NBA Suspends 16 From Pacers, Kings For Fighting

The NBA suspended 16 players yesterday for fighting during Friday night's game between the Indiana Pacers and the Sacramento Kings, the most ever from one incident.

Dale Davis of Indiana and Michael Smith of Sacramento received two-game suspensions without pay and $20,000 fines. The pair fought with 2:43 left in the third quarter of the Kings' 119-95 road victory.

Duane Causwell of the Kings was suspended for one game without pay and fined $7,500 because he left the bench area but didn't try to break up the fight.

The 13 players given one-game suspensions and $2,500 fines for leaving the bench areas: the Kings' Tyus Edney, Byron Houston, Sarunas Marciulionis, Olden Polynice, Lionel Simmons and Walt Williams; and the Pacers' Travis Best, Adrian Caldwell, Duane Ferrell, Fred Hoiberg, Mark Jackson, Reggie Miller and Dwayne Schintzius.

Golf

Fred Couples and Davis Love III headed toward a record fourth straight title, extending their lead to 10 strokes after three rounds of the World Cup of Golf in Shenzhen, China. Love shot a 4-under 68 and Couples a 70 to give the U.S. a 25-under-par 407. Japan was in second.

-- Jim Colbert shot a 1-under-par 71 to take a six-stroke lead into the final round of the Energizer Senior Tour Championship in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

-- Liselotte Neumann maintained a one-stroke lead over Jane Geddes in the Women's Australian Open in Melbourne. Neumann shot a 71 for a 7-under par 212.

Marathon

Defending champions German Silva and Tegla Loroupe are considered the favorites in today's New York City Marathon. Silva, a 5-foot-3, 117-pounder from Mexico, is trying to become the first repeat men's winner since Orlando Pizzolato of Italy in 1984-85. Loroupe, 22, is 4-11 and 78 pounds. She is trying to become the first woman to defend successfully since Grete Waitz of Norway won from 1982-86.

AUTO RACING

Damon Hill took the lead on lap 22 and dodged the crashes and mechanical failures that dogged his leading challengers to post a two-lap victory in the Australian Grand Prix today in Adelaide.

Skiing

There was plenty of snow in Tignes, France, for the World Cup opener, but winds clocked at 55 mph made visibility difficult, forcing organizers to cancel the women's giant slalom after 17 skiers had completed their first runs. The men's giant slalom is scheduled for today.

Tennis

Veteran Lori McNeil upset defending champion Anke Huber in the Advanta Championships in Philadelphia 6-4, 6-7 (1-7), 7-6 (12-10) to advance to the final against Steffi Graf. Graf, the top seed, rolled over unseeded Zina Garrison Jackson 6-3, 6-1 to reach her eighth final this year.

-- Thomas Enqvist served to near perfection and routed Richey Reneberg 6-2, 6-1 as he became the first Swede in four years to reach the Stockholm Open final. Enqvist, a Stockholm native seeded second and ranked eighth in the world, will play Arnaud Boetsch in today's final. Boetsch, the No. 5 seed, struggled past David Prinosil 6-1, 1-6, 7-5.

-- Daniel Vacek of the Czech Republic upset top-seed Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia 7-6 (10-8), 3-6, 7-6 (7-5) and Carl Uwe-Steeb of Germany beat Marc Rosset of Switzerland 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 in the semifinals of the Kremlin Cup in Moscow.

Horse racing

Luthier Fever, refusing to wilt as Best Pal challenged down the stretch, won the $250,000 California Cup Classic at Santa Anita. Luthier Fever covered 1 1/8 miles in 1:48 3/5, beating Best Pal, the richest active Thoroughbred, by 1 1/4 lengths.