NFL NEWS
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is reportedly ready to fight a proposed contract extension for Commissioner Roger Goodell.
A person with knowledge of the situation says Jones told the six owners on the compensation committee he had hired high-profile attorney David Boies and was prepared to sue if the group voted to extend Goodell's deal. Jones has since been embroiled in a dispute sparked by Goodell's six-game suspension of Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott over alleged domestic violence.
All 32 owners voted in May to extend Goodell's contract and authorized the compensation committee to work out the details.
NBA-SCHEDULE
The Boston Celtics now own a double-digit winning streak after knocking off an old rival from the NBA's Western Conference.
Aron Baynes matched his career high with 21 points and Kyrie Irving added 19 as the Celtics downed the Lakers 107-96. Baynes also had eight rebounds and three assists for the Celts, who saw a 20-point, first-half lead shrink to two in the third quarter before improving to an NBA-best 10-2.
Boston played without big man Al Horford after he was placed in concussion protocol earlier Wednesday.
Brandon Ingram and Jordan Clarkson each had a team-high 18 points for the Lakers, who also got 16 points and 12 boards from Julius Randle.
Also in the NBA:
— Minnesota's five-game winning streak is over after Klay Thompson hit six 3-pointers while scoring 28 points in the Warriors' fifth consecutive win, 125-101 over the Timberwolves. Stephen Curry had 22 points, eight assists and eight rebounds to help Golden State win easily without the injured Kevin Durant. Andre Iguodala had 11 points for the Warriors, who led by just one before torching Minnesota for 74 points in the second half.
— Nikola Vucevic had 24 points and Evan Fournier delivered 23 as the Magic sent the Knicks to just the second loss in their last eight games 112-99. Jonathan Simmons helped Orlando close out the win by scoring 15 of his 16 points in the second half, including 11 straight early in the fourth quarter.
— The Pistons won for the sixth time in seven games as Tobias Harris contributed 23 points to a 114-97 win against the Pacers. Andre Drummond added 14 points and 21 rebounds for the Central Division-leading Pistons, who sent Indiana to its fourth consecutive loss.
— Former Phoenix guard Goran Dragic scored a season-high 29 points in the Heat's 126-115 victory over the Suns. Hassan Whiteside added 23 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots for Miami, which shot 53 percent and nailed 12 3-pointers.
NBA-FINES
The NBA has fined Oklahoma Thunder head coach Billy Donovan, forward Paul George and guard Russell Westbrook $15,000 apiece for publicly criticizing game officials following Sunday's loss to Portland.
The three were angry after Thunder forward Carmelo Anthony was ejected for a flagrant-2 call on a play in which a foul was called on Jusuf Nurkic. Donovan said after the game that he thought the play should have been reviewed before Anthony was tossed.
The league says Anthony's flagrant 2 foul from Sunday's game will stand, but the flagrant issued to Russell Westbrook in last night's loss to Sacramento has been rescinded.
NFL-NEWS
In other NFL news:
— The Green Bay Packers have waived Martellus Bennett, who had 24 catches for 233 yards in seven starts this year. The Packers cited a "failure to disclose a physical condition" for making the move. Bennett signed with the Packers as an unrestricted free agent last offseason after helping the New England Patriots win the Super Bowl.
— The Minnesota Vikings have taken Teddy Bridgewater off the physically unable to perform list and placed fellow quarterback Sam Bradford on injured reserve amid continued trouble with his left knee. Bridgewater was added to the active roster Wednesday for the first time since he badly injured his left knee during practice more than 14 months ago.
— The Bengals have put right tackle Jake Fisher on injured reserve, ending his season and leaving their struggling offensive line in flux. Fisher became ill and was taken to a hospital in Jacksonville during a 23-7 loss to the Jaguars on Sunday. He saw a doctor on Tuesday who recommended a procedure that will sideline him the rest of the season.
— The Denver Broncos have placed right tackle Menelik Watson on injured reserve with a foot injury and signed free agent tackle Cyrus Kouandjio. Watson got hurt Sunday in Philadelphia.
