Sports News Roundup: Los Angeles parades on hold in the 'City of Champions'; New Zealand Open cancelled because of COVID-19 and more

The Dodgers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday to clinch the club's first championship in 32 years after enduring heartbreaking losses in the 2017 and 2018 World Series.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

MLB criticises Turner for returning to field after COVID-19 positive

Major League Baseball (MLB) on Wednesday issued a scathing rebuke to Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner after he returned to the field with his team mates after their World Series-clinching Game 6 win having tested positive for COVID-19 Turner was removed from the field during the eighth inning and placed in isolation after MLB said it learned mid-game that he had tested positive for the coronavirus, which has ravaged the United States and claimed more than 220,000 lives across the country.

Dodgers beat Rays to snap 32-year World Series drought

The Los Angeles Dodgers ended decades of heartbreak with their first World Series win since 1988 on Tuesday, a 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in Arlington sealing the best-of-seven championship 4-2. The Dodgers' triumph at their third World Series appearance in four years closed out a shortened season in which the final three playoff rounds were held at four neutral-site locations in a bid to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Raptors G Davis arrested on assault charge

Toronto Raptors guard Terence Davis was arrested Tuesday night in New York City and charged with assault and criminal mischief, according to multiple media reports. He allegedly assaulted a woman at a luxury apartment hotel in Midtown Manhattan. USA Today said the 20-year-old woman told authorities she was Davis' girlfriend. He is alleged to have hit her in the face, causing pain to her eye, and breaking the screen of her phone.

76ers to name Morey operations boss

Former Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey is the new president of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers, ESPN reported Wednesday. Sources told ESPN that general manager Elton Brand would remain in his current position and that new head coach Doc Rivers supports the hiring of Morey, who resigned his position with the Rockets on Oct. 15.

New Zealand Open cancelled because of COVID-19

Organisers of next year's New Zealand Open golf tournament have had to cancel the event because of the uncertainty over the coronavirus pandemic. The tournament was scheduled to be held on two courses in the South Island town of Queenstown in February.

Djokovic marks Italian teenager Sinner as a potential number one

Novak Djokovic feels Italian teenager Jannik Sinner leads the pack of 'Next Gen' players with the potential of becoming a future world number one, the Serbian said after all but securing his year-end top ranking with a win in Vienna on Wednesday. Djokovic saved four set points in the opener against Croatia's Borna Coric to win 7-6(11) 6-3 to reach the third round of the Erste Bank Open in the Austrian capital.

Rays left to wonder what might have been after World Series loss

The Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday began the first day of an offseason sure to be haunted by thoughts of what might have been after a controversial decision to pull their ace pitcher from a do-or-die World Series game backfired. The Rays, who reached the World Series in part because of a philosophy of not allowing starting pitchers to face hitters three times, were getting a much-needed gem from Blake Snell on Tuesday as he held the Los Angeles Dodgers in check.

League considers cutting Super Bowl capacity due to COVID-19

The NFL said on Wednesday it was exploring the possibility of reducing seating capacity to 20% at February's Super Bowl in Tampa, Florida, because of COVID-19. The home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which had been expected to have a capacity crowd of close to 75,000 for the Feb. 7 NFL championship game, would instead host between 13,000 and 15,000 fans, making one of the most sought-after tickets in sport even tougher to find, ESPN reported on Wednesday.

Los Angeles parades on hold in the 'City of Champions'

In a year when it seemed like nothing could go right, the sports Gods smiled on Los Angeles, rewarding long-suffering fans of the city's beloved Dodgers and Lakers with titles just weeks apart, but formal celebrations will have to wait due to COVID-19. The Dodgers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday to clinch the club's first championship in 32 years after enduring heartbreaking losses in the 2017 and 2018 World Series.

Jimmy Orr, 1958 NFL Rookie of Year, dies at 85

Two-time Pro Bowl receiver and 1958 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Jimmy Orr died Tuesday at age 85. Orr died at his home in Brunswick, Ga.

(With inputs from agencies.)