Reuters Sports News Summary

Lukaku, who joined Chelsea from Italian champions Inter Milan in August, told Sky Italy https://sport.sky.it/calciomercato/2021/12/30/lukaku-sky-intervista-speciale that he was unhappy with Tuchel's system while also admitting he would like to return to Italy at some point in his career. NHL roundup: Panthers pound Lightning 9-3 Jonathan Huberdeau scored a goal and contributed four assists as the Florida Panthers crushed the short-handed Tampa Bay Lightning 9-3 on Thursday night in Sunrise, Fla. Taking advantage of a Lightning team that was without its top two goalies due to COVID-19 protocol, the Panthers produced their highest-ever goal total against the Lightning.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Report: NBA reducing COVID return time for some players

Some NBA players could face a shorter waiting period to return to action following a positive COVID-19 test. ESPN reported Friday that the league and the National Basketball Players Association have agreed on a new health and safety protocol for vaccinated and asymptomatic players who have tested positive.

Sport-Surge in COVID-19 cases hammer North American sport

The National Basketball Association and National Hockey League were both forced to postpone games on Thursday, as the COVID-19 surge continued to wreak havoc on sport schedules. The Golden State Warriors' contest at Denver on Thursday was postponed after the Nuggets, who have been hit by a COVID-19 outbreak in the locker room, could not field the required minimum eight players, said the NBA.

Athletics-Ethiopians Aregawi, Taye smash 5km world records in Barcelona

Ethiopia's Berihu Aregawi and Ejegayehu Taye ended 2021 on a high when they broke the men's and women's 5km world records at the Cursa dels Nassos in Barcelona on Friday. Aregawi, 20, nearly broke Joshua Cheptegei's world record in Lille last month and was successful this time with a time of 12 minutes and 49 seconds, shaving two seconds off the Ugandan's mark.

Celtics legend, Hall of Famer Sam Jones dies at 88

Boston Celtics legend Sam Jones, a Hall of Fame member and 10-time NBA champion, has died at age 88. Only longtime Celtics teammate Bill Russell, with 11, earned more NBA rings as a player than Jones, a five-time All-Star and a member of the NBA's 25th, 50th and 75th anniversary teams.

Soccer-Three Liverpool players COVID-19 positive before Chelsea trip - Klopp

Three Liverpool players and more staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the trip to Chelsea but it is too soon to ask the Premier League to postpone the game, manager Juergen Klopp said on Friday. The league has postponed 18 games so far due to a mixture of COVID-19 outbreaks and injuries at several clubs, leaving them without enough players to fulfil fixtures.

Tennis-'Here I am' - Nadal reaches Melbourne ahead of Australian Open

Rafa Nadal confirmed his bid for a record 21st Grand Slam title on Friday by posting a picture of himself at Melbourne Park on social media and allaying fears that he could miss next month's Australian Open. Nadal caught the novel coronavirus while playing in an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi this month and said he would make a decision nL1N2T50ML on his future tournaments depending on his "evolution" over the weeks ahead.

NBA roundup: Joel Embiid's 34 points help 76ers rally past Nets

Joel Embiid scored 34 points and converted the tiebreaking three-point play with 3:14 remaining as the Philadelphia 76ers made all the plays down the stretch in a 110-102 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday in New York. Embiid shot 11 of 23 from the floor and notched at least 30 points for a seventh straight road game. His hoop and subsequent free throw started Philadelphia's game-ending 13-5 run.

NHL postpones more games in Canada due to fan limits

Even as teams return to the ice following their extended break due to coronavirus outbreaks around the league, the NHL continued Friday to postpone games due to attendance restrictions in Canada, extending the list of postponements to 16 games in the next two weeks. The league announced Tuesday it would move games in five of its seven Canadian cities to "dates later in the season when such restrictions may be eased or lifted." With the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, capacity at indoor sporting events is currently limited in Canada, depending on the province.

Soccer-Lukaku's comments on being unhappy at Chelsea unhelpful -Tuchel

Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku's comments about being dissatisfied with life at the club are unhelpful, manager Thomas Tuchel said on Friday, adding that they would discuss matters with the striker behind closed doors. Lukaku, who joined Chelsea from Italian champions Inter Milan in August, told Sky Italy https://sport.sky.it/calciomercato/2021/12/30/lukaku-sky-intervista-speciale that he was unhappy with Tuchel's system while also admitting he would like to return to Italy at some point in his career.

NHL roundup: Panthers pound Lightning 9-3

Jonathan Huberdeau scored a goal and contributed four assists as the Florida Panthers crushed the short-handed Tampa Bay Lightning 9-3 on Thursday night in Sunrise, Fla. Taking advantage of a Lightning team that was without its top two goalies due to COVID-19 protocol, the Panthers produced their highest-ever goal total against the Lightning. The previous high came in an 8-2 win on Feb. 28, 2006. It was also one goal short of the Florida record against any team.

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