Wizards' Butler has torn joint in hip

A reexamination of Washington Wizards All-Star forward Caron Butler's hip revealed a small labral tear of the left joint, further complicating his return. Butler has missed the past 10 games with what was originally diagnosed as a strained hip flexor. He did not accompany the team on the road trip that ends tonight in Chicago. The Wizards did not give a timetable for Butler's return. Butler is averaging 21.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.4 steals and earned a spot in the All-Star Game for the second time . . . Guard Brent Barry is returning to the Spurs, according to a newspaper report. San Antonio, which traded the 13-year veteran to Seattle last Thursday in a deal for forward Kurt Thomas, are poised to reacquire him after he was released by the Sonics. The Arizona Republic reported that Suns general manager Steve Kerr said he was told by Barry yesterday that he will return to San Antonio rather than accept an offer from Phoenix . . . Pacers forward Shawne Williams will miss at least one game after a man who had just left Williams's home was arrested on a murder charge. Williams did not practice with the team yesterday and will not travel with the Pacers to their game in Toronto tonight. Team CEO Donnie Walsh said Williams was not suspended. Officers arrested 20-year-old Gary Bohanon on a Tennessee warrant for a fatal shooting last October at a Memphis auto repair shop. He was spotted at Williams's home Wednesday evening and arrested after he left as a passenger in a truck registered to Williams, federal marshals said. Williams's attorney, John Tompkins, said his client didn't know Bohanon was at his home and did not invite him there.

Top-seeded Justine Henin lost in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships, falling to Francesca Schiavone, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-4). "She played really well," said Henin, the top-ranked player in the world. "She was hitting hard, coming to the net, slicing, really mixing it up. I had my chances but I did not take them, whereas she did. She was definitely a better player and deserved to win." Schiavone's previous best finish in Dubai was a quarterfinal loss to Henin in 2006. She will play eighth-seeded Elena Dementieva in the semifinals. Dementieva beat third-seeded Ana Ivanovic, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 . . . Fourth-seeded Lindsay Davenport swept aside teenager Caroline Wozniacki, 6-0, 6-2, in the Memphis Championship quarterfinals, while men's top seed Andy Roddick beat former high school teammate Mardy Fish, 6-4, 6-2 . . . Top-seeded Ivan Ljubicic advanced to the quarterfinals of the Zagreb Indoors in Croatia, overpowering Teimuraz Gabashvili with 19 aces in a 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3 victory . . . Top-seeded David Nalbandian advanced to the semifinals of the Mexican Open in Acapulco, beating No. 8 seed Potito Starace, 6-3, 6-3.

Auburn forward Korvotney Barber will remain sidelined for the rest of the season with a broken left hand, coach Jeff Lebo said. Barber hasn't played since breaking his hand against Towson Dec. 29. He was also averaging team highs with 14.8 points and 7.3 rebounds through 10 games, and was leading the nation in shooting at 72 percent . . . Castleton State hired The College of New Jersey assistant coach Rich Alercio to build its Division 3 football program, which will begin play in 2009.

Curlin had an easy time winning his 4-year-old debut in Dubai. The 2007 Horse of the Year had a perfect trip and a perfect result in rolling to a 2 1/4-length victory in the $175,000 Jaguar Trophy Handicap. Curlin defeated five rivals in his first race since capturing the Breeders' Cup Classic Oct. 27 . . . Justin Gatlin has filed a brief with the Court of Arbitration for Sport outlining the appeal of his four-year ban for doping violations. The reigning Olympic 100-meter gold medalist is seeking to void the first of his two doping violations in order to allow him to compete this summer in the Beijing Games . . . American Adam Rippon, who won the junior Grand Prix final in December and the US junior men's title last month, made it a clean sweep by winning the junior world figure skating title. Rippon finished with 199.90 points . . . Tampa Bay Lightning center Chris Gratton will have surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left hip next week and will be sidelined indefinitely . . . Brazil playmaker Kaka, FIFA's world soccer player of the year, signed a two-year contract extension with AC Milan until June 2013.