Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Dan Hicks, NBC Sports lead golf voice, dies after acute illness

Longtime NBC Sports broadcaster Dan Hicks died following ​an acute illness, his family said Thursday. He was 64. Hicks' wife, ESPN broadcaster Hannah Storm, shared the ​news over social media.

Braves, reliever Evan Phillips agree to three-year, $35M deal

Free-agent reliever Evan ‌Phillips ​agreed to a three-year, $35 million deal with the Braves. The right-hander returns to Atlanta where he broke into MLB in 2018 after appearing in 31 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers last season.

Lionel Messi a finalist for third straight MLS MVP award

Major League Soccer revealed its finalists on Thursday for eight individual season-ending awards, including five finalists for ‌the Landon Donovan MVP Award that include the favorite in Lionel Messi and 17-year-old sensation Cavan Sullivan. Messi's stellar play for Inter Miami earned him the league's MVP trophy in each of the past two seasons, with Sullivan making his mark during a breakout season for the Philadelphia Union.

Cowboys CB Joey Porter Jr. insists injury, not contract, keeping him idle

Joey Porter Jr. insists his idle status with the Dallas Cowboys has nothing to do with money. Porter was not available at Indianapolis last week ‌and left the previous game against the Cardinals early because of an ankle injury. The Cowboys have listed Porter on the injury report since he was first hurt Oct. 4. Acquired by the Cowboys from the Pittsburgh ‌Steelers on Oct. 1, there was some question whether Porter might be repeating a tactic he deployed in Pittsburgh while angling for a long-term contract extension.

NBA roundup: Rockets top Warriors as Stephen Curry exits injured

Alperen Sengun flirted with a triple-double to lead a balanced attack for the Houston Rockets, who pulled away in the fourth quarter of a 115-108 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. Sengun posted 19 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists to help Houston snap the Warriors' eight-game winning streak. Golden State played most of the game without Stephen Curry, who logged six minutes before departing ⁠with right abdominal ​soreness in the first quarter.

NHL roundup: Nikita Kucherov's hat trick ⁠leads Lightning past Sabres

Nikita Kucherov produced a third-period natural hat trick after Tampa Bay nearly wasted a four-goal lead, John Carlson reached 800 points with his first career five-point game, and the Lightning blew away the host Buffalo Sabres 8-3 on Wednesday. Kucherov figured in on all four Tampa Bay ⁠tallies in the third after Tage Thompson cut the lead to 4-3. Kucherov tallied at 1:25, 4:11 and 14:13 of the period to put Tampa Bay up 7-3.

LPGA stiffens fines, penalties for pace-of-play issues

The LPGA Tour will distribute stricter punishments in 2027 to those who ​violate pace of play regulations. Players were informed of the changes by the Pace of Play Committee on Tuesday during a meeting at The Annika in Belleair, Fla.

Soccer-Manchester United sack manager Carrick with club in relegation ⁠zone

Manchester United dismissed manager Michael Carrick on Thursday after a prolonged winless Premier League run culminated in a 4-4 draw against Aston Villa at Old Trafford last weekend, leaving the struggling team mired in the relegation zone. United have won only three of their 15 matches in all competitions under Carrick ⁠this ​season -- including one league victory -- leaving them 18th in the table on eight points after 10 games, one point from the bottom.

Soccer-Gotham primed for KC Current test after smoothing pitch controversy

KC Current's attacking force will collide with Gotham FC's iron-clad defence in a hotly-anticipated NWSL semi-final on Sunday, as Gotham chase a second straight title after navigating a home turf controversy. Twice champions Gotham FC conceded the fewest goals to finish atop the standings, with England veteran Jess Carter and defender of ⁠the year nominee Tierna Davidson forming a formidable central defence.

Soccer-US pulls men's Under-17 team from World Cup in Qatar over safety concerns

US Soccer has withdrawn its national team from the men's FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Qatar over ⁠safety concerns, the federation told players on Wednesday. In a letter sent ⁠to players and provided to Reuters, the federation said it was cancelling the team's pre-tournament camp and its participation in the event "in light of current circumstances."

Soccer-US judge rejects FIFA bid to intervene in UEFA probe

A US judge on Thursday denied an attempt by FIFA's American subsidiaries to intervene in UEFA's effort to obtain evidence for a potential Swiss criminal ‌case against FIFA President Gianni Infantino over ‌his abandoned World Cup commercial-rights plan. "US FIFA parties have no direct, substantial and legally protectable interest in the subject matter of ​this application," US District Judge Jeannette Vargas said in her ruling.