked to have assured themselves of a 20th league crown by opening up an eight-point lead over City, Shaun Maloney's 50th-minute winner for Wigan suggested the title race may yet have more twists in store.

Alessandro Del Piero rolled back the years with a peach of a goal to hand Juventus a 2-1 win over Lazio on Wednesday and keep the Turin giants top of Serie A.

The pressure was on following AC Milan's labored 1-0 win at Chievo the night before but Juve responded with a crucial, late victory to go one point clear at the summit.

A Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick fired Real Madrid to a 4-1 derby win at Atletico Madrid on Wednesday to restore their four-point cushion over Barcelona at the top of the Primera Liga.

Ronaldo opened after 25 minutes with Falcao getting the equalizer for Atletico after 55 minutes before the Portuguese star wrapped up his hat-trick to make it 40 league goals for the season, one more than Lionel Messi.

Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp has insisted his team have won nothing yet, even though their 1-0 win over Bayern Munich has left them six points clear at the top of the German league.

Dortmund are on course to win a second consecutive Bundesliga title after Poland striker Robert Lewandowski's second-half strike on Wednesday left second-placed Bayern six points behind with four games left.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will play an exhibition match at Real Madrid's football stadium, hoping for a crowd of 80,000 to watch tennis' top two players.

Madrid says on its website that the top-ranked Djokovic and local favorite Nadal will meet on July 14 at the Santiago Bernabeu, with proceeds going to the club's and Nadal's charity foundations.