fourth place on Portlands all-time list for assists wi

PITTSBURGH -- The NFLs most productive receiver over the past three years is getting a raise commensurate with his star status.A person familiar with the deal tells The Associated Press the Pittsburgh Steelers have restructured Antonio Browns current contract, giving him a $4 million advance against his 2017 salary. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the details had not been made public. ESPN first reported the reworked deal.This is the second straight year the Steelers have tweaked the details of Browns contract to give him a pay bump.The team advanced the two-time All-Pro $2 million in 2015. Brown will make $10.25 million this season. He celebrated by posting a picture of himself signing the amended contract on Wednesday next to agent Drew Rosenhaus.The 28-year-old Brown has led the NFL in receptions in each of the past two seasons, including 136 in 2015 even with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger sidelined for a significant chunk of the season because of an injury.Brown, who is the only player in league history to have consecutive seasons with at least 125 receptions, has hinted at wanting a new deal each of the past two springs but the Steelers have declined, pointing to a team policy of not opening contract talks to players with more than one season left on their current deals.Brown has two years remaining on the six-year, $42.5-million contract he signed in 2012, an agreement that coincided with Browns rise to being one of the NFLs elite players at his position.Pittsburgh has found a way to sidestep the policy by basically paying Brown early. The two sides will almost certainly begin working on a new contract next offseason, one that would likely make Brown of the leagues highest-paid wide receivers. Browns 526 receptions are the most by an NFL player in the first six seasons of their career.Brown is not expected to play during Thursday nights preseason finale at Carolina. The Steelers open the season at Washington on Monday, Sept. 12.Game notes The Steelers claimed quarterback Zach Mettenberger off waivers from San Diego on Wednesday and placed injured backup Bruce Gradkowski on injured reserve with a significant hamstring injury. Mettenberger, who went 0-10 as a starter while playing for Tennessee in 2014 and 2015, will serve as Pittsburghs No. 3 quarterback behind Roethlisberger and Landry Jones.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP-NFL Air Max 90 Ez Sale . -- Most satisfying to Russ Smith about No. Wholesale Air Max 90 Essential Womens .Y. - New Orleans forward Anthony Davis was chosen Friday to replace the injured Kobe Bryant in the NBA All-Star game that will be played in his home city. http://www.wholesale90airmax.com/wholesale-air-max-90-premium/womens.html . Traditional contenders Brazil, Greece and Turkey drew the other three spots to complete the 24-team field for this summers tournament in Spain, basketball governing body FIBA announced Saturday at its meeting in Barcelona. Cheap Air Max 90 Wholesale . Tevez, who has had conflicts with coaches in the past, has not been called up since Sabella was named coach in 2011. Argentina boasts Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Sergio Aguero, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Angel Di Maria. Cheap Air Max 90 Essential Womens . After Gasquet beat fifth-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia 7-5, 6-3, Tsonga followed up with a 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-2 win against sixth-seeded Edouard Roger-Vasselin in an all-French match. PORTLAND, Ore. -- A fiery halftime speech from coach Terry Stotts spurred the Trail Blazers over the Nuggets.Portland had fallen behind 57-50 at the break and the defense was struggling.He got after us, and pretty much told us what we were doing was not acceptable and we couldnt keep doing it -- putting ourselves in that position and not playing smart as were capable of and not playing as hard as we need to be to give ourselves a chance, Damian Lillard said.Lillard finished with 32 points and Portland handed Denver its fourth straight loss with a 112-105 victory on Sunday night.CJ McCollum added 21 points for the Blazers, who have won five of their last six games. Portland came alive in the second half after Stotts speech and outscored Denver 36-15 in the third quarter.He got on us, he yelled at us a little bit, and its up to us to go out and answer the call, Lillard said about the halftime talk. I thought we did a great job responding.Jamal Murray hit a 3-pointer to pull Denver within 110-105 in the final seconds, but the rally came up short. It was the Blazers seventh straight victory over the Nuggets at the Moda Center.Murray and Danilo Gallinari led the Nuggets with 19 points apiece and Kenneth Faried added 18. Fourteen of Murrays career-high points came in the fourth-quarter rally. He made five 3-pointers.Denvers Gary Harris, who has started in four games for the Nuggets this season, was out because of a right ankle sprain. Harris started and had 13 points in the Nuggets 106-95 loss at home to Detroit on Saturday night. While he injured his ankle during the game, he returned to play.Jameer Nelson started in his place on Sunday. Reserve forward Wilson Chandler, who has struggled with a left hamstring strain, also played and had 18 points.Once were aggressive and play as a team we can beat anybody, but we didnt do that in the third quarter, Chandler said. They came out and just flipped it on us. They were the aggressors in the third quarter and they just jumped on us.The Blazers were coming off a 122-120 overtime victory over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night. Afterward, Lillard said the Blazers needed to play well for longer stretches.Portland went up 13-7 early on Meyers Leonards alley-oop dunk but Denver wrestled away the lead and went up 28--20 at the end of the first quarter on Nelsons 3-pointer.ddddddddddddusuf Nurkics hook shot pushed Denvers lead to 48-31 midway through the second quarter. The Blazers played their way back, with Maurice Harkless layup pulling Portland within 52-46.Portland trailed 57-50 at the half, but closed to 58-55 on CJ McCollums layup. Portland took a 61-60 lead on Harkless 3-pointer and his fast-break layup stretched the advantage to 73-64.Harkless finished with 17 points.Asked about what he said at halftime, Stotts wouldnt reveal much.We talked about defense, he said.TIP-INS:Nuggets: Chandler has had six games this season with at least 10 points. He had 11 in the first half alone against Portland. ... The Nuggets rank last in the league for turnovers with an average of 18 per game. Against the Blazers they had 18.Trail Blazers: The Blazers beat the Nuggets 115-113 in overtime earlier this season in Denver. With six assists tonight, Damian Lillard surpassed Geoff Petrie for fourth place on Portlands all-time list for assists with 2,058.LILLARD-PROTESTS: There have been protests every night in Portland since Tuesdays election of Donald Trump. At times the demonstrations have turned violent with property damage, a non-fatal shooting and 71 arrests on Saturday.I think its very unfortunate that people have done some of the things they have done during the protest. A lot of harm and damage has been done, Lillard told ESPN. I do understand their frustration, and I commend people wanting to come together for some kind of change. Tearing apart your own city just isnt the place to begin, and also making your own city less of a safe place isnt the answer.There has been increased security at the Moda Center since the election.MURRAYS BIG NIGHT: I was getting worried missing them early, he said about his fourth-quarter surge. I was so wide open and I wasnt hitting them so I wanted to make up for that. In addition to his top game in terms of points and 3-pointers, the rookie out of Kentucky also had a season-best five rebounds.UP NEXT:Nuggets: Denver hosts the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.Trail Blazers: Portland hosts the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday. ' ' '