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(Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Pacers guard Lance Stephenson acknowledged Wednesday that he and Evan Turner got into a practice "scuffle" last week before Game 1 against Atlanta but denied the two threw any punches.

Coach Frank Vogel and Indiana's players concurred with Stephenson's version of events, though the descriptions were different. Yahoo! Sports first reported that Turner had to be "dragged out of practice" last week after the argument and that fists were flying.

Turner denied that, saying simply that they got tangled up but that there was no fight. Vogel and All-Star center Roy Hibbert said every team has similar scrapes during practice but neither considered it a fight.

Suns PG Dragic named NBA's most improved
PHOENIX (AP) Goran Dragic, whose breakout season helped the Phoenix Suns make a remarkable transformation, has been named the NBA's most improved player. The 6-foot-3 Slovenian, who turns 28 in two weeks, flourished under first-year coach Jeff Hornacek's double-point guard system, teaming with Eric Bledsoe to form a dynamic backcourt. (MORE)

Cubs lose on Wrigley's 100th birthday
CHICAGO (AP) Fittingly, the Chicago Cubs marked Wrigley Field's 100th birthday with a loss - a dramatic, error-filled one, at that. One out from victory, the Cubs allowed the Arizona Diamondbacks to rally for five runs in the ninth inning in a 7-5 loss Wednesday. (MORE)

Jackson reiterates he won't coach Knicks
GREENBURGH, N.Y. (AP) The coaching search is on in New York, and the best possible candidate has already been eliminated. Phil Jackson won't be hiring himself to coach the Knicks. (MORE)

Rangers' Perez gets second straight SHO

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Martin Perez pitched his second consecutive shutout to extend his scoreless innings streak to 26 and the Texas Rangers wrapped up a three-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics with a 3-0 victory Wednesday.

Donnie Murphy homered and Michael Choice scored one run and drove in another for the Rangers, who moved a half-game ahead of Oakland in first place in the AL West with their first sweep of the A's since August 2011. (MORE)

Seahawks QB Wilson divorcing from wife
RENTON, Wash. (AP) Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has announced that he and his wife Ashton are divorcing. Wilson made the announcement in a statement released by the Seahawks on Wednesday. He says decisions like this are not easy and respectfully asks for "prayers and understanding and privacy during this difficult time." (MORE)

Cards LB Washington gets 1 yr. probation
PHOENIX (AP) A judge on Wednesday sentenced Arizona Cardinals inside linebacker Daryl Washington to a year of supervised probation for assaulting a former girlfriend who is the mother of his daughter. Now Washington, one of the team's top defensive players, will wait to see what punishment he may face from the NFL under its personal conduct policy. (MORE)

Johnson, Poythress returning to Kentucky

RG3 to drive NASCAR pace car in Richmond
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III will drive the pace car before Saturday night's NASCAR race at Richmond. Richmond International Raceway made the announcement Wednesday, and says it happened with some help from Twitter. (MORE)

Real gets 1-0 1st-leg CL win over Bayern
MADRID (AP) Karim Benzema scored in the 19th minute to give Real Madrid a 1-0 win over defending champion Bayern Munich on Wednesday night in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal. Madrid got its goal on a counterattack when Cristiano Ronaldo found Fabio Coentrao speeding down a flank. Coentrao crossed for Benzema, who tapped the ball past goalkeeper Manuel Neuer from 4 yards. (MORE)

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