Phoenix Suns' Alex Len still struggling with surgically repaired ankle

These first couple weeks of Suns center Alex Len's NBA career likely will someday seem like a drop in a pool, but he can't help but be anxious to make a splash. Len's introduction to pro basketball has been halted by the repercussions of his May ankle surgery to repair a partial stress fracture.



from azcentral.com Top Sports http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/20131110len-still-struggling-surgically-repaired-ankle.html

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Markieff Morris has another big game in Phoenix Suns win over New Orleans Pelicans

PHOENIX -- Eric Bledsoe scored 24 points and Markieff Morris came off the bench to score 23 as the Suns beat the New Orleans Pelicans 101-94 on Sunday night. Morris shot 9 of 12, and has gone 30 for 38 from the field over his past three games while averaging 24.7 points in that span.



from azcentral.com Top Sports http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/20131110markieff-morris-has-another-big-game-in-phoenix-suns-win-over-new-orleans-pelicans.html

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Rick Hendrick: Mark Martin might return

Mark Martin says he doesn't plan to race in the Sprint Cup Series next year. But one of his bigger fans and former car owners isn't so sure. "He's still super-competitive, and I wouldn't bet that he doesn't show up again," Rick Hendrick said before Sunday's AdvoCare 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. Martin won five races for Hendrick from 2009-11.



from azcentral.com Top Sports http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/20131110rick-hendrick-mark-martin-might-return.html

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Shannan McCready sparking sizzling Arizona State volleyball team

A case can be made that Shannan McCready is the best individual sports story at Arizona State so far this fall even when football is included. In Olympic sports, the closest challenger is Shelby Houlihan in cross country.



from azcentral.com Top Sports http://www.azcentral.com/sports/asu/articles/20131111shannan-mccready-sparking-sizzling-arizona-state-volleyball-team.html

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Alabama, Florida State solid at 1-2 in BCS

One week after forecasts of BCS chaos, there appears to be a clear pair of teams headed to the national championship game. Alabama and Florida State are Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in the latest BCS standings released Sunday, with the Crimson Tide earning a .9958 average and Florida State a .9619. They are the only teams with an average above .90. The other two unbeaten teams from automatic qualifying conferences, Ohio State and Baylor, are ranked third and fifth, respectively.



from azcentral.com Top Sports http://www.azcentral.com/sports/colleges/free/20131110alabama-florida-state-solid-at-in-bcs.html

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Arizona Cardinals hang on for victory against Houston Texans

Nothing about this football season has been, or will be, easy for the Cardinals. Nor will it be pretty. They confirmed that again on Sunday.



from azcentral.com Top Sports http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cardinals/articles/20131110arizona-cardinals-hang-on-against-houston-texans.html

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NASCAR: Jimmie Johnson widens points lead; Kevin Harvick wins AdvoCare 500 at Phoenix International Raceway

AVONDALE -- Jimmie Johnson has taken control of the championship battle following a disastrous performance by Matt Kenseth at Phoenix International Raceway. Johnson widened his lead in the Sprint Cup standings to 28 points over Kenseth heading into next Sunday's season finale at Homestead by finishing third in a workmanlike performance for the five-time champion.



from azcentral.com Top Sports http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/20131110nascar-advocare-500-jimmie-johnson-widens-points-lead-kevin-harvick-wins.html

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'Thor' Sequel Gets Boost From 'The Avengers'

Thor: The Dark World dominated the box office this weekend, though the god of thunder was unable to make it in to the elite club of superheroes who have opened a movie over $100 million.Playing at 3,841 locations, the second follow-up to The Avengers opened to an estimated $86.1 million. That's up 31 percent on the first Thor's $65.7 million, and is also the best start yet for a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie that doesn't feature Iron Man. It is, of course, less than half of Iron Man 3's $...



from Box Office Mojo - Top Stories http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3751

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ASU football moves up in polls after comeback win over Utah

From Doug Haller's blog Sunday: Coming off Saturday's comeback win over Utah, Arizona State moved up in the polls.



from azcentral.com Top Sports http://www.azcentral.com/sports/asu/articles/20131110asu-football-moves-up-in-polls-after-win-over-utah.html

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ASU football defensive back Robert Nelson playing out his dream with Sun Devils

SALT LAKE CITY -- This is the moment Robert Nelson imagined four years ago, when he stood on the visitors' sideline at Sun Devil Stadium in a Louisiana-Monroe uniform. This is where I belong.



from azcentral.com Top Sports http://www.azcentral.com/sports/asu/articles/20131109asu-football-defensive-back-robert-nelson-playing-out-his-dream-sun-devils.html

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Arizona football can't complete comeback vs. UCLA

TUCSON -- Freshman linebacker Myles Jack played offense, too, rushing for 120 yards on six carries, including a 66-yard touchdown run to help No. 19 UCLA beat Arizona 31-26 Saturday night. On defense, Jack had eight tackles and recovered Ka'Deem Carey's fumble in the UCLA end zone.



from azcentral.com Top Sports http://www.azcentral.com/sports/ua/free/20131109arizona-football-cant-complete-comeback-vs-ucla.html