— The NFL players union wants everyone in the league to honor a two-minute moment of silence on Sunday in observance of U.S. military veterans. Last year, President Barack Obama signed into law the Veterans Day Moment of Silence Act, which calls on all Americans to observe a two-minute moment of silence every Nov. 11. With Veterans Day falling on Saturday this year, the players union voted to ask everyone in the NFL community to observe this moment of silence Sunday prior to kickoffs.
Thursday night football matchup:
Seattle Seahawks @ Arizona Cardinals at 8:25 PM
MLB-HALLADAY PLANE
Witnesses to Roy Halladay's fatal plane crash have told federal investigators the two-time Cy Young Award winner was flying his tiny sport plane low over the Gulf of Mexico shortly before it slammed into the water.
National Transportation Safety Board Investigator Noreen Price said Wednesday that Halladay's ICON A5 experienced a "high-energy impact" with the water.
Price said it was too early to say whether Tuesday's crash was related to two earlier crashes this year of A5s, one of them that killed both the plane's chief designer and test pilot.
MLB-RED SOX-COACHES
New Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora has filled out his staff on Wednesday by making Dana LeVangie the pitching coach and adding Ramon Vazquez to the coaching staff.
LeVangie has spent his entire 27-year baseball career in the Red Sox organization and has been the team's bullpen coach for the past five seasons.
NHL-SCHEDULE
The New York Rangers have been on a nice roll since dropping seven of their first eight games.
The Blueshirts picked up their fifth straight win and improved to 8-7-2 by beating the Bruins 4-2. Jimmy Vesey scored twice in a 29-second span of a first period in which the Rangers outshot Boston 16-7.
Pavel Buchnevich and Rick Nash also scored to support Henrik Lundqvist, who handled 31 shots.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
— Vladimir Namestnikov, Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov each had three-point nights as the Lightning whipped the Sharks 5-1 to improve to 12-2-2. Namestnikov had two goals and an assist, Kucherov notched his league-high 15th goal and Stamkos picked up three more assists. Stamkos leads the NHL with 21 assists and 28 points, while Tampa Bay tops the league with 26 points.
— Patrick Marleau's second-period goal put the Maple Leafs ahead to stay before Connor Carrick provided the eventual game-winner in a 4-2 triumph over the Wild. Connor Brown scored an empty-netter and had an assist to help Toronto overcome Jason Zucker's two goals. The Leafs won without Auston Matthews, who missed the game with what the team is calling an upper-body injury.
NCAA-STUDIES
— A diversity study report released Wednesday shows leadership positions at Football Bowl Subdivision schools continue to be dominated by white men, according to a diversity report released Wednesday.
The annual report card from The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport gave top-level college sports an overall grade of D+ for race and gender hiring in leadership positions, with a D+ for racial hiring and an F for gender hiring.
Meanwhile, the NCAA's latest scorecard on graduation rates shows college athletes continue to earn degrees in record numbers. The report shows an all-time high of 87 percent, up one percent from last year.
Men's basketball hit an all-time high of 82 percent, up two percentage points from 2016. The Football Bowl Subdivision came in at 78 percent while women's basketball matched its record-high at 92 percent.
The report is based on graduating classes from 2014-17.
COLLEGE CORRUPTION-PERSON FIRED
Auburn has fired associate head basketball coach Chuck Person, who has been indicted on federal bribery, conspiracy and fraud charges.
School officials say Person was dismissed before he and seven others were indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury in New York City. Person allegedly received $91,500 in bribes to steer Auburn players to Pittsburgh financial adviser Marty Blazer when they turn pro.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-UCLA PLAYERS QUESTIONED
UCLA basketball coach Steve Alford says the three Bruins involved in a shoplifting incident in China won't play in Saturday's game against Georgia Tech in Shanghai.
Pac-12 Conference Commissioner Larry Scott issued a statement Tuesday night saying that UCLA basketball players were "involved in a situation" in China, with police being summoned to the team's hotel to investigate the matter. The Los Angeles Times, citing a person close to the situation, reported that freshmen LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill were involved in a shoplifting incident.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.