NBA:
In the NBA, the Golden State Warriors have extended the greatest start in U.S. major sports history, improving to 23-0 with a 131-123 victory over the Pacers at Indiana. Meanwhile Brooklyn beat Houston 110-105, Oklahoma City bested Memphis 125-88, Sacramento topped Utah 114-106, Orlando won against Denver 85-74, Cleveland trumped Portland 105-100.
Representatives of the NBA and NBA Players Association have met to discuss the Collective Bargaining Agreement, about a year before either side could signal its desire to opt out of it. Both sides said it was a preliminary meeting that included "constructive dialogue" and they agreed to continue their discussions.
The CBA runs through June 30, 2021, but either side could opt out on June 30, 2017. To do so, it would have to notify the other side of its intent by Dec. 15, 2016.
NHL:
In the NHL, the Islanders edged Philadelphia in a shootout 4-3, Toronto skated by New Jersey in a shootout 3-2, Washington beat Detroit in a shootout 3-2, Ottawa doubled up Florida 4-2, St. Louis bested Arizona 4-1, Dallas topped Carolina 6-5, Chicago won against Nashville 4-1, and it was Calgary over San Jose 4-2.
Penguins forward Pascal Dupuis has had to retire because of a medical condition related to blood clots that caused him to miss most of last season. The 36-year old ends his career with 190 goals and 409 points in 871 games for the Pens, Wild, Rangers and old Atlanta Thrashers.
The NHL is eliminating its policy that allowed teams to seek compensation when other franchises hired away a coach or executive under contract. Commissioner Gary Bettman told the Board of Governors that, as of Jan. 1, the league will revert to its old policy that gave teams the right to grant or deny permission to other franchises to talk to coaches and executives under contract. The league had a one-year trial run that allowed either a second- or third-round pick to be given as compensation for coaches and executives under contract even if they had been fired.
NCAA:
In college men's basketball, Number 6 Maryland took a 20-point lead in the first half and went on to beat Connecticut 76-66 last night in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden. Daniel Hamilton had a season-high 23 points for the Huskies, who have lost three of four.
Army hit 14 from behind the arc while defeating Bryant 77-55 last night. Tanner Plomb scored 26 points with a half-dozen 3-pointers for Army. Bryant was led by 17 points from Nisre Zouzoua, while Dan Garvin and Marcel Pettway each finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
St. Bonaventure beat Vermont 80-68 last night to win five of its last six games. Jaylen Adams scored a career-high 28 points with a career-high seven 3-pointers for St. Bonaventure. Kurt Steidl led Vermont with 19 points, Trae Bell-Haynes added 13, while Darrren Payen and Dre Wills scored 10 points apiece.
Harvard held on to beat Boston University 75-69 last night. Corey Johnson made six 3-pointers, including one with 32 seconds left. Johnson finished with 18 points. Zena Edosomwan had 13 rebounds, three assists, three steals and chipped in nine points for Harvard. Eric Fanning scored 19 points, and Nick Havener had 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead Boston University.
Central Florida outlasted Massachusetts 67-63 last night. Trey Davis scored 20 points for UMass. Davis was 7 of 23 from the floor with four 3-pointers, though those came on 14 attempts. Jabarie Hinds had 14 points, and Donte Clark added 12 points.
MLB:
Free agent infielder Ben Zobrist and the Cubs have agreed to a four-year, $56 million contract, a deal that allowed Chicago to trade Starlin Castro to the New York Yankees for pitcher Adam Warren. The 34-year-old Zobrist batted .276 with 36 doubles, 13 home runs and 56 RBIs for Kansas City and Oakland last season.
The 25-year-old Castro hit .265 with 11 homers and 69 RBIs this year. Warren went 7-7 with a 3.29 ERA last season in 17 starts and 26 relief appearances.
The Cubbies also finalized a two-year contract with free agent pitcher John Lackey, who was 13-10 with a 2.77 ERA in 33 starts for St. Louis last season. The 37-year-old right-hander is 165-127 with a 3.92 ERA over a 13-year major league career with the Angels, Red Sox and Cardinals. Lackey compiled a career-best ERA this year and had 175 strikeouts, his most since 2007.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are coming back from the winter meetings with a staff ace and another solid starting pitcher. The Diamondbacks have finalized their six-year, $206.5 million deal with free agent Zack Greinke. The deal is worth a major league-record $34.4 million a season, topping the previous mark of $31 million set just last week when David Price agreed to a deal with Boston. Greinke was the major league ERA leader and runner-up for the National League Cy Young Award.
And the Diamondbacks weren't done. A person familiar with the deal tells The Associated Press they have acquired All-Star right-hander Shelby Miller and minor league lefty Gabe Speier from the Braves for overall No. 1 draft pick Dansby Swanson, outfielder Ender Inciarte and pitching prospect Aaron Blair. Miller was 6-17 for Atlanta despite a 3.02 ERA.
Elsewhere in the majors:
— Police in Davie, Florida, have closed their investigation into Aroldis Chapman, saying there was "insufficient evidence" to charge the Cincinnati Reds closer in a domestic disturbance incident with his girlfriend. The police report cites conflicting stories and a lack of cooperating witnesses and says there were no physical injuries. However, a proposed deal sending Chapman to the Dodgers appears on hold, and MLB chief baseball officer Joe Torre says there is no timetable in making a decision on Chapman's status under the league's new domestic violence policy.
— The Detroit Tigers continued their bullpen makeover by completing a two-year contract with reliever Mark Lowe, adding a setup man for new closer Francisco Rodriguez. The 32-year-old right-hander was 1-3 with a 1.96 ERA for Seattle and Toronto this year, striking out 61 in 55 innings.
— The Rockies have patched two holes in their bullpen by agreeing to two-year contracts with Jason Motte and Chad Qualls. Motte appeared in 57 games with the Cubs last season and had six saves. Qualls was 3-5 with a 4.38 ERA with Houston last season.
— The Cardinals have picked up infielder Jedd Gyorko and cash from the Padres for outfielder Jon Jay. Gyorko hit .247 with 16 homers and 57 RBIs this year. Jay hit just .210, his lowest average in six big league seasons and down from .303 in 2014.
— The New York Mets say infielder Wilmer Flores broke his left ankle when he was hit by a pitch during a winter league game in Venezuela last month. Mets assistant general manager John Ricco says Flores does not need surgery and is expected to be ready for spring training. Flores hit .263 with 16 homers and 59 RBIs for the National League champs last season.
NFL:
Boston Globe sports columnist Dan Shaughnessy has won the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing. Shaughnessy received 185 of 417 votes from members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Johnny Manziel is back on top of the Browns' quarterback depth chart. He'll make his fourth start of the season this Sunday against San Francisco. He was relegated to third-string duties after being caught in a lie with the coaching staff. Manziel had been named the starter for Cleveland's final six games on Nov. 17 only to throw away the opportunity with his partying.
In NFL injury news:
— The New York Giants have placed long snapper Zak DeOssie and tight end Larry Donnell on injured reserve. DeOssie has played in 140 straight games, but has a wrist injury. The Giants signed long snapper Danny Aiken and cornerback Tramain Jacobs to fill the open roster spots.
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