Sports News Roundup: Kobe Bryant memorial planned at Lakers; Nike launches new, legal Alphafly shoe and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

ATP roundup: Monfils makes Montpellier quarters

Top-seeded Gael Monfils survived a tough three-set match against fellow Frenchman Adrian Mannarino on Thursday to reach the quarterfinals of the Open Sud de France in Montpellier. In a match that lasted exactly two hours, Monfils emerged with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 decision. In the decisive third set, Mannarino broke serve to grab a 2-0 lead, but Monfils recorded breaks on Mannarino's next two service games to take control.

MLB notebook: Red Sox probe nearly completed

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said Thursday he plans to finish his investigation of the Boston Red Sox's role in the alleged electronic sign-stealing scandal before the opening of spring training on Wednesday. Just like in the investigation of the Houston Astros, Manfred, attending an owners meeting in Orlando, Fla., said his ruling will not include punishment on any Red Sox players, but left the door open for that possibility if future violations are discovered.

Kobe Bryant memorial planned at Lakers' home arena: report

Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant, killed with eight others in a helicopter crash last month, will be honored at a public memorial service planned for Feb. 24 at the Staples Center, the team's home arena and the scene of many of his greatest basketball triumphs, the Los Angeles Times reported. The newspaper, citing two unnamed sources familiar with the event, said the date for the ceremony was selected in consultation with Bryant's widow, Vanessa, the Lakers organization and the Staples Center.

NBA notebook: Wolves-Warriors swap tops busy trade day

The Minnesota Timberwolves will acquire guard D'Angelo Russell from the Golden State Warriors in a blockbuster trade that includes forward Andrew Wiggins, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Thursday. Per the report, the Warriors will also receive a 2021 protected first-round draft pick and a 2021 second-round selection.

NBA roundup: Bucks, Giannis avenge an earlier loss to 76ers

Giannis Antetokounmpo collected 36 points, 20 rebounds and six assists as the host Milwaukee Bucks avenged a Christmas Day loss to the Philadelphia 76ers with a 112-101 victory on Thursday. The reigning NBA MVP has recorded five consecutive games of at least 30 points, 16 rebounds and six assists for the Bucks, who improved to 17-2 since dropping a 121-109 decision to Philadelphia. It marked Antetokounmpo's first career game with at least 35 points and 20 rebounds.

Eight spots up for grabs at new Fed Cup finals

Sixteen nations will do battle this week to secure the last eight spots for the revamped Fed Cup finals in April with some heavyweights desperate to avoid missing the party. After the incident-packed launch of the rebranded Davis Cup Finals in Madrid in November, a marathon week for the men featuring 18 nations and culminating in glory for Spain, the ITF's flagship women's team event is taking a similar path.

Ice hockey: Kyrgyzstan's first female team shatters stereotypes

A group of girls from a remote village in Kyrgyzstan have come together to form the central Asian country's first all-female ice hockey team -- Shapak. Based in the northern village of Otradnoe, 400km (249 miles) east of the capital Bishkek, the team of some 15 schoolgirls began training three years ago on a plot of farmland belonging to their coach with whatever equipment they could muster.

Nike launches new, legal Alphafly shoe to outrun 'tech doping' furore

Nike has launched a new running shoe that complies with limits set by World Athletics after the governing body imposed a landmark ban on a version of the sportswear giant's Vaporfly shoes that was used to run the first sub-two-hour marathon. The first-ever shoe ban by World Athletics (WA) last week addressed concerns that technology advances are giving athletes an unfair and unnatural advantage, described by some critics as "technological doping".

Taylor leads at Pebble Beach, 'stallion' Mickelson starts well

Nick Taylor seized the first-round lead at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Thursday while defending champion Phil Mickelson drove the ball "like a stallion" to get off to a good start at an event he has won five times. Canadian Taylor shot an eight-under-par 63 at Monterey Peninsula, which plays to a par of 71 and is traditionally the easiest of the three courses used at the tournament.

NFL notebook: Brown apologizes to Steelers

Antonio Brown's apology tour continued Thursday with the free-agent wide receiver telling the Pittsburgh Steelers he was sorry for being a distraction. "I apologize to those guys for the distractions, the unwanted attention that I probably caused those guys, to the organization," Brown told 93.7 The Fan when asked if he had anything to say to his former teammates, coaches, and employers in Pittsburgh.