Sports News Roundup: Tennis-Gauff 'fuelled' by umpire row to advance in Dubai; ATP roundup: Karen Khachanov advances in Doha and more

Tatum and Brown combined for 56 points as the East coasted to a 211-186 victory, and now the duo will return to the court for the top team in the league when Boston faces the host Chicago Bulls on Thursday night to open the second half of the season. Jazz look to get back on track vs.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Jayson Tatum has sights set on big picture as Celtics brace for Bulls

With the NBA All-Star Game returning to the Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference format, Boston Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were able to giddily team up. Tatum and Brown combined for 56 points as the East coasted to a 211-186 victory, and now the duo will return to the court for the top team in the league when Boston faces the host Chicago Bulls on Thursday night to open the second half of the season.

Jazz look to get back on track vs. suddenly surging Hornets

Though the Utah Jazz stumbled into the NBA All-Star break, the play of Keyonte George offered somewhat of a silver lining. The Jazz are hopeful the rookie guard can continue his pre-break momentum while also helping them end a slide when they face the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Out to halt 3-game slide, healthy Nuggets face lowly Wizards

The Denver Nuggets are the reigning NBA champions but had only one player named to the All-Star Game -- two-time MVP Nikola Jokic. Some consider it a slight, but the glass-half-full view is that the rest of the team got a week off to rest and heal. Denver took advantage as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jamal Murray are listed as probable to return to the lineup when the Nuggets host the reeling Washington Wizards on Thursday night to open the second half of the season.

Facing last-place Spurs, Kings look to move up standings

The Sacramento Kings are 31-23 after 54 games for the second consecutive season. But last season, Sacramento was in third place in the Western Conference en route to ending a 16-season streak of missing the playoffs. This season, the Kings are just eighth in the West entering Thursday night's home matchup against the San Antonio Spurs.

LeBron James (ankle) out for Lakers game vs. Warriors

Two of the NBA's hottest teams entering the All-Star break hope the week off hasn't stalled their momentum as they go head-to-head Thursday night when the Los Angeles Lakers visit the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco. The Lakers, though, will be missing LeBron James due to a lingering left ankle injury.

Baseball-Former Dodgers, Blue Jays pitcher Ryu returns to South Korea with Hanwha

Former LA Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin has signed an eight-year, 17 billion won ($12.8 million) contract to return to his native South Korea with the Hanwha Eagles, the Korea Baseball Organization club said on Thursday. The 36-year-old left-hander's deal with the Eagles, where Ryu played from 2006 to 2012, includes the most guaranteed money ever for a KBO player.

Tennis-Gauff 'fuelled' by umpire row to advance in Dubai

Coco Gauff said a heated exchange with the chair umpire midway through her match with Karolina Pliskova on Wednesday had spurred her on to complete a 2-6 6-4 6-3 victory and reach the quarter-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships. The U.S. Open champion lost the first set but was leading 4-2 in the second when her first serve at deuce, which Pliskova returned into the net, was called out.

ATP roundup: Karen Khachanov advances in Doha

Second-seeded Karen Khachanov recorded a 6-4, 7-5 win over Fabian Marozsan on Wednesday in the second round of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha. Khachanov, of Russia, fired six aces and benefited from three double faults by his opponent to dispatch the Italian in 88 minutes.

Panthers F Ryan Lomberg fined $2K for elbowing

Florida Panthers winger Ryan Lomberg was fined $2,083.83, the maximum allowable under the collective bargaining agreement, for elbowing Ottawa Senators defenseman Jakob Chychrun during Tuesday night's game. Lomberg was not penalized for the incident, which happened early in the third period of the Panthers' 3-2 overtime victory.

Suns, Mavericks rolling into key matchup at Dallas

Two teams looking to separate themselves in the jam-packed Western Conference playoff picture meet Thursday when the Dallas Mavericks host the Phoenix Suns in their first game following the All-Star break. With less than two months remaining in the regular season, the fifth-place Suns hold just a one-game advantage in the Western Conference standings on the seventh-place Mavericks, with each squad hoping to avoid the play-in tournament for seeds 7-10.

(With inputs from agencies.)