Referees Near Deal

NBA referees, locked out since Oct. 1, could reach an agreement with the league by Friday, according to Mike Mathis, the union’s lead negotiator.

Mathis and other union representatives met in New York for about 3 hours with NBA officials, including commissioner David Stern. Negotiations are to continue today.

The Boston Celtics placed guard Dee Brown on the injured list with a sprained left knee.

The Miami Heat activated center LeRon Ellis and placed forward-center Stacey King on the injured list with a sprained right ankle.