Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. Spring training roundup: Tigers pound Yankees' Cole

Detroit's Travis Demeritte and Miguel Cabrera hit back-to-back homers off the Yankees' Gerrit Cole in the first inning, then repeated the feat in the second inning as the Tigers posted a 15-11 win over New York on Thursday in Lakeland, Fla. The Tigers also got homers from Brandon Dixon, Jeimer Candelario, Jake Rogers, Jose Azocar and Brady Policelli. Kyle Higashioka homered twice for the Yankees. NBA fines Mavs owner Cuban $500K after latest rant

The NBA fined Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban $500,000 on Friday for his criticism of league officials following the team's loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Feb. 22. The league also announced that commissioner Adam Silver had denied the Mavericks' protest of the game. Dallas had argued that a basket late in the game by Atlanta's John Collins shouldn't have counted, and the Hawks won 111-107. NHL: Former Canadiens captain Henri 'Pocket Rocket' Richard dies aged 84

Henri Richard, who won an NHL-record 11 Stanley Cup titles during a Hall of Fame career spent entirely with the Montreal Canadiens, died on Friday in Laval, Quebec, aged 84. Richard, who was suffering from Alzheimer's disease, earned a reputation as a tenacious and determined player during a 20-year NHL career in which the diminutive speedster established himself as on of the game's all-time greats. Report: Chargers, RB Ekeler agree to $24.5M deal

Restricted free agent running back Austin Ekeler agreed to a four-year, $24.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Chargers, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Friday. Ekeler, an undrafted free agent who helped to replace holdout Melvin Gordon in 2019, is in line to be the team's starting running back in 2020. Gordon is an unrestricted free agent not expected to return. Factbox: Sports events hit by the coronavirus epidemic

Here is a list of international sports events hit by the outbreak of a coronavirus: OLYMPICS NBA roundup: Clippers win sixth straight

Kawhi Leonard scored 25 points, Ivica Zubac and Montrezl Harrell posted double-doubles, and the visiting Los Angeles Clippers drubbed the Houston Rockets 120-105 on Thursday night. The Clippers extended their winning streak to six consecutive games and, perhaps of greater significance, squared the season series with Houston at two games apiece. The Clippers own the superior record within the Western Conference should the teams finish tied in the standings. Keep calm and climb on: Tokyo holds test event despite coronavirus woes

Organizers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics pushed on with the test event for sports climbing on Friday even as a raft of matches and tournaments were being canceled or postponed worldwide due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak. Tokyo 2020 organizers have insisted they are planning for the Games to begin as scheduled on July 24, while the International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach has said that cancellation is not even being discussed. NHL roundup: Rangers' Zibanejad scores five goals

Mika Zibanejad scored his fifth goal of the game 33 seconds into overtime as the New York Rangers survived blowing four one-goal leads and recorded a wild 6-5 victory over the visiting Washington Capitals on Thursday night. Zibanejad became the third Ranger with a five-goal game and raised his season total to a career-high 38 by finishing off a breakaway. No NHL player had scored five goals in a game this season. Diamondbacks INF Leyba suspended 80 games

Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Domingo Leyba was suspended for 80 games on Friday for violating Major League Baseball's performance-enhancing drug program. In a news release, MLB said he tested positive for Boldenone, a performance-enhancing substance. NCAA pushes 'risk mitigation' at sport events amid coronavirus outbreak

The NCAA said on Friday that it was not advising the cancellation of sporting events at U.S. colleges and universities, amid a global coronavirus outbreak that has prompted school closures and orders to work from home in some communities. The advisory from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) comes less than two weeks ahead of the wildly popular Division I basketball tournament "March Madness," which takes place in venues across the country, drawing millions of viewers and corresponding ad dollars.