Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. NBA: Nowitzki and Doncic have fans cheering Mavs' past and future

Dallas Mavericks' Slovenian sensation Luka Doncic was lighting up the game against the Los Angeles Clippers this week when a high-profile fan summoned him to his courtside seat at the Staples Center. Former five-division boxing world champion Floyd Mayweather, who still commands the spotlight even in retirement, wanted to offer a seal of approval from one showman to another. NHL roundup: Red-hot Flames streak past Isles

Mikael Backlund and Rasmus Andersson scored early in the third period Tuesday night for the Calgary Flames, who remained red hot with a 3-1 win over the New York Islanders in Uniondale, N.Y. Matthew Tkachuk opened the scoring for the Western Conference-leading Flames, who have won a season-high six straight, including the first two games of an Eastern Conference road trip. Calgary earlier had two winning streaks of five straight games. NBA roundup: Nuggets survive Thunder, win 5th straight

Nikola Jokic had 36 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, Will Barton scored 23 points, and the host Denver Nuggets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-112 on Tuesday night. Jamal Murray added 20 points and Paul Millsap finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds to help Denver win its fifth straight. The Nuggets have won each of their first three matchups against Oklahoma City this season. Major champion Charles, 82, tees up NZ Open perfectly with an ace

Bob Charles has proved that even at the age of 82 he can still swing a club better than most after New Zealand's first golf major winner made a hole-in-one at a par-three tournament on Wednesday. Charles, who won the British Open at Royal Lytham in 1963, made the ace on the ninth and final hole of the New Zealand Open warm-up event at the Farm Course near Queenstown, South Island. Tennis: Nishikori crashes to qualifier Hurkacz in Dubai second round

Polish qualifier Hubert Hurkacz stunned top seed Kei Nishikori 7-5 5-7 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Wednesday. Hurkacz converted six out of seven break points to beat his Japanese opponent in a little over two hours. The world number 77 faces Stefanos Tsitsipas or Egor Gerasimov next. Nordic skiing: Five athletes arrested in doping raids at world championships

Five athletes from Austria, Kazakhstan and Estonia were arrested on Wednesday in anti-doping raids at the Nordic skiing world championships in the Austrian resort of Seefeld, police said. The raids were part of a broader operation targeting a Germany-based "criminal organization" suspected of having carried out blood doping for years, the Austrian police said. Top 25 roundup: No. 20 Virginia Tech tops No. 3 Duke

Ty Outlaw made a late 3-pointer to break a tie as No. 20 Virginia Tech upset No. 3 Duke 77-72 on Tuesday night in Blacksburg, Va. Kerry Blackshear Jr. scored 23 points, Ahmed Hill posted 17 points and Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 13 points for Virginia Tech (22-6, 11-5 Atlantic Coast Conference). The Hokies won for the fourth time in five games. Olympics: German athletes score advertising win over IOC for Games

German athletes and their sponsors scored a major victory over the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday, earning more possibilities to advertise during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics following an easing of restrictions. The German Cartel Office said on Wednesday the IOC and the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) were subject to existing competition laws and would need to grant more rights for promotional activities ahead of and during the Games. Spring training roundup: Wainwright sharp in '19 debut

Right-hander Adam Wainwright pitched two perfect innings in his first start of the spring as the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the host Washington Nationals 6-1 on Tuesday at West Palm Beach, Fla. The 37-year-old Wainwright was limited to just eight starts last season due to elbow troubles. He is trying to regain the form that saw him win 19 or more games four times during 13 big league seasons. Tennis: Cilic set to defend Queen's Club title, Tsitsipas in fray

Marin Cilic will return to defend his Queen's Club title this year while Australian Open semi-finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas will play in the tournament for the first time, the organizers said on Wednesday. Former U.S. Open champion Cilic, who beat Novak Djokovic for the title last year, will once again use the tournament to fine-tune his preparation for Wimbledon.