Sports in brief

NBA

Williams suffers sprain

Deron Williams sprained his right ankle and suffered a bone bruise during a recent workout in Utah, but the Nets expect their star point guard to be ready when training camp opens in 12 days. Williams overcame a rash of injuries and a slow start last season, regaining his form after the All-Star break. He battled through ankle injuries, taking three rounds of cortisone shots and undergoing a platelet-rich plasma procedure on each ankle in February. Williams is hosting his first "Dodge Barrage" charity dodgeball tournament at Basketball City in Manhattan today and is expected to address his status. He'll likely do his best to calm any fears he won't be totally healthy when the Nets tip off training camp at Duke University on Oct. 1.

NHLRangers release Hedberg

The Rangers' goaltender rotation became clearer when they released Johan Hedberg. In games out west next week, Henrik Lundqvist will play the entire game against the Flames on Monday and the Canucks on Thursday. Incumbent backup Martin Biron, who played well against the Flyers, as did Cam Talbot, will play Tuesday against the Oilers.

BOXING

Judge taking a break

Cynthia Ross, a veteran Nevada boxing judge who drew widespread criticism after scoring a weekend title fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez a draw is giving up her ringside job, at least temporarily. "I'm taking time away," Ross told The Associated Press in a brief telephone interview from her home outside Las Vegas. The 64-year-old Ross said she won't judge any fights "in the immediate future," and hadn't made a decision whether to quit. Ross scored the world 152-pound title fight a 114-114 draw on Saturday night, but Mayweather won a majority decision after two other judges scored Mayweather the clear winner. Those scorecards had the fight 116-112 and 117-111 for Mayweather, who remained an undefeated 45-0.

AMERICA'S CUP

Kiwis on brink of victory

The America's Cup is staying in America for at least one more day, thanks to the wind and tide on San Francisco Bay. Not long after Emirates Team New Zealand reached match point yesterday against Oracle Team USA, Race 12 was postponed because the wind blowing in through the Golden Gate Bridge exceeded the limit. Team New Zealand won Race 11 by 15 seconds earlier yesterday to move to the brink of taking the oldest trophy in international sports. -- AP