Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. Wide receiver Brown denies report of pending deal to Bills

The Pittsburgh Steelers might be ready to trade wide receiver Antonio Brown to the Buffalo Bills. Or maybe not. Wawrinka comes from behind to advance at Indian Wells

Stan Wawrinka battled back to defeat British qualifier Dan Evans 6-7(4) 6-3 6-3 at the BNP Paribas Open on Friday as the Swiss continued his slow climb back up the world rankings after a disappointing 2018. The world number 40's powerful serve was the difference on a sunny and windy day in Indian Wells as he won 83 percent of his first service points and fired down seven aces to beat Briton Evans, losing finalist at Delray Beach last month. NBA roundup: Rockets top 76ers for 7th straight win

James Harden scored 31 points, Eric Gordon chipped in 17 with five 3-pointers, and the Houston Rockets extended their winning streak to a season-best seven games with their 107-91 victory over the visiting Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. Harden added 10 rebounds, seven assists and two steals for the Rockets, who seized control with a 14-2 spurt midway through the first quarter. Philadelphia played its eighth consecutive game without All-Star center Joel Embiid (left knee), falling to 4-4 in that stretch. Sports writing legend Dan Jenkins, author of 'Semi-Tough,' dies at 89

Dan Jenkins, who specialized in covering golf and football on the pages of Sports Illustrated and in making readers laugh with satirical sports novels such as "Semi-Tough" and "Dead Solid Perfect," has died at the age of 89. Jenkins' literary agent, Esther Newberg, told Reuters in an email on Friday that Jenkins' death on Thursday was a result of him falling and breaking his hip last week at his home in Fort Worth, Texas. Stephens stunned, Serena cruises at Indian Wells

Swiss qualifier Stefanie Vogele stunned world number four Sloane Stephens 6-3 6-0 in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open on Friday while Serena Williams got the better of Victoria Azarenka to advance. Vogele needed just over an hour to dispatch the fourth-seeded Stephens and push her overall record to 4-1 against the 2017 U.S. Open champion, who committed her 32nd unforced error on match point when she sent a forehand wide. NHL roundup: Panthers' Barkov hands out five assists

Aleksander Barkov set a franchise record with five assists, and MacKenzie Weegar and Mike Matheson scored twice each to lead the Florida Panthers to a 6-2 win over the Minnesota Wild on Friday in Sunrise, Fla. Panthers rookie goalie Sam Montembeault, making just his second NHL start, stopped 26 shots for his first win. Spring training roundup: Athletics rally to defeat Padres

Greg Deichmann hit a two-run home run to cap a four-run bottom of the eighth inning as the Oakland Athletics rallied for a 6-5 victory over the San Diego Padres on Friday at Mesa, Ariz. Chad Pinder delivered a run-scoring double and Austin Beck plated another run on an infield single before Deichmann swatted a 2-0 pitch from Padres right-hander Luis Perdomo over the wall in right field. NFL notebook: WR Brown not coming here, Bills say

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane will not bring wide receiver Antonio Brown to Western New York. "We inquired about Antonio Brown on Tuesday, and kept talks open with the Steelers," Beane said Friday in an announcement meant to put to rest reports of an imminent deal between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Bills. World champion U.S. women's soccer players sue federation for gender discrimination

The U.S. women's national soccer team sued the U.S. Soccer Federation on Friday with allegations of gender discrimination just three months before they open their World Cup title defense in France. All 28 members of the United States squad were named as plaintiffs in federal court in Los Angeles on International Women's Day and the lawsuit includes complaints about wages and nearly every other aspect of their working conditions. NBA: Former Air Force Lieutenant flying high as head of NBA referees

Retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General Michelle Johnson has reached the upper echelons of two very different but equally male-dominated fields and credits her decorated military career with helping her serve as the NBA's head of referee operations. Johnson, who was the first woman to lead the U.S. Air Force Academy and one of the top women’s basketball players in school history, had no previous NBA experience when the league named her senior vice president and head of referee operations in 2017