Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova visited team players at their training ground on Wednesday, less than two weeks after he had cancer surgery, the club said.

The visit raised hopes that Vilanova, 44, may soon return to work with the team, which is flying nine points clear at the top of the Spanish league.

Danilo Gallinari top scored 17 points as the Denver Nuggets stopped the Los Angeles Clippers' franchise- record winning streak at 17 games with a 92-78 victory Tuesday night.

The Clippers' streak was the longest in the NBA since the Boston Celtics won 19 in a row from Nov. 15-Dec. 23, 2008.

Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas admitted Tuesday the players are unhappy after dropping 16 points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona but denied any tensions in the changing room and vowed to fight to regain his spot after being unexpectedly left on the bench last month.

Casillas tried to calm a storm of speculation over splits in the club after coach Jose Mourinho dropped him from the starting line-up on December 23 against Malaga at La Roselada, a game Real Madrid lost 3-2. Mourinho insists the decision was taken on technical grounds alone.

Sergio Aguero's loss could be Mario Balotelli's gain, after the Argentine striker went off injured during his side's 3-0 win at home to Stoke City.

The New Year's Day success enabled City to preserve the seven-point gap that separates them from Premier League leaders Manchester United.

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has confirmed that he will rotate his squad once again for the FA Cup third-round tie at West Ham United at the weekend.

United retained their seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a 4-0 win at Wigan Athletic on Tuesday.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger expressed frustration with his side's inconsistency and criticized their mental sharpness after they needed an own goal to snatch a draw from Southampton only three days after beating Newcastle United 7-3.

But he confirmed that his search for a remedy will not include bringing back the club's former striker Thierry Henry for a second comeback season.

Andy Murray says he is heading into the new tennis season more relaxed than ever after breaking through for his first Grand Slam title at last year's U.S. Open.

Murray, the top seed for this week's Brisbane International, ended one of sport's longest droughts when he became the first British man to win a Grand Slam singles title since Fred Perry in 1936.

Maria Sharapova withdrew from the Brisbane International with an injured right collarbone Tuesday and 2011 champion Petra Kvitova slumped out in a straight-sets loss soon after.

Combined with Daniela Hantuchova's 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 win over No. 5 Sara Errani and the first-round exits of No. 7 Sam Stosur and No. 8 Caroline Wozniacki, the season-opening event featuring eight of the top 10 ranked women had already lost five of its top eight seeds before the end of the second round.

LeBron James delivered the go-ahead basket in overtime and Dwyane Wade followed with a steal and a dunk to seal a 112-110 victory for the NBA champion Miami Heat over Orlando on Monday.

James's 36 points included a slashing layup that broke a 106-106 tie with 1:07 remaining in overtime.

The Charlotte Bobcats will get something of a fresh start in 2013, after ending their 18-game NBA losing streak with a 91-81 New Year's Eve triumph over the Chicago Bulls.

Kemba Walker scored 18 points and Charlotte dominated the fourth quarter, when they out-scored the Bulls 26-16 to earn their first victory since a double-overtime triumph over the Washington Wizards on November 24.