BRIEFLY : ROCKETS SIGN THREATT.

The Houston Rockets, depleted at guard by injuries and a failed bid to trade for Derek Harper, on Saturday signed 13-year NBA veteran Sedale Threatt for the rest of the season.

Threatt, 35, has not played since having surgery for patella tendinitis in October. He averaged 7.3 points and 3.3 assists in 82 games with the Lakers last season.

NFL: Green Bay Packers linebacker Wayne Simmons was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol at Hilton Head, S.C., the state Highway Patrol said.

The Minnesota Vikings have given middle linebacker Jeff Brady a $5.4 million, three-year contract extension.

Rather than coming up with an extra $1.3 million, the Baltimore Ravens terminated the contract of Pro Bowl safety Eric Turner.

TENNIS: No. 1 Pete Sampras rallied from a set behind to beat No. 88 Sjeng Schalken 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 and reach the Advanta Championships final in Philadelphia.He will face either Patrick Rafter or Grant Stafford, who played later.

Goran Ivanisevic routed Germany's David Prinosil 6-0, 7-6 (8-6) for a berth in the Italian Indoors final in Milan. The Croat will play Spain's Sergi Bruguera, who downed German qualifier Nicolas Kiefer 6-3, 6-4.

Chanda Rubin came from a set down to beat Brenda Schultz-McCarthy 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 and leave the defending champion United States tied 1-1 with the Netherlands in its first Fed Cup match in Haarlem, Netherlands.

ALSO: Oklahoma's team of Edward Clarke, Roxbert Martin, Ryan Kite and Danny McFarlane broke its college record in the 1,600-meter relay, clocking 3 minutes, 4.32 seconds at the U.S. Indoor Championships in Atlanta. . . . American Steve Johnston captured the WBC lightweight title by winning a split decision over champion Jean-Baptiste Mendy of France in Paris. . . . The howls and barks of nearly nine hundred sled dogs echoed through the streets of Anchorage, Alaska, as the 25th running of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race got under way.