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Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Top 25 roundup: No. 11 Louisville upsets No. 3 Duke

David Johnson scored 19 points as No. 11 Louisville withstood a charge from third-ranked Duke and pulled out a 79-73 road victory Saturday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C. The Cardinals (15-3, 6-1 ACC) saw all of their 15-point first-half lead vanish before they turned it on again. The Blue Devils (15-3, 5-2) lost for the second time in a week after Tuesday night's setback at Clemson marked the end of a nine-game winning streak.

College football notebook: Clemson's Simmons entering NFL draft

Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons announced Saturday that he plans to skip his senior season and enter the 2020 NFL Draft. "Take a chance, because you never know how perfect something can turn out," Simmons wrote on Twitter, leading into a lengthy post.

NHL roundup: Ovechkin leads Caps with 2nd straight hat trick

Alexander Ovechkin recorded a hat trick to pass Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux for 10th place and tie Steve Yzerman for ninth place on the NHL's all-time goals list and the Washington Capitals rallied for a 6-4 victory over the host New York Islanders on Saturday afternoon. Ovechkin tied Lemieux midway through the first period with a breakaway goal but after his 690th goal, the Capitals did little offensively until their comeback bid in the third to win their third straight game.

Golf: Kuchar wins in Singapore despite seventh hole meltdown

Matt Kuchar survived a nightmare on the front nine before claiming a three-shot victory over former world number one Justin Rose in his maiden appearance at the Singapore Open on Sunday. The American dropped a triple bogey but displayed tremendous resilience to card a one-under-par 70 for a winning total of 18-under 266.

McGregor makes fast work of Cerrone on UFC return

Former two-division champion Conor McGregor returned to the Octagon with a stunning knockout of Donald Cerrone in under a minute at UFC 246 on Saturday in his first fight since losing a lightweight title bout to Khabib Nurmagomedov 15 months ago. The 31-year-old Irishman left 'Cowboy' Cerrone bloodied just seconds into the fight by ramming shoulders into his face from the clinch, and when they broke McGregor landed a head kick that wobbled the American and sent him scrambling back to the cage.

Melbourne Park ready to embrace the Kyrgios that cares

An unlikely hero of his country's bushfire relief efforts, Nick Kyrgios enters the Australian Open on a rare surge of goodwill from a sports-loving public long infuriated by his failure to convert talent into trophies. For a player branded "polarizing" for his long rap sheet of indiscretions, Kyrgios has been a galvanizing force in raising funds and awareness as Australia comes to terms with the unprecedented devastation left by the fires.

NBA roundup: LeBron, D lead Lakers by Rockets

LeBron James produced his 31st double-double, Kyle Kuzma chipped in 23 points and the visiting Los Angeles Lakers turned a third-quarter defensive clinic into a 124-115 win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday. The Lakers delivered an efficient offensive display without their leading scorer, Anthony Davis, by following James' lead. James paired a team-high 31 points with a game-high 12 assists to steward the Lakers. Their defensive might turned the tide in the third, which they won 32-17.

NFL notebook: OBJ reportedly won’t face charges

The Superdome police officer on the receiving end of a butt slap from Odell Beckham Jr. is not pressing charges against the Cleveland Browns receiver, multiple outlets reported Saturday. The 48-year-old lieutenant signed an affidavit stating he did not wish to pursue any charges, according to law enforcement sources. On Thursday, New Orleans police obtained a warrant for Beckham on a misdemeanor charge of simple battery after he was videotaped slapping the rear end of the officer in the LSU locker room following the Tigers' national championship win against Clemson on Monday.

Djokovic crosses fingers for clean air at Melbourne Park

Defending champion Novak Djokovic says he was saddened by the sight of players and ball kids struggling in smoky conditions during Australian Open qualifying and hoped the worst of the air pollution was behind them at the year's first Grand Slam. Smoke from bushfires raging across the country blanketed Melbourne Park during the opening days of qualifying, forcing Slovenian Dalila Jakupovic to retire after she collapsed in a coughing fit and leaving other players battling for breath.

Tennis: Extreme heat, fires to affect sports more through climate change - report

The poor air quality which left players fighting for breath at Melbourne Park last week, and the extreme heat which disrupted the tournament in the past, will become the new norm if sports do not do more to address climate change, a report released on Monday said. The Australian Open, the season's first Grand Slam, starts later on Monday but the lead-up was blighted by smoke from bushfires that have raged across Australia for months.