Sports News Roundup: Tennis-Teenaged Alcaraz underlines potential in Nadal defeat; Soccer-Terry backs 'True Blues' consortium's bid to secure 10% stake in Chelsea and more

The win overshadowed a monumental night for Los Angeles star LeBron James, who had 38 points and passed Karl Malone for second on the NBA's all-time scoring list. Soccer-Chelsea stroll past Middlesbrough into FA Cup semis Chelsea continued to make light of their off-pitch turmoil with another impressive display on it as they reached the FA Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 victory at Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Tennis-Teenaged Alcaraz underlines potential in Nadal defeat

Carlos Alcaraz won only three games in his previous meeting against Rafa Nadal but after pushing the 21-times major winner to the brink on Saturday, the teenage Spaniard will leave California assured he belongs at the top tier of men's tennis. The 18-year-old Alcaraz lost 6-1 6-2 in just 78 minutes against his fellow Spaniard when they met on clay at Madrid last year but forced Nadal to raise his level during a three hour and 12-minute slugfest in the semi-finals of Indian Wells.

Soccer-Terry backs 'True Blues' consortium's bid to secure 10% stake in Chelsea

John Terry will attempt to help protect Chelsea's "history and heritage" by joining the True Blues consortium in their bid to buy a 10% stake in the Premier League club, which will be used to represent the fans, the former captain said on Saturday. The consortium is comprised of ex-players, including Terry and former Chelsea women's team player Claire Rafferty, as well as British entrepreneurs and fans.

NBA roundup: LeBron assumes No. 2 on NBA scoring list in loss

Kristaps Porzingis scored 16 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter to lead seven players in double figures as the Washington Wizards rallied to snap a six-game losing streak, beating the visiting Los Angeles Lakers 127-119 on Saturday. The win overshadowed a monumental night for Los Angeles star LeBron James, who had 38 points and passed Karl Malone for second on the NBA's all-time scoring list.

Soccer-Chelsea stroll past Middlesbrough into FA Cup semis

Chelsea continued to make light of their off-pitch turmoil with another impressive display on it as they reached the FA Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 victory at Middlesbrough on Saturday. First-half goals by Romelu Lukaku and Hakim Ziyech knocked the stuffing out of second-tier Middlesbrough who had eliminated Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in previous rounds.

Tennis-Nadal wins battle of generations to reach Indian Wells final

A defiant Rafa Nadal won an all-Spanish clash of the generations taming teenager Carlos Alcaraz 6-4 4-6 6-3 to stretch his winning run to 20 matches on Saturday and clinch a place in the Indian Wells final. Nadal will take on American Taylor Fritz in Sunday's championship in the California desert where a victory would see the 35-year-old equal Novak Djokovic’s record of 37 ATP Masters 1000 titles.

Soccer-Forest to leave 97 seats vacant for Liverpool game to honor Hillsborough victims

Nottingham Forest will leave 97 seats vacant when they host Liverpool in Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final to honor the fans who died at the Hillsborough Stadium in April 1989 when the two sides last met in the competition. Ninety-four Liverpool supporters were crushed to death in an over-crowded and fenced-in enclosure at the stadium in Sheffield before an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Forest.

Soccer-Milan players racially abused during win at Cagliari, says Pioli

AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan and defender Fikayo Tomori were racially abused by Cagliari supporters during their 1-0 Serie A victory in Sardinia, manager Stefano Pioli said. Maignan was closest to the Cagliari end and was celebrating with Tomori after the final whistle when they were allegedly subjected to racist abuse, which sparked a scuffle between players from both teams.

Motorcycling-Marquez to miss Indonesia Grand Prix after warm-up crash

Honda's six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez will not race at the Indonesia Grand Prix later on Sunday after being ruled unfit due to a concussion following a crash during the warm-up session, organizers said. Marquez suffered a shocking high side on turn seven and was visibly dazed after landing heavily on his left side and taking a whack to his head. Hospital checks subsequently revealed the Spaniard had suffered a concussion.

Rugby-Ireland ease past Scots to clinch Triple Crown

Ireland clinched their first Triple Crown in four years on Saturday with a 26-5 victory over Scotland that kept the Six Nations championship alive for a few hours, until France completed the Grand Slam against England in Paris. While Ireland was not at their very best, a first clean sweep of their "home nation" rivals in four years looked rarely in doubt after first-half tries from front rows Dan Sheehan and Cian Healy and a third on the hour from Josh van der Flier.

Motor racing-Hamilton puts a positive spin on Mercedes struggles

Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton put a positive spin on his Mercedes team's underwhelming display in Saturday's qualifying for the season-opening Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix. The Briton will start Sunday's race from the third row of the grid in fifth after lapping 0.6 seconds slower than Ferrari pole-sitter Charles Leclerc.

(With inputs from agencies.)