NFL roundup: Saints clinch NFC South title

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. NFL roundup: Saints clinch NFC South title

Taysom Hill scored two touchdowns and Wil Lutz kicked four field goals as the visiting New Orleans Saints clinched the NFC South championship by beating the Atlanta Falcons 26-18 on Thursday night. Hill, a backup quarterback who plays a variety of roles, deflected a punt to set up his touchdown reception from Drew Brees, and he replaced Brees on a third-down play that produced his rushing touchdown. Russia readies for 2020 Olympics despite potential ban

The head of Russia's Olympic Committee said on Thursday it was carrying on with preparations for the Tokyo Olympics next year and criticized World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) recommendations to punish some Russian Olympic officials as excessive and wrong. A WADA committee recommended this week that Russia be banned from the Olympics and world championships in a wide range of sports for four years after Moscow was found to have provided the agency with doctored laboratory data. Olympics: Farah back on track for 10,000m target at Tokyo Games

Olympic champion Mo Farah is returning to the track to chase more gold in the 10,000m at next year's Tokyo Games, the Briton announced on his YouTube channel on Friday. The 36-year-old, a four-times Olympic champion and six times world champion over 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters, retired from track athletics in 2017 to focus on road marathons, going on the break the British record. Bottas leads Hamilton in Mercedes practice one-two

Valtteri Bottas was fastest in the final Friday practice session of the season in Abu Dhabi, leading team mate and six-times Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton in a Mercedes one-two. The Finn, who was also fastest in the opening session, improved on his afternoon benchmark with a lap of one minute 36.256 seconds under the Yas Marina floodlights. Olympics: Minor communication hitch at opening of Tokyo 2020 gymnastics test event

Confusion over the participation of two Portuguese athletes failed to derail an Olympic rehearsal at the newly-built Gymnastics Centre in Tokyo as the Trampoline World Championships got underway on Friday ahead of next year's Games. The competition, the first to be held at the Olympic Gymnastics Centre which is one of eight venues being purpose built for the 2020 Olympics, is also being used as qualification for the Games. Steelers-Browns first game since helmet hit brawl steeped in drama

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns will meet on Sunday just two weeks after an ugly on-field melee in which Cleveland defensive end Myles Garrett struck Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph in the head with his own helmet, an incident that stunned onlookers and led to a number of suspensions. Even with Garrett, who was suspended indefinitely, not taking part, Sunday's game is likely to have a different feel, as bad blood from the recent brawl on top of a decades-long rivalry steeps Sunday's showdown in drama. Hockey world watching as NHL deals with fallout over racism scandals

The National Hockey League (NHL) has been rocked by two high-profile racism scandals in recent weeks, and while it has condemned both incidents, experts agree it needs to take a dynamic approach and tackle the issue head on. A head coach is under investigation by his team and the NHL over comments directed toward a black player 10 years ago, while a popular hockey commentator was fired for remarks that were widely viewed as a racist attack on the patriotism of Canadian immigrants. NHL roundup: Penguins rally for wild win

Kris Letang's one-timer from the right circle with 3:06 left in regulation broke a tie for good Wednesday to give the Pittsburgh Penguins a wild 8-6 win over the visiting Vancouver Canucks. The Penguins erased a three-goal deficit in the third, a period that featured a total of eight goals, six by Pittsburgh. Matt Murray gave up four goals on 14 shots before being pulled. Tristan Jarry made six saves on eight shots. Nets' Irving to miss eighth straight game vs. Celtics

The Brooklyn Nets will be without Kyrie Irving for an eighth consecutive game when the Boston Celtics visit Friday afternoon, the team announced. The teams just played Wednesday in Boston, with Celtic fans booing Irving despite him being nowhere near the arena. The point guard received boos and derisive chants for leaving Boston to sign a max contract with the Nets in the summer. NBA roundup: Davis leads Lakers in New Orleans return

Anthony Davis scored 41 points in his return to New Orleans, and the Los Angeles Lakers won their ninth straight game, beating the Pelicans 114-110 on Wednesday night. Davis was roundly booed whenever he touched the basketball in the city where he played his first seven seasons before demanding a trade from New Orleans, which sent him to the Lakers in July.