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Kobe Bryant scored 29 points and Derek Fisher added 16 to lead Los Angeles to a 91-84 victory over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday and give the Lakers a 2-1 lead in the NBA finals....

Lakers regain lead

Kobe Bryant scored 29 points and Derek Fisher added 16 to lead Los Angeles to a 91-84 victory over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday and give the Lakers a 2-1 lead in the NBA finals. Bryant had 25 points after three quarters,but did not score for the first 10 minutes of the fourth. That8217;s when Fisher took over,adding four key baskets after Boston narrowed a 17-point first-half lead to one point. Game 4 is on Thursday in Boston.

Cole,Ballack to leave Chelsea

England midfielder Joe Cole and Germany8217;s Michael Ballack will leave Chelsea when their contracts expire at the end of the month,the Premier League champions said on Wednesday.

Cole,with England at the World Cup,has been at the London club since 2003. Germany captain Ballack,ruled out of the tournament in South Africa due to an ankle injury,arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2006.

Inter close in on Benitez

Inter president Massimo Moratti says an agreement has been reached for Rafa Benitez to become the club8217;s new coach. Moratti said Tuesday that the only thing outstanding was a counter-signature. He said: 8220;We8217;ve reached agreement,we8217;ve finalised the last details which regardless weren8217;t important,and tomorrow we8217;ll announce when Rafa will be presented.8221;

Benitez left Liverpool after six years as manager of the Reds. The Spaniard would succeed Jose Mourinho,who left for Real Madrid after leading Inter to a treble last season.

Xavi extends Barca stay

Xavi Hernandez will sign a deal that will likely see him finish his career with Barcelona. Xavi has agreed to a contract extension that will extend his deal for one season if he features in at least 50 per cent of the club8217;s games. The clause kicks in the next season,which could tie Xavi to the Spanish champion until 2016. Also,Barcelona signed Pedro Rodriguez to a one-year extension through 2015.

Woods to play in Irish Pro-Am

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World number one Tiger Woods will fine tune his game ahead of the British Open at a pro-am event in Ireland next month. Woods spearheads a high-quality line-up at the July 5-6 JP McManus Invitational Pro-Am in County Limerick.

8220;Like my own Foundation,I understand the importance and necessity of raising funds to help deserving individuals. This tournament does just that,8221; Woods said in a news release on Wednesday.

Ferrari sign 11-year-old

Ferrari have signed 11-year-old Montreal native Lance Stroll as the youngest member of their driver academy.8221;He is very young but he has already shown in karting he is exceptionally talented,8221; academy head Luca Baldisserri said in a statement ahead of Sunday8217;s Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.