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ASU football's defense limits Utah to 17 yards in 4th quarter

SALT LAKE CITY -- Arizona State's offense pulled out Saturday's victory in the final minutes, but its defense made it possible. And the Sun Devils did it differently than normal. "We just played smart, disciplined football," senior defensive tackle Will Sutton said after a 20-19 comeback victory over Utah. "Everyone knows us as an attacking defense, bringing pressure. We did that today, but we also played a lot of straight-up, stay-at-home, disciplined defense."



from azcentral.com Top Sports http://www.azcentral.com/sports/asu/articles/20131109asu-footballs-defense-limits-utah-yards-th-quarter.html

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ASU women's basketball opens season hot

The Arizona State women's basketball team turned the page on last season in a big way Saturday. The Sun Devils flew past their 2012-13 season average (58.9 points) with more than 13 minutes remaining in their season opener on the way to an 84-44 blowout of Hawaii at Wells Fargo Arena. It was ASU's highest offensive production since 86 vs. Oregon on Jan.2, 2011, exceeding last season's high of 81 achieved in double-overtime.



from azcentral.com Top Sports http://www.azcentral.com/sports/asu/articles/20131109asu-womens-basketball-opens-season-hot.html

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Phoenix Suns forward Markieff Morris now proving scouts right

If the Suns wanted someone who blew them away with his vertical-leap test in 2011, they would have drafted Iman Shumpert. And they almost did. JaJuan Johnson was that draft's highest hopping big man, but there is more to the job than jumping. His career (36 games) could not match his vertical leap (38 inches).



from azcentral.com Top Sports http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/20131109suns-forward-markieff-morris-now-proving-scouts-right.html

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Phoenix Coyotes tie late, beat the Washington Capitals in a shootout

The strategy for combating the offensive artists of the Washington Capitals, led by dynamo Alex Ovechkin, was so simple it seemed fool-proof. Stay out of the penalty box and prevent the NHL's best power-play unit from taking over.



from azcentral.com Top Sports http://www.azcentral.com/sports/coyotes/articles/20131109phoenix-coyotes-tie-late-beat-the-washington-capitals-in-a-shootout.html

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Cardinals use off week to self-evaluate as 2nd half starts

For an NFL team, the off week during the season is a time for rest and retrospection. The look back is done with a critical eye, and for the Cardinals' offensive coaches and players, it must have been hard to know where to focus first. After eight games, the Cardinals rank 29th overall on offense. They have had more passes intercepted (14) than any team other than the Giants (16) and rank 31st in third-down conversion rate (31.6 percent).



from azcentral.com Top Sports http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cardinals/articles/20131109cardinals-use-off-week-self-evaluate-nd-half-starts.html

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Former Arizona Cardinals linebacker Pat Tillman was not Incognito about bullying

The saga of the Miami Dolphins, and the alleged bullying of Jonathan Martin by teammate Richie Incognito, resurrects a tale worth telling. In 1998, when linebackers Zack Walz and Pat Tillman were rookies with the Cardinals, several veterans decided to tape Walz to a goal post. After watching his teammate melt in triple-digit heat for 10 minutes, Tillman marched past the perpetrators and over to the goal post to free his friend, despite the warnings of other players.



from azcentral.com Top Sports http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cardinals/articles/20131109former-arizona-cardinals-linebacker-pat-tillman-not-incognito-about-bullying.html

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NASCAR's Kevin Harvick still in title fight, even after his family feud at Richard Childress Racing

It's no wonder that Kevin Harvick's victory at the 2012 AdvoCare 500 at Phoenix International Raceway seemed like a footnote. After all, there was Jimmie Johnson's blown tire that would change last year's Chase for the Sprint Cup.



from azcentral.com Top Sports http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/20131109nascars-kevin-harvick-still-title-fight-even-after-his-family-feud-richard-childress-racing.html

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Phoenix Coyotes center Mike Ribeiro had 'fun' time with Washington Capitals

It was unexpected stop in his career, but Coyotes center Mike Ribeiro's brief stint in Washington with the Capitals certainly wasn't a disappointment. With only one year left on his contract, Ribeiro was traded by the Dallas Stars at the 2012 draft to the Capitals. The lockout cut his stay in half, but he played in all 48 games and finished with 49 points while working alongside the likes of Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green and - of course - Alex Ovechkin.



from azcentral.com Top Sports http://www.azcentral.com/sports/coyotes/articles/20131109phoenix-coyotes-center-had-fun-time-with-washington-capitals.html

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Taylor Kelly, ASU football rally late to defeat Utah on the road

SALT LAKE CITY - In a game where it appeared shut down, Arizona State showed resilience Saturday. The Sun Devils found a way. Down by 12 entering the fourth quarter, ASU discovered its offense just in time to post a 20-19 white-knuckled Pac-12 win over Utah, an effort that stunned the 45,187 fans at Rice-Eccles Stadium.



from azcentral.com Top Sports http://www.azcentral.com/sports/asu/articles/20131109taylor-kelly-asu-football-rally-late-to-defeat-utah-on-the-road.html

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