No-no for Liriano

FRANCISCO LIRIANO hurled the Major League Baseball’s first no-hitter this season as the Minnesota Twins edged the Chicago White Sox, 1-0, on Tuesday.

It was also Liriano’s first career complete game in 95 major league starts.

The 27-year-old left-hander completed the no-hitter after Adam Dunn lined out to shortstop Matt Tolbert. He did it in 123 pitches, walking six batters and striking out two.

Turqueza, Frayna rule junior chess c’ship

SAN SEBASTIAN COLLEGE bet Mari “MJ” Turqueza and Far Eastern University standout Janelle Mae Frayna topped their respective divisions on Tuesday, May 3, in the 2011 National Juniors Chess Championships at the NCCC Mall in Davao City.

The Quezon City-based Turqueza, also the top player of V. Luna Chess Club, defeated top seed Sheider Nebato of General Santos City in the eighth round then drew with Richelliu Salcedo of Cagayan de Oro City in the ninth and final round to capture the boys’ title. He finished with 8.0 points on seven wins and two draws.

In the distaff side, Frayna defeated local bet Jessa Marie Balbona in the eighth then drew with Judith Pineda of Olongapo City in the ninth and final round to finish with 7.5 points and grab the girls’ title.

Turqueza and Frayna obtained outright National Master (NM) and Woman National Master (WNM) titles, respectively. Liberty Icao

James lifts Heat to 2-0 lead

LEBRON JAMES caught fire in the second half to lift the Miami Heat past the Boston Celtics, 102-91, and give them a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series on Tuesday.

The two-time league MVP scored 24 of his 35 points in the last two quarters and anchored a late 14-0 spurt that practically settled the issue.

After Paul Pierce’s free throws knotted the game at 80-all, the Celtics missed their next six shots and the Heat pulled away and made it 94-80 following a split from the line by Chris Bosh.

James had a three-point play and a long jumper during the rally.

Game 3 is in Boston on Saturday.

Mavs stun Lakers

DIRK NOWITZKI outdueled Kobe Bryant in a battle of former MVPs down the stretch as the Dallas Mavericks stole the game and the home court advantage away from the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.

The Mavericks leaned on their superstar in the closing seconds to cap their rally from a 16-point deficit and pull off a 96-94 victory at the Staples Center.

Bryant had his way against the Mavericks most of the way, but failed to deliver when it counted most.

Jason Terry stole the ball from Bryant with the Lakers holding to a 94-93 lead. Nowitzki cashed in by picking up a foul on Pau Gasol and hitting the go-ahead free throws, 19.5 seconds left.

Bryant again lost the ball on the next play and Jason Kidd added another free throw for the final score. Bryant missed a potential winning trey as time expired.

Hawks prevail

THE ATLANTA HAWKS continued to soar in this year’s playoffs.

After stunning Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic in the first round, the Hawks took Game 1 of their series against probable MVP Derrick Rose and the top-seeded Chicago Bulls, 103-95, on Monday.

Joe Johnson led a 15-2 run bridging the third and fourth quarters to turn a four-point deficit into an 80-71 lead, 10:27 to go.

He had 11 points during that spurt en route to a 34-point night while making 12 of 18 shots, including all five from beyond the arc.

Rose led the Bulls with 24 points and 10 assists, but shot only 11-for-27.

Heat take opener vs Celtics

DWYANE WADE buried the ghosts of his regular-season failures against the Boston CelticsMiami Heat to a 99-90 victory in Game 1 on Sunday. with a 38-point explosion that propelled the

Wade averaged a measly 12.8 points on 28 percent shooting in four regular-season meetings with the Celtics. He already had nine field goals and 23 points by halftime.

James Jones shared the spotlight by setting a Miami postseason record of 25 points off the bench, spiked by five three-pointers. He also went 10-for-10 from the free throw line.

LeBron James also produced decent numbers to cover the sub-par performance of Chris Bosh, who was held to seven points. James finished with 22 points, six rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals.

While the game wasn’t too close, it certainly was filled with tension.

Paul Piere, who had 19 points, was ejected with still seven minutes left after picking up two technical fouls in skirmishes with Wade and Jones within a span of 59 seconds.

Ray Allen carried the fight the rest of the way for the Celtics and wound up with 25 points. But the rest of their starters were held to single digit.

Grizzlies rout Thunder

THE MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES wasted no time to prove that their victory over the San Antonio Spurs was no fluke.

Two days after eliminating the Western Conference top seed, the Grizzlies dominated the shaded lane and the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of their best-of-seven series, 114-101, on Sunday.

Zach Randolph delivered a playoff career-high 34 points and 10 rebounds while Marc Gasol scattered 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to underline their supremacy inside.

The road win gave the Grizzlies the homecourt edge in the series. They just need to protect their home floor in Games 3, 4 and 6 to become the first eighth seeded team to advance to the Conference final since the NBA made all rounds of the playoffs a best-of-seven affair.

Randolph went to work early, scoring the first seven points for the Grizzlies to give them the lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

With Randolph and Gasol leading the way, it was no accident that the Grizzlies topped the league in inside production with an average of 51.5 points during the regular season.

They had 52 points inside against the Thunder.