behind. The ball went out of bounds off the Suns and Dudleys free throws iced the win.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Top-ranked Rory McIlroy returned from a six-week absence to shoot a 6-under 66 for a share of the lead on the first day of the season-ending DP World Tour Championship on Thursday.McIlroy birdied four of his opening five holes and then two of the last four to join Irishman Shane Lowry at the top of the leaderboard at the Earth Course at Jumeriah Estates Resort.The way I played it should have been five birdies in the first five holes, he said. It was a great way to start. You never expect to start like that, but Ive been hitting the ball well for the last couple of weeks that Ive been practicing and it was just a matter of trying to take that good range play on to the course, and I was able to do that today, which Im really happy about.McIlroy has been in Dubai for the better part of two weeks after electing not to contest any of the opening three events on the Tours Final Four Series.He played in the Grand Slam of Golf in Bermuda but his Dubai round is a first competitive effort on tour since shooting a final round 68 for a share of second place last month in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.I played the two days at the PGA Grand Slam but I wouldnt really call that competitive, he said. So the last shot that I hit was St. Andrews I guess, was my last competitive shot. So I was really looking forward to just getting out there and feeling what it was like again. Yeah, I was excited.Lowry arrived in Dubai fresh off the disappointment of finishing in 25th place in last weeks Turkish Airlines Open. Ranked No. 52, the Dubliner is hoping to finish inside the top 50 and with an exemption to enter all four majors in 2015.Last Sunday was a very difficult day for me as for the last 12 holes I couldnt wait to get off the golf course and come here to Dubai, he said. Once I got here on Monday, I was fine as I had put myself into contention which is a positive I can look at from last week.Scotlands Richie Ramsay and Denmarks Thorbjorn Olesen share third place after rounds of 67. Colorado Avalanche Jerseys . The Raptors had an early deadline Sunday, a dreaded afternoon game, and they left the bulk of their work until the last minute, as theyve done so many times before. Patrick Roy Jersey . -- Kevin Stadler might be playing in the Masters for the first time, but hes already showing his old man a thing or two. http://www.hockeyavalanche.com/authentic-lanny-mcdonald-avalanche-jersey/ .com) - They didnt meet in the regular season, so Sam Houston State might be saying it won the de facto title game between the two Southland Conference co-champions Saturday. Teemu Selanne Jersey ... as usual. Even with the salary cap being set lower than many general managers expected and hoped for at $69 million and whats considered a shallow pool of top-end players available, this unrestricted-free-agent period figures to follow the familiar script of teams bidding up prices to keep up with each other. Rene Robert Jersey .Morse gets a $1 million signing bonus and salaries of $7 million next season and $8 million in 2016 under the agreement announced Wednesday.PHOENIX - A 17-point third-quarter lead was not enough for the Phoenix Suns, not the way the Los Angeles Clippers are playing these days. Darren Collison and Blake Griffin scored 23 points apiece and the Clippers beat the Suns 112-108 Wednesday night, their fourth win in a row and 17th in the last 19 games. Chris Paul added 20 points, including a 32-foot 3-pointer just before the shot clock expired to put the Clippers up for good 108-106 with 1:48 to play. Los Angeles, winning the last four on a five-game trip, clinched the Pacific Division title with the win. "Its nice but it doesnt really mean much," Paul said. "We won the division title last year and lost in the first round. Last year we would have gone into the game knowing we had a chance to win the division. Now we dont care, its all about the bigger picture." Eight Suns reached double figures, led by Marcus Morris with 16 points. Phoenix would have been alone in the No. 7 spot in the West with a victory, just a half-game behind Golden State. Instead, the Suns fell into a three-way tie with Memphis and Dallas for the last two playoff spots in the West. Phoenix would lose the tiebreaker the way things stood Wednesday night. The defeat followed a blowout loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles on Sunday. "We had this game almost in our pockets," Goran Dragic said. "But now is not the time to think like that, because we still have to have our confidence up to play those last seven games. " The Suns used a 22-5 run to lead 91-74 with 1:49 left in the third period and were up 91-78 entering the fourth. Griffin had been listed as doubtful for the game with back spasms. Ex-Sun Jared Dudley made two free throws with 8.1 seconds to play to clinch the win. Dragic and Gerald Green scored 15 points apiece for the Suns, but Dragic was just 2 of 11 from the field, 0 of 5 from 3-point range. P.J. Tucker, whose rebounding was a big factor in the Suns third-quarter run, had 10 points and 11 rebounds. With Griffiin and Paul on the bench, the Clippers scored 11 in a row early in the fourth quarter — the last five by Willie Green — to cut Phoenixs lead to 92-85.ddddddddddddDudleys 3-pointer with 5:57 to go cut it to 97-94. "You know, we won the game because of our second unit," Los Angeles coach Doc Rivers said. "Honestly, when we were down 17, I was thinking if we didnt cut into it, I was just going to keep them out on the floor, but then they cut into the lead so quickly." Dudleys two free throws put Los Angeles ahead 105-104 with 2:38 left. Eric Bledsoes 9-foot floater gave the Suns their last lead, 106-105 with 2:15 left. Phoenixs defence was strong on the next possession, and just before the clock was to expire, Paul hit from far beyond the arc. Griffins rebound basket with 49.5 seconds left made it 110-106. Bledsoe scored on the layup to cut it to 110-108. The Suns had a chance to tie it, but Collison blocked Bledsoes layup from behind. The ball went out of bounds off the Suns and Dudleys free throws iced the win. "We cant afford to have lulls against good teams like this," Phoenix coach Jeff Hornacek said. The Suns broke away from a 69-69 tie with their 22-5 outburst. Tucker had three rebound baskets in the run. He was fouled on his final one, capping the big run with a three-point play that gave Phoenix its biggest lead, 91-74, with 1:49 left in the period. The Clippers scored the next four to trail 91-78 entering the fourth. Phoenix led 62-60 at the break. NOTES: Paul has eight straight games with at least three steals. ... Collison has scored at least 20 points in consecutive games for the first time in four years. ... Bledsoe drew a technical foul for slamming his hand on the scorers table after being called for an offensive foul, his third foul of the game, with 10:39 left in first half. ... Jamal Crawford, in and out of the Clippers lineup lately, was out again with a sore left Achilles tendon. ... Only two of Phoenixs seven remaining games are at home. ' ' '