Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Golf-LIV Golf's Louisiana event postponed, state seeks $1.2 million payback

The LIV Golf event scheduled to be played in Louisiana in June has been postponed, state ​officials said on Tuesday. News of the postponement comes less than two weeks after LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil said the ​breakaway circuit's 2026 season would proceed as planned amid reports that the series was at risk ‌of ​losing its funding.

NBA roundup: De'Aaron Fox, Spurs knock out Blazers in Game 5

De'Aaron Fox scored 13 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter as the host San Antonio Spurs defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 114-95 on Tuesday to close out a 4-1 victory in the teams' first-round Western Conference playoff series. Victor Wembanyama racked up 17 points, 14 rebounds and six blocked shots as the second-seeded Spurs secured a berth ‌in the conference semifinals vs. either the third-seeded Denver Nuggets or sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves.

Golf-Pavan hopeful of playing again within a year after horror elevator accident

Italian golfer Andrea Pavan said he hopes to be able to make a full swing within a year as he continues his recovery from serious back and shoulder injuries sustained when he fell three stories down an open elevator shaft in South Africa. The accident happened when Pavan, a two-time winner on Europe's DP World Tour, called a lift at his accommodation near the near Stellenbosch Golf Club in February and the door opened without the elevator car in ‌the shaft.

Boxing-World Boxing allows Russian, Belarusian boxers to compete as neutrals

Russian and Belarusian boxers will be allowed to compete as neutral athletes, World Boxing said on Tuesday, aligning with the International Olympic Committee's stance adopted after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Under the policy, athletes from ‌the two countries will compete as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN), without national flags, anthems, logos or uniforms, and will be subject to a vetting process.

Soccer-FIFA increases financial distribution to World Cup participants by 15%

FIFA will increase payments to teams taking part in the 2026 World Cup to almost $900 million, world soccer's governing body said on Tuesday, citing the commercial success of its expanded flagship men's tournament. The FIFA Council, meeting in Vancouver ahead of the 76th FIFA Congress, approved a 15% increase in the resources to be distributed to all 48 participating member associations at next year's tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

NHL roundup: David Pastrnak saves Bruins' season in OT

David Pastrnak's breakaway goal at 9:14 of overtime lifted the visiting Boston ⁠Bruins to a ​season-saving, 2-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres in Game 5 of their Eastern ⁠Conference first-round playoff series on Tuesday night. Less than two minutes after Boston goaltender Jeremy Swayman made a massive stop on Alex Tuch, Pastrnak received Hampus Lindholm's long feed while striding over the blue line and broke free to slot the winning goal past the skate of Buffalo's Alex Lyon.

Janson Junk outduels Shohei Ohtani as Marlins edge Dodgers

Janson Junk ⁠pitched six scoreless innings, Otto Lopez had three hits and the visiting Miami Marlins held on for a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday to even a three-game series. Owen Caissie and Kyle Stowers each drove in a run as the Marlins improved to 2-3 on a six-game West Coast road trip.

Soccer-None ​more deserving of FIFA Peace Prize than Trump, says White House

The White House has hit back at critics of Donald Trump being awarded the FIFA Peace Prize, saying there is none more deserving than the U.S. president. Global soccer governing body FIFA gave Trump ⁠the inaugural award at the World Cup draw in December for "promoting peace and unity around the world", triggering condemnation from human rights groups and activists in the lead-up to the World Cup.

Sixers stun Celtics to stay alive in series, force Game 6

Joel Embiid tossed in 33 points and added eight assists as the visiting Philadelphia 76ers avoided elimination by beating the Boston ⁠Celtics ​113-97 on Tuesday in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series. Embiid, who missed the first three games of the series following an appendectomy, went to the locker room with an apparent knee injury with 4:35 to play in the third quarter, but returned to the game with 2:00 left in the third.

Tennis-Baptiste's variety drags Sabalenka out of comfort zone in Madrid shock

Hailey Baptiste offered a glimpse of how Aryna Sabalenka can be unsettled on clay after mixing forays to the net with changes of pace to save six match points and prevail over ⁠the world number one in their Madrid Open quarter-final on Tuesday. Baptiste's 2-6 6-2 7-6(6) victory ended Sabalenka's 15-match winning streak, as the 24-year-old American's inventive tennis under extreme pressure, most notably her serve-and-volley approach, dragged her opponent out of her comfort zone.

Rockets superstar Kevin Durant ruled ⁠out for Game 5 against Lakers

Houston will once again have to try to postpone ⁠elimination without its biggest star, as the Rockets announced late Tuesday that Kevin Durant would be out for Game 5 against the Los Angeles Lakers. It will be the fourth game out of five missed by Durant in the first-round playoff series.

Tigers RHP Casey Mize leaves start vs. Braves with groin tightness

Detroit starter Casey Mize left in the third inning of the Tigers' Tuesday game against the host Atlanta Braves due ‌to right groin tightness and he will undergo an ‌MRI exam on Wednesday. Mize, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft, appeared to grimace after fielding a soft grounder from Atlanta's Drake ​Baldwin and tossing an underhanded throw to first to record an out.

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