Your Top Plays for Today

Your Top Plays for Today: AP’s Sports Guide

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—MCILROY PUTS ASIDE BAD MEMORIES TO TAKE LEAD IN HONDA CLASSIC

Rory McIlroy takes the lead at the Honda Classic, the tournament where last year he walked off the course during a performance slump.

https://bigstory.ap.org/article/mcilroy-takes-lead-honda-classic

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—MASKED MAN LEBRON LEADS HEAT PAST KNICKS

A masked LeBron James overcomes a broken nose to lead Miami to a comfortable win over struggling New York.

https://m.apnews.com/ap/db_268754/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=2Mu4vWww

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—SPURS REACH EUROPA LAST 16 TO END ENGLISH STRUGGLES

Tottenham turns around a first-leg deficit to beat Ukraine’s Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk and reach the last 16 of the Europa League, ending a bad run by English teams in continental competition.

https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Spurs-are-1st-EPL-team-to-win-Europe-match-in-2014-5274185.php

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—DJOKOVIC GETS WALKTHROUGH PASSAGE TO DUBAI SEMIS

Novak Djokovic gets a walkthrough passage to the Dubai Championships semifinals when Mikhail Youzhny withdraws, setting up a clash with Roger Federer.

https://bigstory.ap.org/article/djokovic-reaches-dubai-semifinals-walkover

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—ANELKA BANNED OVER QUENELLE GESTURE

Nicolas Anelka is banned for five games by England’s Football Association despite its ruling that his ’quenelle’ gesture was not intentionally anti-semitic.

https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/FA-ban-Anelka-for-5-games-over-quenelle-gesture-5273496.php

—REAL MADRID ROUTS SCHALKE, CHELSEA HELD AT GALATASARAY

Real Madrid emphatically end string of poor results in Germany by routing Schalke 6-1 in the first leg of their Champions League round-of-16 clash, while Chelsea draws 1-1 at Galatasaray.

https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Real-routs-Schalke-6-1-Chelsea-Galatasaray-1-1-5270607.php

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—JUDGE REJECTS ARMSTRONG BID IN FIGHT OVER PRE-DOPING BONUSES

A judge has rejected Lance Armstrong’s bid to stop an arbitration panel from reviewing $12 million in bonuses the cyclist was paid before admitting he used performance-enhancing drugs

https://bigstory.ap.org/article/judge-rules-against-armstrong-bonuses-fight

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—CLIPPERS SHINE AGAIN WITH WIN OVER ROCKETS

The Los Angeles Clippers continue their run of impressive results against fellow NBA title contenders by beating Houston 101-93.

https://www.miamiherald.com/2014/02/27/3962365/griffin-collison-help-clippers.html

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—TANAKA READY FOR SPOTLIGHT IN YANKEES TRAINING GAME

Big-money signing Masahiro Tanaka expects close scrutiny in his first outing for the New York Yankees in Saturday’s spring training game.

https://bigstory.ap.org/article/tanaka-expects-scrutiny-1st-exhibition-outing?utm_campaign=AP_Sports&utm_source=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Twitter

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—JACQUES VILLENEUVE TO RETURN FOR INDY 500

At age 42, ex-Formula One world champion Jacques Villeneuve will return to Indy Car racing for the Indianapolis 500.

https://racing.ap.org/article/villeneuve-returning-indycars-mays-500

—MANCHESTER UNITED LOSES AT OLYMPIAKOS WHILE DORTMUND WIN AT ZENIT IN UCL

Manchester United’s struggles continue with a 2-0 loss at Olympiakos in first leg of Champions League round-of-16, while last year’s runner-up Borussia Dortmund win 4-2 at Zenit St. Petersburg.

https://bigstory.ap.org/article/dortmund-wins-4-2-zenit-champions-league

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—ASADA CONTEMPLATES CONTINUING HER FIGURE SKATING CAREER

Mao Asada says her figure skating career may not be over after all, and she is contemplating going on.

https://wintergames.ap.org/article/asada-contemplating-extending-career-after-sochi

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—FORMER WBA CHAMP CERMENO KILLED AFTER KIDNAPPING

Former WBA super bantamweight champ Antonio Cermeno is kidnapped then killed in Venezuela.

https://bigstory.ap.org/article/former-boxing-world-champion-killed-venezuela?utm_campaign=AP_Sports&utm_source=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Twitter

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—OVECHKIN APOLOGIZES FOR RUSSIA’S HOCKEY PERFORMANCE IN SOCHI

Alex Ovechkin has apologized to Russians for the national hockey team’s performance at Sochi 2014.

https://wintergames.ap.org/article/ovechkin-apologizes-russia-hockey-performance

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—EX-SWIM STAR HACKETT GOES INTO REHAB

Former Olympic gold-medal-winning swimmer Grant Hackett of Australia goes into rehabilitation treatment for addiction to sleeping drug.

https://wintergames.ap.org/article/former-olympic-champ-hackett-enter-rehab-us