Sports briefs

Reports: Celtics, Wallace strike deal

BOSTON (AP) — Two newspapers are reporting the Celtics have reached an agreement with free agent Rasheed Wallace.

Bill Strickland, Wallace's agent, told the Boston Herald and the Boston Globe on Sunday night that the 34-year-old forward told him to call off meetings the agent was in the process of scheduling with the Orlando Magic, San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks.

Wallace played the last six seasons with the Detroit Pistons, where he won an NBA championship in 2004. He heads to a Celtics team loaded with veterans such as Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, and hoping to make at least one more title run.

Wallace has averaged 15 points and 6.9 rebounds in 14 NBA seasons. He averaged 12 points and 7.4 rebounds last season.

Wilson gives owner long-awaited victory

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (AP) — After 25 years, Dale Coyne finally knows what it's like to win a race.

After a quarter century of trying as both an owner and a driver — 558 entries in all — Justin Wilson gave him that breakthrough victory on Sunday with a dominant performance at Watkins Glen International.

Wilson passed pole-sitter Ryan Briscoe early and easily held on after a late restart to win the Camping World Grand Prix by nearly 5 seconds. Wilson led 49 laps of the 60-lap race around the 11-turn, 3.4-mile circuit.

"It took too long," Coyne, three days shy of 55, said smiling in his pit stall. "We've been trying hard. We knew Justin was a good road racer. We almost showed it at St. Pete, and we showed it here today."

Mexico downs Nicaragua in Gold Cup play

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Luis Miguel Noriega scored his first international goal on a penalty kick in the 45th minute of his national team debut, and Mexico defeated Nicaragua 2-0 on Sunday in the first round of Gold Cup play in Group C.

Pablo Barrera, a second-half substitute, added a goal for El Tri in the 86th minute. He one-touched the ball into the net from 7 yards after a perfect cross from Alberto Medina on the right flank.

The young and inexperienced Mexican team will use this tournament — a 12-team regional championship of North American, Central American and Caribbean countries — to try to find consistency leading up to a key World Cup qualifier Aug. 12 against the United States in Mexico City.

Noriega was on the roster for a pair of friendlies late last month, but this marked his first official match.

Zherdev, Hudler enter salary arbitration

TORONTO (AP) — New York Rangers right winger Nikolai Zherdev and Detroit forward Jiri Hudler are among the 20 players who will enter salary arbitration, the NHL Players' Association said Sunday night.