Off the wire

LITTLE ROCK — BASKETBALL Fisher to miss games

Dallas Mavericks point guard Derek Fisher will miss at least two more games because of a strained right knee. He didn’t play Thursday night against Miami and will skip a two-game trip to Memphis and San Antonio. The team says there is no timetable for his return and Fisher will be re-evaluated next week. He was hurt in the first quarter of Tuesday’s victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. The 38-year-old Fisher (Little Rock Parkview, UALR) is a 16-year veteran who won five championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Mavericks signed him three weeks ago because of injuries and spotty play at the point. Fisher replaced Darren Collison as the starter after signing. He is averaging 8.6 points and 3.6 assists in nine games.

Just when Josh Howard appeared to be carving a niche in the NBA for himself again after battling back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, the 32-yearold forward is right back where he started. The Minnesota Timberwolves waived him Thursday after a magnetic resonance imaging revealed a torn ACL in Howard’s right knee. He was injured Friday at New Orleans. The team initially hoped he would be able to return this season. Howard was brought in last month after Chase Budinger tore the meniscus in his left knee. He averaged 6.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in 11 games this season, emerging as a valuable defender on the perimeter against bigger guards and small forwards.

The NBA’s All-Star Saturday night is adding a team component, with the Eastern and Western Conference competing for $500,000 in charity. The conferences will earn points based on the results of the night’s four events: the Shooting Stars, the Skills Challenge, the three-point contest and the slam dunk contest. The league said Thursday each conference will have a captain, who along with the NBA and sponsor State Farm, will designate the charities his team is playing for. The winning conference gets $350,000 for its charities and the runner-up gets $150,000. All-Star Saturday night will be held Feb. 16 in Houston.

BASEBALL Source: Cubs, Jackson agree

A person familiar with the situation tells The Associated Press that the Chicago Cubs have agreed to a four-year, $52 million contract with right-hander Edwin Jackson. The person spoke Thursday on the condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced. Several outlets had previously reported the agreement. The Cubs will be the eighth team in 11 years for the 29-year-old Jackson. He is 70-71 lifetime with a 4.40 ERA. He was 10-11 with a 4.03 ERA for Washington last season.

Former All-Star third baseman Placido Polanco agreed to a $2.75 million, one-year contract Thursday with the Miami Marlins. The 37-year-old, who can earn an additional $250,000 in performance bonuses, battled injuries this year and hit .257 with 2 home runs and 19 RBI in 90 games with the Philadelphia Phillies.The 15-year veteran is a career .299 hitter with 103 home runs.

Mike Adams finalized a $12 million, two-year contract with Philadelphia on Thursday, giving the Phillies a premier eighth-inning reliever. The 34-year-old right-hander was 5-3 with a 3.27 ERA last season for the Texas Rangers. Adams’ deal includes a club option for 2015 that would become guaranteed at $6 million if he has 65 games pitched in 2014. His 2015 salary would become guaranteed at $6.5 million if he has 120 games pitched in 2013 and 2014 combined, with at least 60 in 2014. Adams had surgery in October for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, a numbing sensation in his fingers that sidelined him the last week of the season, and he’s expected to recover by spring training. Despite coming off his least-effective season since his rookie year, Adams has been one of the top setup men in baseball for several seasons. From 2008-2012, Adams has a 1.98 ERA in 297 games with 311 strikeouts to 81 walks in 295 innings.

Recovering right-hander Mike Pelfrey and the Minnesota Twins finalized a $4 million, one-year contract Thursday. Pelfrey made only three starts for the New York Mets in 2012, a season cut short by elbow ligament-replacement surgery May 1. Pelfrey went 50-54 with a 4.36 ERA over seven seasons with the Mets. The 6-7, 230-pound, 28-year-old Pelfrey, who was arbitration eligible, was not offered a contract by the Mets earlier this offseason.

HOCKEY

NHL cancels more games

The NHL could be one step awayfrom canceling another hockey season because of a labor fight with the players. In the latest round of cancellations, the NHL on Thursday wiped out all games through Jan. 14. More than 50 percent of the schedule has been lost, and the rest is now in great danger, too. So far, 625 regular-season games have been called off, including nearly 100 in the announcement made Thursday - the 96th day of the NHL’s lockout. The New Year’s Day Winter Classic and the All-Star game also have been lost. The NHL had previously canceled games through Dec. 30.

ATHLETICS Phelps AP’s choice

Michael Phelps edged LeBron James to win The Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for the second time, after earning four gold medals and two silvers in swimming at the London Games. Phelps finished with 40 votes in balloting by U.S. editors and broadcasters, while James was next with 37. Track star Usain Bolt, who won three gold medals in London, was third with 23. Carl Lewis is the only other Olympic-related star to be named AP Male Athlete of the Year more than once, taking the award for his track and field exploits in 1983 and 1984. The only men honored more than twice are golf’s Tiger Woods and cyclist Lance Armstrong (four times each), and basketball’s Michael Jordan (three times). Phelps retired at 27 as soon as he finished his final race in London, having won more gold medals (18) and overall medals (22) than any other Olympian.