Sports News Roundup: NBA roundup: Jayson Tatum racks up 51 points as Celtics rout Wizards; Olympics-Ice hockey-Fans lose but China boosted by NHL Beijing pull out and more

But he hit his first four attempts against the Wizards and went 6 of 7 in the first half -- the last of which came just seconds before halftime. Olympics-Ice hockey-Fans lose but China boosted by NHL Beijing pull out Fans may be disappointed by the National Hockey League pulling out of the Olympics but the decision was no doubt welcomed by Chinese officials who were braced for humiliating thrashings by their sporting and geo-political rivals.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

NBA roundup: Jayson Tatum racks up 51 points as Celtics rout Wizards

Jayson Tatum snapped out of a 3-point shooting slump with a flourish, hitting 9 of 14 from distance en route to a season-high 51 points, and the Boston Celtics cruised past the Washington Wizards 116-87 Sunday in Washington, D.C. Tatum came into Sunday's matchup having missed his previous 20 3-point attempts and going 0-for in each of Boston's previous three games. But he hit his first four attempts against the Wizards and went 6 of 7 in the first half -- the last of which came just seconds before halftime.

Olympics-Ice hockey-Fans lose but China boosted by NHL Beijing pull out

Fans may be disappointed by the National Hockey League pulling out of the Olympics but the decision was no doubt welcomed by Chinese officials who were braced for humiliating thrashings by their sporting and geo-political rivals. Such were fears the Chinese men's team might be so outclassed it would prove an embarrassment to the sport and the hosts that the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) considered pulling China from the event in favour of Norway.

Beijing Games had 72 COVID cases, none athletes, among early arrivals

Beijing Olympics organisers said on Sunday they had confirmed 72 cases of COVID-19 among 2,586 Games-related personnel entering China from Jan. 4 to Jan. 22, with no cases among 171 athletes and team officials arriving in that period. Final preparations are taking place for the Winter Games amid a global surge in cases of the highly infectious Omicron coronavirus variant. The Games are set to take place from Feb. 4 to Feb. 20 inside a "closed loop" bubble that separates all event personnel from the public.

NFL-Brady retirement talk shifts into high gear after Buccaneers loss

The Tom Brady 'will he, won't he?' retirement debate shifted into high gear on Sunday as NFL fans wondered if the future Hall of Fame quarterback had played his last game after Tampa Bay's 30-27 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in a NFC divisional playoff. Even in the days leading up to the meeting in Tampa it seemed everyone was trying to read the tea leaves about Brady's future.

Tennis-Cornet survives Halep and heat to reach maiden Grand Slam quarter-final

Alize Cornet survived stifling heat to outlast former world number one Simona Halep 6-4 3-6 6-4 in a battle of attrition at the Australian Open on Monday, advancing to her first Grand Slam quarter-final where she will meet Danielle Collins. Collins earlier became the third American woman after Madison Keys and Jessica Pegula to reach the quarters of this year's event after she overhauled Elise Mertens 4-6 6-4 6-4.

Tennis-Navratilova says Tennis Australia 'capitulating' to China over Peng

Martina Navratilova said Australian Open organisers had acted "cowardly" by preventing fans from wearing shirts bearing messages of support for Chinese doubles player Peng Shuai at the Grand Slam event. After video emerged of security officials and police instructing fans on Saturday to remove shirts with the slogan, "Where is Peng Shuai?" on them, Tennis Australia (TA) defended its stance by saying the tournament does not allow political statements.

Beijing 2022 organisers ease COVID-19 curbs for Games-related personnel

Organisers of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics have slightly relaxed their famously strict COVID-19 measures for participants in next month's Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Monday. The changes, which take immediate effect, include easing the threshold for being designated positive for COVID-19 from PCR tests, and reducing to seven days from 14 the period for which a person is deemed a close contact.

Tennis-Medvedev loses temper but wins match to reach quarter-finals

An agitated Daniil Medvedev teed off at the chair umpire and lost his cool in the heat before steadying to claim a 6-2 7-6(4) 6-7(4) 7-5 win over Maxime Cressy and book his second Australian Open quarter-final on Monday. The Russian second seed found the American serve-and-volley exponent a tough nut to crack at Margaret Court Arena and his frustration spilled over after losing the third set.

Soccer-Liverpool edge closer to City, Chelsea back to winning ways

Liverpool took advantage of Manchester City's dropped points with a 3-1 victory at Crystal Palace on Sunday, taking a small bite out of City's commanding lead of the Premier League. It was far from vintage form for Liverpool who led 2-0 after a dominant first half but needed a late penalty by Fabinho to quell a stirring Palace fightback at Selhurst Park.

NHL roundup: Sidney Crosby's SO goal lifts Pens past Jets

Sidney Crosby notched the only goal in a shootout Sunday as the Pittsburgh Penguins erased a two-goal deficit to win their fifth straight game, 3-2 over the visiting Winnipeg Jets. After Pittsburgh got goals from Kasperi Kapanen and Jeff Carter nine seconds apart in the third period for a 2-2 tie, Crosby, the Penguins' second shooter, flipped the puck past the glove of Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck in the shootout.