Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Heat-Spurs postponed, Miami down 12 players

Wednesday night's game between the Miami Heat and host San Antonio Spurs was postponed by the NBA due to Miami not having the minimum eight players. The Heat list 12 players as out on their injury report -- six due to COVID-19 protocols and six due to injuries.

Tennis-Integrity Agency to be responsible for anti-doping programme from 2022

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) will handle both anti-doping and anti-corruption programmes in the sport from Jan. 1, 2022, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said on Wednesday. The sport's anti-doping programme was previously overseen by the ITF but the Tennis Integrity Supervisory Board unanimously confirmed the ITIA would take over next year.

Soccer-Welch to become first woman referee in FA Cup third round

Rebecca Welch is set to become the first female to referee in the FA Cup third round, organisers said on Wednesday.

Welch will take charge of Birmingham City's home tie against Plymouth Argyle, which will be played at St Andrews on Jan. 8, as the first woman referee at that stage of the competition.

NHL-League cuts COVID-19 isolation period to five days for vaccinated players

The isolation period for fully vaccinated National Hockey League players after a positive COVID-19 test has been cut from 10 days to five provided they meet a set of guidelines, the NHL and its players' association (NHLPA) said Wednesday. The change in protocol, which also applies to vaccinated hockey operations staff, comes after dozens of games were postponed this season due to the deadly pandemic, leading the league to pull its players from the upcoming Beijing Games.

Tennis-Djokovic skips ATP Cup, adding to Australian Open uncertainty

Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the Serbia team for the ATP Cup in Sydney, event organisers said on Wednesday, raising further doubts over whether the world number one will defend his Australian Open title next month. There has been intense speculation over Djokovic's participation in both events, with the 34-year-old, who is opposed to COVID-19 vaccinations, repeatedly declining to say if he has been inoculated against the virus.

NBA roundup: Lakers get two triple-doubles, top Rockets

LeBron James posted a 30-point triple-double and paced four 20-point scorers for the Los Angeles Lakers, who snapped a five-game skid with a 132-123 road win over the host Houston Rockets on Tuesday. James finished with 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his third triple-double of the season but had ample support. Russell Westbrook chipped in his seventh triple-double (24 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists) while Malik Monk added 25 points and Carmelo Anthony 24 off the Lakers' bench.

Soccer-Real Madrid quartet test positive for COVID-19

Real Madrid's Thibaut Courtois, Federico Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga and Vinicius Jr have tested positive for COVID-19, the club said in a statement on Wednesday. LaLiga has been on a short winter break since Real's last match on Dec. 22 and the pacesetters are back in action on Jan. 2 when they travel to Getafe in LaLiga.

3B Kyle Seager retires after 11 seasons with Mariners

Free agent third baseman Kyle Seager announced his retirement Wednesday after 11 seasons with the Seattle Mariners. Seager, who turned 34 in November, set career highs with 35 home runs and 101 RBIs during the Mariners' 90-win season in 2021.

NHL roundup: Sharks blow leads but beat Coyotes in shootout, 8-7

Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl each scored in regulation and again in the shootout as the San Jose Sharks overcame blowing a late two-goal lead to win 8-7 over the visiting Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday night. Down 7-5 with just over three minutes to play in regulation, Arizona's Shayne Gostisbehere scored to make it a one-goal game, and Andrew Ladd tied it on the power play with 1:29 left. However, the Coyotes couldn't complete the comeback and lost for the ninth time in 11 games.

Tennis-'Mix of emotions': Stosur to end singles career at Australian Open

Sam Stosur will call time on her singles career at next month's Australian Open, though she will continue to play doubles in 2022, the 37-year-old said on Wednesday. The Australian player received a wildcard to play at Melbourne Park, where she has reached the singles fourth round on two occasions, in 2006 and 2010. She thanked tournament organisers ahead of her 20th appearance at the major.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)