Sports News Roundup: Suns beat Jazz in OT in duel; Tiger Woods may have hit accelerator and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

NBA roundup: Suns beat Jazz in OT in duel of NBA's best

Devin Booker and Chris Paul led the Phoenix Suns to a 117-113 overtime win over the visiting Utah Jazz on Wednesday night in a game between the NBA's two best teams that lived up to its billing. Booker scored 35 points and Chris Paul contributed 29 points and nine assists as the Suns, who have the NBA's second-best record, held on for their seventh victory in a row.

Tiger Woods may have hit accelerator instead of brake in high-speed crash

Tiger Woods was traveling more than 40 miles per hour (64 km per hour) above the speed limit when he lost control of his car, causing the crash that severely injured him in February, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said on Wednesday. Heading down a notoriously dangerous stretch of road in the Rolling Hills Estates community in Los Angeles County, Woods' car reached speeds of 84 to 87 mph (135-140 kph) when he lost control along a curve that has been the site of 14 other accidents, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said at a news conference. The speed limit was 45 mph (72 kph).

NHL roundup: Wild's big night ends Avs' point streak at 15

Kevin Fiala scored his first career hat trick and also had an assist as the Minnesota Wild snapped Colorado's 15-game point streak with an 8-3 victory on Wednesday night in Saint Paul, Minn. Wild rookie Kirill Kaprizov added two goals and an assist. Luke Johnson, Ryan Hartman and Joel Eriksson Ek also scored goals and Jared Spurgeon and Victor Rask each had three assists for Minnesota, which moved within two points of the second-place Vegas Golden Knights in the West Division.

Rapinoe blasts Draymond Green over equal pay comments

U.S. women's national soccer team forward Megan Rapinoe fired back at Warriors forward Draymond Green on Wednesday, saying the basketball player should have been better educated on the issue of gender pay equity when he accused female athletes of only "complaining." Rapinoe and her fellow U.S. national teammates became leading figures for pay equity in the United States after getting into a public battle with their federation over wages and playing conditions in the run-up to the team's successful World Cup bid in 2019.

MLB roundup: A's beat Dodgers in 10 to grab 1st win of season

Mitch Moreland lined a walk-off single to center field with one out in the bottom of the 10th inning Wednesday afternoon, allowing the Oakland Athletics to end a historic season-opening losing streak with a 4-3 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers in the finale of a three-game series. The A's overcame a 3-1 deficit and the strong pitching of Trevor Bauer en route to their first win of the year after they had matched the 1916 Philadelphia A's for the longest season-opening losing streak in franchise history at six games.

French Open postponed to May 30 amid COVID-19 crisis

This year's French Open tennis tournament has been postponed by a week due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will begin on May 30, the French Tennis Federation (FFT) said on Thursday. The French Open, which last year was postponed by four months and took place in front of limited crowds, was due to start this year on May 23.

CB A.J. Bouye agrees to deal with Panthers

The Carolina Panthers added to their defensive backfield depth Wednesday, agreeing to a contract with free agent cornerback A.J. Bouye. While the team announced Bouye's arrival in a tweet, it did not release contract terms.

Paris not Tokyo could be last Olympics, hints Biles

After thinking hard about hanging on another year to compete at the COVID-19 delayed Tokyo Olympics, four-time gold medallist gymnast Simone Biles said on Wednesday she just might stick around for another three years for the 2024 Paris Summer Games. Winner of the coveted all-around crown along with team, floor and vault gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Biles had given every indication that the Tokyo Games would be her competitive swan song.

Japan denies report of vaccine priority for Olympic athletes after outcry

Japan's government moved to cool a social media furore on Thursday saying it was currently not looking to prioritise COVID-19 vaccines for Olympic athletes, dismissing a media report that said it was weighing the option. The social media outrage comes as Japan's inoculations are lagging well behind other major economies. Only a million have received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine since February, out of its population of 126 million, and the more vulnerable elderly do not even start getting their shots until next week.

Olympics: Team USA athletes signal readiness for COVID-19 vaccine

United States Olympic hopefuls said they were ready and willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, as the three-day Team USA virtual media summit kicked off on Wednesday, a year after the deadly pandemic forced a delay to the Tokyo 2020 Games. The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC)reiterated that it would not require athletes to get a shot to compete in Tokyo, but will encourage them to do so, as Japan enters what appears to be a fourth wave of the pandemic.

(With inputs from agencies.)