Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. NFL moves start time of games with playoff implications

The NFL shuffled several game times for Week 17, with contests impacting either playoff berths or seeding now being played in the same time window. Three teams still hoping to clinch a playoff spot -- the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys and Tennessee Titans -- will kick off at 4:25 p.m. instead of at their scheduled 1 p.m. start times. The Oakland Raiders, who also haven't been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, already were scheduled at that hour. Seahawks officially bring back RBs Lynch, Turbin

"Beast Mode" and "Turbo" are returning to Seattle's backfield as the Seahawks attempt to salvage what has turned into an injury-ravaged playoff push with a backfield tandem blast from the franchise's past. Marshawn Lynch passed his physical Monday, and the running back re-signed with the Seahawks just hours after the team also re-signed Robert Turbin, according to multiple reports. NBA roundup: Nuggets edge Suns, extend win streak

Jamal Murray had 28 points and seven assists, and he hit a go-ahead basket with 2.5 seconds left as the visiting Denver Nuggets beat the Phoenix Suns 113-111 on Monday. Nikola Jokic finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for his sixth triple-double of the season, Will Barton scored 13 points, Jerami Grant had 11 and Paul Millsap added 10 for Denver, which has won seven straight. NFL notebook: McCarthy reportedly interviews with Panthers

Former Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy was interviewed by the Carolina Panthers for their head coaching position on Sunday after their 38-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, according to multiple media reports Monday. The 5-10 Panthers got the coaching carousel rolling early when they fired head coach Ron Rivera on Dec. 3 after a 5-7 start to the season. Perry Fewell, previously serving as secondary coach, has been Carolina's interim head coach since Rivera's departure. Stalwart Super Bowl, ascendant Tiger top priciest sports moments of 2019

Football fans hoping to see a pair of Super Bowl tickets under the tree this week will need to be on the top of Santa's nice list, with the NFL's championship game once again topping the ranking for most expensive U.S. sporting event of the year. Super Bowl LIII fetched an average price of $4,320 per ticket on StubHub in 2019, according to data provided to Reuters, topping the ticket exchange platform's top 10 list of priciest U.S. sports events, with the Masters golf tournament and NBA Finals rounding out the top three. Australian Open prize pool jumps to $49 million, biggest gains for early rounds

The prize pool for the 2020 Australian Open has been boosted by 14% to A$71 million ($49.1 million), organizers said on Tuesday, with the biggest gains for players exiting in the early rounds. Players losing in the first round of qualifying at the year's first Grand Slam will take home A$20,000, up by a third from last year, while singles players who exit in the first round of the main draw will earn A$90,000, a jump of 20%. NHL: Maple Leafs score four late goals, top Hurricanes 8-6

Mitch Marner had two goals and three assists and the Toronto Maple Leafs scored twice in six seconds to take the lead during the third period on the way to defeating the visiting Carolina Hurricanes 8-6 on Monday afternoon. John Tavares added a goal and two assists for Toronto. Auston Matthews, Tyson Barrie and Jason Spezza each had a goal and an assist, and William Nylander and Pierre Engvall each had a goal. Tennis: Andreescu out of season opener in Auckland with 'knee issues'

Auckland Classic organizers suffered a major setback to their tournament lineup on Tuesday with U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu withdrawing due to "knee issues". The Canadian teenager had been the top seed for the Jan. 6-12 tournament, which is a traditional warmup event for players fine tuning their game ahead of the Australian Open. Pitino, Adidas settle legal dispute

Rick Pitino and Adidas have settled the former Louisville coach's claim that the company led to his firing from the university. The Hall of Fame coach had sued Adidas, and 16 months ago, a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit, ruling the two sides must settle the case in arbitration. MLB notebook: LHP Hill, wife arrested at Pats-Bills game

Free agent pitcher Rich Hill was arrested and fined, along with his wife, following an exchange with the police on Saturday before the New England Patriots-Buffalo Bills game, the Boston Globe reported Monday. The incident began when Hill's wife Caitlin tried to bring an oversized bag into Gillette Stadium, according to Foxborough Police chief administrator Robert Bolger, via the Globe. Making several attempts to take the bag to a different gate, then refusing to leave the grounds after being ordered to do so, she was arrested on disorderly conduct and trespassing charges.