Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. Goalie Ryan donates A$28,000 to bushfire relief efforts

Brighton and Hove Albion goalkeeper Mat Ryan has raised A$28,000 ($19,365) for an Australian bushfire animal rescue charity after a novel shot-stopping fundraiser in England's Premier League. The Australia international said last week he would donate A$500 for every save made by a goalkeeper during the latest round of matches. A total of 56 saves were made across 10 games, with Ryan pulling off five in Brighton's 1-0 defeat by Everton. NBA roundup: Irving shines in return as Nets blast Hawks

Kyrie Irving scored 21 points in his first game in nearly two months as the Brooklyn Nets never trailed and cruised to a 108-86 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night in New York. Irving returned from missing 26 games with right shoulder impingement. In his first game since Nov. 14 at Denver, the All-Star guard made 10 of 11 shots, hit his one 3-point try and had three assists in 20 minutes. Weight lifted for Serena as Melbourne beckons

The length of time Serena Williams held her arms aloft after clinching her first WTA title in almost three years spoke volumes on Sunday as the American prepares for the latest tilt at a 24th Grand Slam title in Melbourne next week. The celebration after her Auckland Classic victory was not as effusive as some of her previous 72 title wins, and the $43,000 winner's cheque, which she donated to Australia bushfire relief efforts, was a drop in the ocean for someone who has won almost $93 million in career prize-money. Djokovic leads Serbia to ATP Cup glory

Novak Djokovic inspired Serbia to victory in the inaugural ATP Cup team event in Sydney after defeating his long-term Spanish rival Rafael Nadal in singles on Sunday before playing a pivotal role in the deciding doubles match. With the final locked at 1-1, Djokovic partnered veteran Victor Troicki to beat Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta and Feliciano Lopez 6-3 6-4, triggering celebrations that would not be out of place at a Belgrade football match. Federer responds to Thunberg's 'wake-up' volley

Roger Federer has responded to criticism from teenaged climate change activist Greta Thunberg, saying he is "happy to be reminded" of his responsibilities. The Swiss 20-times Grand Slam champion came under fire from Swede Thunberg last week when she criticized bank Credit Suisse for its record of loans to fossil fuel industries. NHL roundup: Devils snap Lightning's 10-game win streak

Louis Domingue made 26 saves against his former team as the New Jersey Devils snapped Tampa Bay's franchise record-tying 10-game winning streak with a 3-1 victory on Sunday night in Newark, N.J. Andy Greene and Miles Wood each had a goal and an assist, and Travis Zajac also scored for New Jersey, which completed an impressive back-to-back that began Saturday night with a 5-1 victory at Metropolitan Division-leading Washington. Domingue also picked up the win in that one with 33 saves. Kansas City roars past Houston on Mahomes passes

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw a record-tying four touchdowns in the second quarter as the Kansas City Chiefs roared back from a 24-0 deficit to defeat the Houston Texans 51-31 in the NFL playoffs on Sunday. Mahomes, the NFL most valuable player for the 2018 season, added a fifth touchdown pass in the fourth quarter as the Chiefs advanced to the American Football Conference championship game where they will play the visiting Tennessee Titans next Sunday. Hungry Titans emerge as surprise package of NFL playoffs

The Tennessee Titans have emerged as the surprise team of the National Football League (NFL) playoffs, running over opponents and surpassing expectations.The upstart Titans have posted victories over Super Bowl champion New England Patriots and top seed Baltimore Ravens to qualify for the AFC championship game."The Titans right now are just a dangerous, focused and hungry team," guard Rodger Saffold told the Tennessean newspaper following a 28-12 rout of the Ravens on Saturday. "That's all I can say about it."The Titans can credit a lot of their success to Derrick Henry, who has been one of the top runners in the league.Henry, a 6-foot-3 and 247-pound running back, exploded this season by leading the league in rushing. He punished teams in the post-season with a combined 377 yards in the two wins.Behind their locomotive, the Titans have been able to control games and limit throws from quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who has needed only 160 combined passing yards on 29 attempts.Tannehill has also played a major part in the team's resurgence. He replaced a struggling Marcus Mariota as the starter in Week Seven to lift the Titans to a 7-3 finish and a playoff berth with a win in the season finale.A free agent in 2020, Tannehill may be playing himself into a future with the Titans offense which also features game-breaking rookie receiver A.J. Brown.Titans second-year coach Mike Vrabel is enjoying his own emergence. He earned a symbolic wild card round win against his former coach Bill Belichick for whom he played in New England en route to three Super Bowl wins as a player.Vrabel showcased his tactical ability with a defensive game plan that squeezed Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson, a strong candidate for the league's most valuable player honors, in the Ravens' lowest scoring output of the season."When (Lamar) had space, he took off. But when he did, we made him run laterally," Titans defensive back Kevin Byard said. "That was the key to the game. "He's an elite athlete and we couldn't let him beat us down the middle, but force him sideways and I think we did a good job of that." Australian Smith wins Sony Open after playoff in Hawaii

Cameron Smith won the PGA Tour's Sony Open in Hawaii on Sunday after the Australian made up a three-stroke deficit in the final round and then beat overnight leader Brendan Steele in a playoff. Smith, who was two shots behind with two holes to play, hit a par four on the first hole of the decider and watched Steele, who had led for most of the final round, bogey the hole. No clear favorite for Australian Open, says Djokovic

Novak Djokovic says next week's Australian Open is wide open and while bookmakers see the seven-times champion as the hot favorite the Serb expects the current crop of young talent to push for glory at the season's opening Grand Slam. Djokovic recorded a ninth consecutive hard-court win over world number one Rafa Nadal on Sunday as Serbia were crowned champions at the inaugural ATP Cup team event in Sydney.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)