Sports News Roundup: Celts dump Pelicans for sixth win in row; Raiders fire GM McKenzie; Falcons failed to meet expectations

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

USOC failed to protect athletes from sex abuse: report

The United States Olympics Committee failed to protect athletes from the threat of sexual abuse, according to a report released on Monday that showed some top executives took no action as the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal was unfolding. The report, which was commissioned by the USOC and carried out by law firm Ropes & Gray, offered details on what it called the "inaction" of former chief executive Scott Blackmun and former chief of sport performance Alan Ashley.

NBA roundup: Celts dump Pelicans for sixth win in row

Marcus Morris and Jayson Tatum combined to score 52 points as the short-handed Boston Celtics won their sixth game in a row by defeating the visiting New Orleans Pelicans 113-100 on Monday night. Morris scored 31 points and Tatum added 21 to lead the way while five Celtics sat out the game because of injury or illness, including Al Horford (knee), Kyrie Irving (shoulder) and Gordon Hayward (illness).

NHL roundup: Stamkos' hat trick leads Lightning

Steven Stamkos recorded his ninth career hat trick and first in more than four years, and the Tampa Bay Lightning ran their season-high winning streak to seven games with a 6-3 victory over the visiting New York Rangers on Monday. Stamkos recorded his first hat trick since Oct. 13, 2014, by getting a pair of power-play goals in the opening two periods, then adding an even-strength goal in the third.

Outlook of Henry's season changed with epic performance

Houston Texans: The team's nine-game winning streak is over and veteran cornerback Johnathan Joseph didn't necessarily see it as a bad development. "I hate to lose, but probably was the best thing for this team to lose that game," Joseph said of Sunday's 24-21 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. The way Joseph sees it, a long string of victories makes players forget the pain and torture of losing. "I think it's a learning experience," Joseph said. "Sometimes you think that winning is easy. I'm not saying that. That's what we were doing as a team, what I think, to go on a nine-game winning streak to make history. Sometimes you get that little lapse going on." Indianapolis Colts: Star receiver T.Y. Hilton had a season-best 199 receiving yards against the Texans to post his club-record 11th game of 150 or more receiving yards, snapping a tie with Hall of Fame member Marvin Harrison. Hilton made five first-down catches and caught nine of the 12 passes in which he was targeted by quarterback Andrew Luck. "T.Y. does some things very special. He does some things that not many other people can do," Luck told reporters. "So we saw some opportunities through film that we thought we could take advantage of. Once we got that first one, it was like 'Ok, yeah, here we go, let's get it.'" Hilton is 14 yards away from his fifth career 1,000-yard receiving season.

MLB notebook: Yankees' GM nixes bid for Harper

Don't expect to see Bryce Harper donning pinstripes in the Bronx next year. New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Monday at the winter meetings in Las Vegas that he has no intention of bidding for the star free agent outfielder.

Cardinals giving no thought to sitting Rosen

Arizona Cardinals: Despite a completely devastated offensive line and others going down with injuries right and left, the Cardinals do not intend to sit quarterback Josh Rosen. To the contrary, they want him to get as many reps as possible. "To sit him, I don't think it'd be advantageous to do that," head coach Steve Wilks said, adding that he doesn't see Rosen developing bad habits. "(Playing) is an opportunity for him to continue to grow." Wilks remains optimistic about what he's seen from the rookie. "You can see the potential and the things he is capable of doing," he said. "...He has the qualities and the skillset. The inconsistency is there, but a lot of it is not just him, it's the personnel and that falls back on us as coaches to put those guys in position to be successful." Los Angeles Rams: L.A.'s defense wasn't the problem in a 15-6 loss at Chicago on Sunday night, but NFL sack leader Aaron Donald was kept awfully quiet by the Bears. Donald had just one QB hit (his fewest in a game since Week 6) and went sackless for just the second time since Week 3. According to ESPN Analytics, Donald won on just 18 percent of his pass-rush snaps after entering the week having won on a league-high 43 percent of rushes this season. Despite the quiet night, though, Donald still leads the league in sacks (16.5) by three, tackles for loss (20) by three and quarterback hits (33) by six.

NBA notebook: Warriors named SI Sportsperson of the Year

Sports Illustrated named the Golden State Warriors as Sportsperson of the Year. "This is a pretty cool honor and something we cherish as a group and organization," Warriors guard Stephen Curry said in a team release. "I know I speak on behalf of my teammates when I say we're humbled with this recognition."

NFL notebook: Raiders fire GM McKenzie

Reggie McKenzie is done as Raiders general manager, reportedly eschewing the opportunity to maintain his role through the end of the regular season in Oakland. The team said in a statement: "We are grateful for everything Reggie has done for this organization as a player, executive and member of the Raider family. ... The Raiders will immediately begin a search for a new front office executive and will have no further comment until that process is complete."

Quinn: Falcons failed to meet expectations

Atlanta Falcons: Coach Dan Quinn isn't hiding from the fact that the Falcons (4-9) are one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL. "As we're sitting here at Week 15, we have four wins," Quinn told reporters. "So you'd better believe we're evaluating everything and doing anything to get it right." Atlanta has dropped its past five games. Early-season injuries began the team's derailment, but mistakes and inconsistent play have continued the decline. "As we're going through it, from players to staff to everything, we want to make sure we look at the body of work and get clear, concise evaluations on everybody," Quinn said. "When you're standing where we're at, it's not what you want to do, but that's part of it and what we're looking at for sure. If you're clearly at four wins during this time, then we have not met expectations." Carolina Panthers: A once-promising campaign has disintegrated with five consecutive setbacks. Carolina has gone from battling the New Orleans Saints for the NFC West lead to being an outsider in the NFC wild-card chase. "Things happen," veteran defensive end Julius Peppers said. "Your plans don't always work out how you want them to." That is certainly true with the Panthers, but Peppers said the team still has a positive vibe. "To be honest with you, I don't feel like there is a loss of confidence or anything," Peppers said. "We're just not putting a good product on the field." Meanwhile, widedout Devin Funchess, who is slated for free agency after the season, played in just 32 of 72 snaps Sunday in Carolina's loss to the Cleveland Browns and has just three catches over the past three games. Rookie DJ Moore played 66 snaps vs. the Browns and second-year pro Curtis Samuel played 58.

Rondo has fluid drained from hand, return delayed

Rajon Rondo's return to the Los Angeles Lakers has been delayed after he had his right hand drained Sunday, coach Luke Walton told reporters. "There's a little bit of swelling," Walton said Monday ahead of the Lakers' matchup against the Miami Heat. "We're going to shut him down for a few days then get back out after it again."

(With inputs from Reuters)

(With inputs from agencies.)