Sports News Round-Up: Mason Crosby, Acuna's slam, Juventus forward Cristiano

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

McCarthy: Packers need Crosby to make kicks

Mason Crosby had one of the worst games in league history as a kicker on Sunday, but he's not going anywhere -- despite costing the Packers in a big way at Detroit. "We have to convert those kicks," Packers head coach Mike McCarthy told the media Monday. "He's a proven highly successful kicker, and I believe in him but he's got to make those kicks. It's a different game at halftime (if he makes that three first-half) kicks."

Acuna's slam helps Braves edge Dodgers, extend NLDS

Freddie Freeman hit a tiebreaking homer leading off the sixth inning after the Los Angeles Dodgers had come back from a five-run deficit, and the host Atlanta Braves stayed alive in the National League Division Series with a 6-5 victory in Game 3 on Sunday night. Rookie Ronald Acuna Jr. hit a grand slam to climax a five-run second inning for the Braves, but the Dodgers fought back thanks in part to homers by Chris Taylor and Max Muncy.

Ronaldo among nominees for Ballon d'Or award

Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been named among 30 nominees for the men's Ballon d'Or trophy awarded by France Football magazine to the best player in the world. The Portugal captain has won the award for the past two years and five times in all, a record he shares with Argentina's Lionel Messi who is also on the list announced on Monday.

Hamilton is stepping into Schumacher territory

When Michael Schumacher won his seventh Formula One world championship with Ferrari in 2004 it looked like a record for the ages, but Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes are forcing a rethink already. The Briton stands on the brink of becoming only the third man to win at least five titles, with his team's stranglehold on both championships tighter than ever after he won Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix.

Smart, Smith fined for on-court altercation

An on-court scuffle between Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart and Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith has led to $40,000 in fines. The incident, for which Smart was assessed a technical foul and ejected, occurred with 3 minutes, 38 seconds remaining in the first quarter of the Cavaliers' 113-102 win over the Celtics at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland on Saturday night.

Reports: Giants parting ways with OT Flowers

The New York Giants plan to release offensive tackle Ereck Flowers if they can't trade him before 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, per multiple reports Monday. A trade appears unlikely, as Flowers' $2.4 million base salaries is guaranteed and he costs $4.6 million against the cap. Any team trading for him would owe about $1.7 million over the rest of the season. Likewise, Flowers' contract means he would likely go unclaimed via waivers if released.

NFL roundup: Rams, Chiefs improve to 5-0

Todd Gurley rushed for three touchdowns as the Los Angeles Rams remained undefeated with a 33-31 victory against the host Seattle Seahawks on Sunday in a game involving six lead changes. Cairo Santos kicked a 39-yard field goal with 6:05 remaining to provide Los Angeles with the final margin of victory. The Rams (5-0) opened up a three-game lead in the NFC West over the second-place Seahawks (2-3), who had a two-game winning streak snapped.

Mavericks fire team photographer amid harassment allegations

The Dallas Mavericks fired longtime team photographer Danny Bollinger after allegations of sexual harassment, the Dallas Morning News reported Monday, citing multiple sources. According to the report, the Mavericks began investigating Bollinger two weeks ago, a few days after the release of a 43-page report that culminated a seven-month investigation into allegations of sexual harassment in the team's business offices. The probe found evidence of "disturbing and heartbreaking" workplace misconduct by current and former members of the Mavericks' organization, the NBA revealed.

Furyk discusses Ryder Cup: 'It'll always bother me'

In the wake of the United States' loss to Europe in the Ryder Cup, a disgruntled Patrick Reed said he was "blindsided" by team captain Jim Furyk's decision not to pair him with Jordan Spieth. On Monday, in an interview with the Golf Channel, Furyk discussed his decision to team Reed and Tiger Woods in the fourball matches, and he said the pairings were known well ahead of the Ryder Cup team's travel to Le Golf National outside Paris.

Tokyo Games savings at $4.3 billion but more to come: CEO Muto

Several measures have cut the cost of staging the 2020 Tokyo Olympics by $4.3 billion but organizers are determined to save more money in the next two years, Tokyo Games CEO Toshiro Muto said on Monday. Muto told the International Olympic Committee (IOC) efforts were being made to reduce the budget further through a series of initiatives linked with the IOC's Agenda 2020 and New Norm reform projects.