Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Soccer: Messi fires Barca to Cup final win over Athletic Bilbao

Lionel Messi scored twice as Barcelona thrashed Athletic Bilbao 4-0 in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday to win the trophy for a record-extending 31st time with all the goals coming in the last half an hour. Antoine Griezmann put a dominant Barca side ahead on the hour when he turned in a cross from Frenkie de Jong, who doubled the Catalans' lead three minutes later.

Snooker: World champion O'Sullivan wins as fans return to Crucible

Ronnie O'Sullivan started his World Championship defence with a 10-4 win over Mark Joyce on Saturday as fans were allowed back into sporting events in England for the first time this year. More than 600 tickets were sold for the three sessions at the Crucible as part of the government's pilot scheme to help sport out of lockdown after an easing of COVID-19 restrictions.

MLB roundup: BoSox score late to knock off ChiSox

Marwin Gonzalez led off what turned into a four-run eighth with a home run to lead the host Boston Red Sox to a 7-4 win over the Chicago White Sox Saturday at Fenway Park. The win was Boston's 10th in its past 11 games. After an 0-3 start, the Red Sox rattled off nine consecutive wins before losing to Minnesota on Thursday.

NBA roundup: Donovan Mitchell injured in Jazz's comeback win

Donovan Mitchell scored 22 points before leaving with a sprained right ankle early in the third quarter, and the Utah Jazz rallied in his absence to beat the visiting Indiana Pacers 119-111 on Friday afternoon in Salt Lake City. Bojan Bogdanovic led the Jazz with 24 points, and Jordan Clarkson returned from his four-game injury absence to help the comeback efforts with 18 points. Rudy Gobert also contributed 13 points, 23 rebounds and four blocked shots as Utah won for the 13th time in 16 games.

Looking to snap nine-game skid, Thunder visit Raptors

When the Oklahoma City Thunder visit the Toronto Raptors at Tampa, Fla., on Sunday night, the Thunder will be playing the last team they defeated before going on a nine-game losing streak. That 113-103 win by the host Thunder on March 31 concluded a 1-13 March for the Raptors. Since then, while the Thunder have done nothing but lose, the Raptors have won five of nine.

NHL roundup: Panthers come out on top of rival Lightning

Frank Vatrano tallied his team-leading sixth game-winning goal as the Florida Panthers beat the host Tampa Bay Lightning and league top goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy 5-3 on Saturday night in St. Petersburg, Fla. Vatrano raced in and beat Vasilevskiy -- the NHL's leader with 26 wins -- with a backhander in the second period as the Lightning netminder ultimately suffered a loss on home ice for the first time in 15 games this season.

Olympic President Bach to visit Japan in May, meet PM Suga - media

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach will visit Japan in May, the Kyodo News agency said on Saturday, as the nation struggles to contain a surge in COVID-19 cases before the start of the Games. Bach will attend a torch relay ceremony in the western city of Hiroshima on May 17 and meet with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga the next day, Kyodo said, citing sources close to the matter. Bach is expected to back Japan's commitment to safely host the Summer Games, Kyodo reported.

Golden Knights eye sweep of Ducks, tie for first in West

The Vegas Golden Knights can move into a first-place tie in the West Division if they can complete a sweep of their back-to-back with the host Anaheim Ducks on Sunday afternoon. Vegas, which has a five-game winning streak, already has swept nine two-game back-to-backs this season. The Golden Knights enter Sunday's game coming off a dominating 4-0 victory over the Ducks on Friday night and trail first-place Colorado by two points.

Heat's Jimmy Butler hopes visit by Nets fires up his team

Jimmy Butler did his part on Friday night to try to send the Miami Heat home with a victory to cap their four-game trip. But his 30 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists weren't enough as the Heat dropped their third game in a row, this time to the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves.

NBA roundup: Celtics win thriller despite Stephen’s Curry’s 47

Jayson Tatum lost his personal duel with Stephen Curry but the Boston Celtics won their battle with the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night, outfinishing the visitors for a 119-114 win in a nationally televised duel of streaking teams. Tatum scored a driving hoop to break a tie with 48.8 seconds left, and Kemba Walker delivered the dagger with a 3-pointer 24 seconds later, allowing the Celtics to record their sixth straight win.