Sports News Roundup: Lakers clinch top seed with win; Svechnikov hat trick lifts Hurricanes and more

NBA roundup: Lakers clinch top seed with win over Jazz Anthony Davis scored 42 points and grabbed 12 rebounds Monday, and the Los Angeles Lakers clinched the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a 116-108 victory over the Utah Jazz at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando. Voting for this year was based on games played up until the suspension of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic on March 11.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

NBA roundup: Lakers clinch top seed with win over Jazz

Anthony Davis scored 42 points and grabbed 12 rebounds Monday, and the Los Angeles Lakers clinched the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a 116-108 victory over the Utah Jazz at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando. LeBron James contributed 22 points and nine assists, and Dwight Howard added 11 points as the Lakers improved to 2-1 in restart games, rebounding from a loss to the defending champion Toronto Raptors on Saturday.

NHL roundup: Svechnikov hat trick lifts Hurricanes

Andrei Svechnikov recorded the first postseason hat trick in franchise history to lead the Hurricanes to a 4-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Monday afternoon in Toronto, giving Carolina a 2-0 lead in a best-of-five Eastern Conference qualifying series. Svechnikov, a second-year left winger, scored a goal in each period.

His last tally came with 5:58 remaining. Budenholzer, Donovan share NBCA Coach of the Year award

The National Basketball Coaches Association (NBCA) named the Milwaukee Bucks' Mike Budenholzer and Oklahoma City Thunder's Billy Donovan as co-coaches of the year on Monday. The award is based on votes from each of the NBA's 30 head coaches. Voting for this year was based on games played up until the suspension of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic on March 11.

Jaguars QB Minshew activated from COVID-19 list

Jacksonville Jaguars starting quarterback Gardner Minshew II was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list on Tuesday morning. The second-year signal caller was one of five Jaguars placed on the list Sunday. He is expected to rejoin the team for strength and conditioning work.

MLB roundup: Braves fall to Mets, lose Soroka for season

New York ace Jacob deGrom picked up his first victory on Monday as the visiting Mets defeated the Atlanta Braves 7-2 to end their five-game losing streak. DeGrom, the two-time defending Cy Young winner, worked six innings and allowed two runs on five hits and one walk. He struck out a season-high 10 batters, the 42nd time in his career he's had double-digit strikeouts. Only Nolan Ryan (46) had more through his first 173 career games than deGrom.

TCU's Patterson apologizes for repeating racial slur

TCU football coach Gary Patterson apologized Tuesday for repeating a racial slur, which prompted several players to skip practice Monday. Patterson repeated the N-word to Horned Frogs linebacker Dylan Jordan during a conversation on Sunday when he was instructing the redshirt freshman to stop using the word in team meetings.

Rose still hungry and raring to go after turning 40

Justin Rose says turning 40 last week gave him the opportunity to "press the reset button" after a disappointing year and the Briton is looking forward to challenging for seven majors over the next 11 months. Rose, who won the U.S. Open in 2013 and the Olympic gold three years later, has not won a tournament in the last 18 months and heads into the PGA Championship at Harding Park on Thursday hoping to turn things around.

Motor racing: British GP tyre problems due to wear on long final stint

A tyre problem that nearly cost Lewis Hamilton a record seventh British Grand Prix victory last weekend was due to a particularly long final stint on one set, Pirelli said on Tuesday. Six times Formula One world champion Hamilton won the race at Silverstone on three wheels and a flat tyre after his front left deflated on the final lap with some 3.8 km between him and the finish.

Federer pays surprise visit to rooftop tennis girls

Two Italian girls whose rooftop tennis video went viral have received a surprise visit from Roger Federer. The video of Vittoria Oliveri and Carola Pessina playing on the rooftops of neighbouring buildings in Finale Ligure during the COVID-19 lockdown garnered over 10 million views.

Players must decide by Thursday whether to opt out of season

National Football League (NFL) players have until 4 p.m. ET on Thursday to decide whether they will opt out of the new season, a source with knowledge of the matter confirmed to Reuters on Monday. The NFL's 2020 campaign kicks off on Sept. 10, with enhanced measures in place to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus, but numerous players have already chosen to opt out citing safety concerns.

(With inputs from agencies.)