Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. Disney sees ESPN+ reaching up to 12 million subscribers by 2024

ESPN+, Walt Disney Co's sports video streaming service, could attract between 8 million and 12 million paying subscribers by the end of the fiscal 2024 year, the company said on Thursday. Disney's forecast for significant growth in paying customers in the next few years was disclosed in a presentation of its streaming video strategy to Wall Street. Motor racing: Vettel sets the pace in first Chinese GP practice

Sebastian Vettel went fastest for Ferrari in Friday's opening practice session for the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix. The German completed his best lap in one minute, 33.911 seconds, going 0.207 seconds faster than Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton on a cool and overcast day at the Shanghai International Circuit. Golden Knights may get playoff boost from KHL MVP

The Vegas Golden Knights could be getting some offensive punch for their playoff push, and it could come from a player who has never played in the NHL, multiple outlets reported Thursday. Nikita Gusev, the reigning MVP of Russia's Kontinental Hockey League, could be on his way to the United States after his current team, SKA St. Petersburg, was eliminated from the playoffs by SCKA Moscow. MLB roundup: Cards crush Dodgers for four-game sweep

Jose Martinez had four hits and Matt Wieters drove in three runs as the St. Louis Cardinals completed a four-game sweep of the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers with an 11-7 victory Thursday afternoon. It was the Cardinals' first four-game sweep of the Dodgers in St. Louis since July 15-18, 2010. Monterrey KOs SKC in CONCACAF Champions League semis

A Mexican club will win the CONCACAF Champions League for the 14th year in a row after Monterrey finished off Sporting Kansas City in the second semifinal series. Monterrey defeated Sporting KC 5-2 on Thursday in the second leg of the series at Kansas City, Kan., completing Monterrey's 10-2 aggregate-goals victory. Monterrey cruised to a 5-0 home win in the first leg last Thursday. Scott a not-so-slow starter on Masters first round

Adam Scott grabbed a share of the clubhouse lead at the Masters on Thursday, finishing three under-par in his best first-round performance in five years at the tournament. "I'm kind of a slow starter, certainly the last 10 years, I don't jump out of the gates, it seems," said Scott. "So I don't know if this is jumping out of the gates, but it certainly is great." NBA notebook: Grizzlies fire coach, demote GM

Speaking to local media around midday Thursday, Memphis Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace said he hadn't talked with team owner Robert Pera yet, but he could make one declaration: Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff would return for a second season. Two hours later, that decision had changed, and several other moves were made. The Grizzlies fired Bickerstaff and demoted Wallace to a scouting role. NHL roundup: Marner nets two to lead Leafs past Bruins

Mitch Marner scored two goals -- one on a short-handed penalty shot in the second period -- and the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs went on to defeat the Boston Bruins 4-1 Thursday night in the opener of a best-of-seven, first-round Eastern Conference playoff series. William Nylander and John Tavares (into an empty net) also scored for the Maple Leafs. Patrice Bergeron scored for the Bruins, who won a first-round series over the Maple Leafs in seven games last season. Woods turns back the clock with a 70 in Masters first round

Tiger Woods "laid up" with a chip shot during the first round at the Masters, where he missed a couple of short putts early before briefly reminding everyone of his former glory as he posted a two-under-par 70 on Thursday. Fourteen years since his last Masters triumph, 14 times major winner Woods birdied the 13th and 14th holes to tie for the lead at Augusta National. Major monster Koepka shares first-round lead at Masters

Brooks Koepka, who has won two of the last three majors, held a share of the first-round Masters lead with Bryson DeChambeau while three-times champion Phil Mickelson was one shot off the pace on Thursday. Koepka, who missed last year's Masters with a wrist injury, used a combination of jaw-dropping power and laser-like irons to card a six-under-par 66 and sit atop the leaderboard with DeChambeau, who came within inches of a closing eagle.