Sports News Roundup: Harden leads Rockets past Pelicans; Tannehill, Titans stun Mahomes and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Nadal beaten by Zverev in ATP Finals opener

World number one Rafael Nadal made a disappointing start at the ATP Finals as he suffered a first career loss to Germany's reigning champion Alexander Zverev, going down 6-2 6-4 on Monday. The Spaniard, seeking a first title at the event and hoping to secure the year-end number one ranking for a fifth time, showed no sign of the abdominal injury sustained in Paris this month, but was comprehensively outplayed.

NHL notebook: Canadian icon Cherry fired over comments

Longtime Canadian hockey commentator Don Cherry was fired on Monday, two days after making on-air comments that many believed disparaged immigrants. Cherry, 85, was speaking Saturday on his "Coach's Corner" segment on "Hockey Night In Canada" and began a discussion of Remembrance Day -- the Canadian equivalent of Veterans Day. People often wear red poppies, paper poppies or similar pins to mark the day.

NFL notebook: Stafford says Lions right to sit him on Sunday

Matthew Stafford was scratched with a back injury by the Detroit Lions before Sunday's game at Chicago, and the NFL is looking into when the team knew its quarterback wouldn't be able to go against the Bears, per multiple reports on Monday. Stafford was hurt late in the Week 9 loss to Oakland, according to general manager Bob Quinn, and the Lions did list Stafford as limited throughout the week on the official injury report.

NBA roundup: Harden leads Rockets past Pelicans

James Harden scored 39 points and Russell Westbrook added 26 as the visiting Houston Rockets won their fourth consecutive game, beating the injury-depleted New Orleans Pelicans 122-116 on Monday night. Harden scored 13 straight points as the Rockets took command midway through the fourth quarter. Eric Gordon came off the bench to add 17 points, Clint Capela had 11 points and 20 rebounds, and P.J. Tucker scored 10 to support the Rockets' two stars.

Rays' Neander selected MLB executive of year

Tampa Bay Rays senior vice president of baseball operations and general manager Erik Neander, whose team reached the playoffs despite having the lowest payroll in baseball, was named as Major League Baseball Executive of the Year on Monday. The award capped a bountiful year for Neander and the Rays. Tampa Bay finished the regular season 96-66 for the seventh-best record in the majors, captured an AL wild-card berth, then knocked out the Oakland Athletics in the wild-card game. The Rays took the Houston Astros to a decisive Game 5 before losing in the American League Division Series.

Venezuelan baseball's bid to save sanctions-shortened season hits snag

The U.S. Treasury Department has told Major League Baseball that a change to its sanctions on Venezuela last week does not allow MLB to resume a partnership with the Venezuelan baseball league, according to a person familiar with the matter. The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League's (LVBP) season got off to an underwhelming start last week, with stadiums nearly empty and star players absent from the eight teams' rosters.

NFL roundup: Tannehill, Titans stun Mahomes, Chiefs late

Ryan Tannehill fired a decisive 23-yard touchdown pass to Adam Humphries with 23 seconds remaining Sunday, and the Tennessee Titans stunned the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-32, in Nashville, Tenn. Harrison Butker, who made a field goal as time expired to enable the Chiefs to beat Minnesota last week, had a 52-yard attempt blocked at the buzzer. Tannehill passed for 181 yards and two touchdowns, and Derrick Henry rushed for 188 yards and two more scores.

U.S. forward Pulisic out of Nations League games with hip injury

Forward Christian Pulisic has been ruled out of the United States' upcoming CONCACAF Nations League matches against Canada and Cuba due to a hip injury, U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter has said. The 21-year-old, who is a key creative player for his country, sustained the injury playing for Chelsea in their 2-0 Premier League victory over Crystal Palace on Saturday.

NHL roundup: Kane, Blackhawks outscore Leafs

Patrick Kane had two goals and an assist, and the Chicago Blackhawks poured in four goals in the first period before holding on for a 5-4 win over the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday evening. Kirby Dach, Jonathan Toews and Brandon Saad also scored for Chicago, which has bounced back from a difficult start to collect at least one point in five of six games this month. Alex DeBrincat had three assists.

Eagles make Brooks NFL's top-paid guard

The Philadelphia Eagles reportedly gave Brandon Brooks a four-year, $56.2 million extension Monday that makes him the highest-paid guard in the NFL. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport first reported the deal, which includes $30 million in guaranteed money for the 30-year-old right guard.

(With inputs from agencies.)