BASKETBALL

MILWAUKEE WINS 2005 DRAFT LOTTERY

After a season of injuries, the Milwaukee Bucks finally had something go right as they won the NBA lottery last night and earned the right to pick first in the draft next month. The Bucks had only a 6.3% chance of winning the lottery, but jumped over five teams to win its first lottery since 1994, the year they took Glenn Robinson.

Atlanta, which won a league-low 13 games and had the best chance of securing the no. 1 pick, will instead have the second choice in the June 28 draft. Portland made the other big move in the lottery, jumping from no. 5 to third.

The big losers were New Orleans, Charlotte, and Utah, which all dropped two spots in the order. The Hornets had the second best chance to win the lottery but they slipped to no. 4. The Bobcats, who also had the rights to Cleveland’s pick in the lottery, went from no. 3 to no. 5. Utah, which had the fourth worst record, fell to no. 6.

The lottery didn’t change picks seventh through 14 with Toronto, the Knicks, Golden State, the Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando, the Los Angeles Clippers, Charlotte, and Minnesota keeping those spots.

MAGIC BRING BACK HILL AS COACH

The Orlando Magic reached back to their successful past yesterday and hired Brian Hill as their new coach. Hill, an assistant with the Nets last season, took the Magic to their only NBA Finals appearance in 1995. In three-plus seasons with Orlando, he won a franchise-leading 191 games against 104 losses, and his .647 winning percentage also is the best in team history.

Hill, who also coached the Vancouver Grizzlies, has a career coaching record of 222-227, with three postseason appearances. He takes over a roster with a good core of talent in Grant Hill, Steve Francis, Hedo Turkoglu, Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson. But the team faded late last season, coach Johnny Davis was fired in March, and Orlando finished with 36 wins. On Monday, General Manager John Weisbrod resigned after 15 months on the job.

STERN: LABOR NEGOTIATIONS WILL RESUME SOON

NBA commissioner David Stern said yesterday that negotiations between the league and the players’ union will resume soon.

A source close to the talks told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity that the meeting could happen later this week. Stern admitted during a press conference before the draft lottery that the league has spoken with the players association since negotiations broke off last week.

Stern also laid out the framework for a new collective bargaining agreement. He said the league will guarantee that the players receive 57% share of the revenues, the same amount they currently get under the agreement negotiated in 1999. He said the league will raise the salary cap from 48 to 51% – and minimize the level at which the luxury tax clicks in, making more money available for salaries.

Over the course of a possible six-year CBA, Stern said the average player salary would increase from its current level of $4.5 million to $5.5 million.

SOCCER

TWO MORE REFEREES CHARGED IN GERMAN SCANDAL

Two more referees face lifetime bans for their parts in Germany’s match-fixing scandal. The German soccer federation (DFB) charged Juergen Jansen and Wieland Ziller yesterday with two counts of plotting to manipulate games. One game was Kaiserslautern’s 3-0 win over Freiburg on November 27, 2004, in the first division. The other was six days earlier – a 1-0 second-division win for Dynamo Dresden. The DFB said both referees received money for plotting to fix games for the benefit of a Croatian gambling ring. The scandal broke in January when referee Robert Hoyzer admitted receiving money to rig games. Berlin prosecutors are investigating 25 people, including four referees and 14 players, suspected of fixing at least 10 games.

FOOTBALL

NFL OWNERS BAN HORSE-COLLAR TACKLE NFL owners voted yesterday to eliminate the horse-collar tackle, in which a defender grabs the back inside of an opponent’s shoulder pads and yanks the player down. Dallas safety Roy Williams does the tackle as well as anybody, but he seriously injured All-Pro receiver Terrell Owens of Philadelphia with the maneuver last season. Some owners said they were concerned about ambiguities in the new rule. A 15-yard penalty will be called only if the tackle immediately brings the ball carrier down, and only if he’s in the open field.

BASEBALL

ORIOLES’ LOPEZ BREAKS HAND Orioles catcher Javy Lopez broke a bone in his right hand last night and will probably be placed on the 15-day disabled list. Earlier in the day, Baltimore activated Sammy Sosa from the disabled list.

– Associated Press