Sports News Roundup: Tigers end 20-game skid vs. Indians; Clippers top Mavs, Doncic injured and more

Williams says U.S. Open title would not be diminished by pullouts Serena Williams believes the withdrawal of some of the world's top tennis players from this year's U.S. Open amid the COVID-19 pandemic will not take the shine off a potential record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title for her.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

IndyCar's top earner Dixon misses the fans

Scott Dixon likes to says he races for free and gets paid for all the other stuff drivers must do, such as interviews and schmoozing with sponsors, meaning this should have been the most enjoyable week ever for the New Zealander in the lead-up to an Indianapolis 500. There have not been as many of those obligations to juggle during the run-in to Sunday's rescheduled Indy 500, with the COVID-19 pandemic eliminating most of the usual distractions.

Golf: Johnson in command and looking to close deal at Northern Trust

Dustin Johnson continued his red hot play at Northern Trust Open on Saturday curling in a 40-foot eagle putt on 18 to give him a five shot cushion going into the final round of the FedExCup playoffs opener. Johnson's third round seven-under 64 while impressive was almost greeted with a yawn after the sensational 11-under 60 the big-hitting American carded on Friday that shot him to the top of the leaderboard where he has remained.

Murray makes winning return at eerie Western and Southern Open

Andy Murray claimed a hardfought 7-6(6) 3-6 6-1 first-round win over American Frances Tiafoe at the Western and Southern Open on Saturday, as the ATP Tour made a jarring return from a five-month COVID-19 hiatus. From a tournament normally played in Cincinnati but moved to New York because of the coronavirus pandemic to masked ball boys and girls, there was very little normal about the return of professional men's tennis.

NBA roundup: Clippers top Mavs, Doncic injured

Kawhi Leonard recorded 36 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to lead the Las Angeles Clippers over the Dallas Mavericks 130-122 on Friday night to grab a 2-1 lead in a Western Conference first-round playoff series near Orlando. Dallas star Luka Doncic finished the game watching from the bench due to a sprained left ankle. Doncic had 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in 29 minutes, but he hit just 4 of 14 shots from the floor.

Williams says U.S. Open title would not be diminished by pullouts

Serena Williams believes the withdrawal of some of the world's top tennis players from this year's U.S. Open amid the COVID-19 pandemic will not take the shine off a potential record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title for her. Six of the top 10 women's players, including defending champion Bianca Andreescu and world number 1 Ash Barty, have dropped out of the Aug. 31-Sept. 13 U.S. Open, boosting Williams' chance of winning the major for the first time since 2014.

Raptors' Nurse voted NBA Coach of the Year

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse has been named NBA Coach of the Year after guiding the defending champions to another 50-win domestic season, the league said on Saturday. Nurse led the Raptors to a 53-19 record in the regular season and set a franchise-record with a .736 winning percentage.

NASCAR's first Black track president hired in Nashville

The Nashville Superspeedway named Erik Moses its president, the first Black person to lead a NASCAR track. Dover Motorsports, Inc., owner of the track, announced his hiring on Saturday.

Nishikori's U.S. Open hopes fade with second COVID-19 positive

Kei Nishikori's hopes of playing at the U.S. Open have faded further after the Japanese former world number four revealed he had tested positive for COVID-19 for a second time. The 30-year-old, a finallist at Flushing Meadows in 2014, withdrew from the Western & Southern Open hardcourt warm-up after his first positive test last week.

Yankees-Mets series postponed due to positive COVID-19 tests

This weekend's three-game series between the visiting New York Yankees and crosstown rivals New York Mets has been postponed due to two positive tests for COVID-19, Major League Baseball said on Friday. MLB said in a statement the games were postponed out of an abundance of caution and to allow for additional testing and contact tracing to be performed within the Mets' organization.

MLB roundup: Tigers end 20-game skid vs. Indians

Rookie Isaac Paredes belted a grand slam to power Detroit past the host Cleveland Indians 10-5 on Friday, snapping the Tigers' 20-game losing streak between the two teams. Jonathan Schoop slugged a two-run homer among his four hits, Victor Reyes also went deep, and Jeimer Candelario had a two-run single for the Tigers.

(With inputs from agencies.)