Sports News Roundup: NBA roundup: James Harden propels Nets past Pacers; Tennis-New-look Billie Jean King Cup Finals set to start, but big names missing and more

World number four Krejcikova will be the highest-ranked player at the event in Prague, and the only one to have qualified for next month's season-ending WTA Finals that get underway in Guadalajara from Nov. 10. Baseball-Braves rally to beat Astros, take commanding 3-1 World Series lead Dansby Swanson and Jorge Soler hit back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning as the Atlanta Braves came from behind to beat the Houston Astros 3-2 in Game Four and move one win away from a World Series victory on Saturday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

NBA roundup: James Harden propels Nets past Pacers

James Harden totaled a season-high 29 points and added eight assists and eight rebounds as the Brooklyn Nets overcame a sluggish start to record a 105-98 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Friday night in New York. Harden produced his most effective game this season two nights after admitting that he was still working his way back from a hamstring injury sustained in June during the playoffs.

Tennis-New-look Billie Jean King Cup Finals set to start, but big names missing

The inaugural edition of the revamped women's team competition, the Billie Jean King Cup, begins on Monday after a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic when France launch their title defence at the finals in Prague. Formerly called the Fed Cup, the event was restructured into a "World Cup of tennis" format concluding with 12 nations competing over one week for the title.

Tennis-Krejcikova thrilled to be leading Czech charge at Billie Jean King Cup Finals

French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova said on Saturday that she would never have passed up the opportunity to represent the Czech Republic at next week's Billie Jean King Cup despite the WTA Finals being just around the corner. World number four Krejcikova will be the highest-ranked player at the event in Prague, and the only one to have qualified for next month's season-ending WTA Finals that get underway in Guadalajara from Nov. 10.

Baseball-Braves rally to beat Astros, take commanding 3-1 World Series lead

Dansby Swanson and Jorge Soler hit back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning as the Atlanta Braves came from behind to beat the Houston Astros 3-2 in Game Four and move one win away from a World Series victory on Saturday. After going without a hit until the eighth inning the night before, the Astros wasted no time, as Jose Altuve hit a single on the first pitch of the game and later came around to score for an early 1-0 lead.

Pistons No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham making NBA debut

No. 1 overall draft pick Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons is making his NBA debut on Saturday night against the visiting Orlando Magic. Cunningham missed the first four games of the season due to a sprained ankle sustained during training camp.

Soccer-Argentina spends weekend celebrating late hero Maradona

Argentine football is gearing up for a weekend of celebrations to mark the birthday of late soccer star Diego Maradona, with matches across the country being paused and clubs and fans dressing to remember the controversial superstar. The former Boca Juniors, Napoli and Barcelona player died on Nov. 20 last year from a heart attack. His death was widely mourned in Argentina, which he led to triumph in the 1986 World Cup.

Baseball-'Gut' call to pull Anderson paid off for Braves in World Series Game 3

A "gut" decision to pull starting pitcher Ian Anderson after five no-hit innings paid off, Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker said, after his team's dominant 2-0 win over the Houston Astros in Game 3 of the World Series on Friday. The 23-year-old had four strikeouts through the first five innings to the delight of the Atlanta crowd, as it hosted a World Series game for the first time in more than two decades and faced the tantalizing prospect of a potential no-hitter.

Mixed Martial Arts-Teixeira submits Blachowicz to win UFC belt

Glover Teixeira scored a sensational submission victory over Poland's Jan Blachowicz to be crowned UFC light heavyweight champion at the age of 42 at UFC 267 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Teixeira used his wrestling to win the first round and both men landed heavy punches in the second before the Brazilian brought Blachowicz down to the mat and trapped him against the fence.

Soccer-Chelsea profit as Man City shocked by Palace, Liverpool held

Chelsea moved three points clear at the top of the Premier League after Manchester City lost 2-0 at home to Crystal Palace and Liverpool were held to a 2-2 draw by Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday. Manchester United repaired some of the damage from their 5-0 hammering by Liverpool last week as they ran out 3-0 winners at Tottenham Hotspur to move into fifth place.

Figure skating-Chen rebounds from rare loss to win Skate Canada title

Three-time reigning world champion Nathan Chen rebounded from a rare loss with a dominating performance to win Skate Canada in Vancouver on Saturday and reaffirm his status as a gold-medal favourite for next year's Beijing Olympics. Chen, one week removed from Skate America in Las Vegas where he suffered his first loss since the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, was comfortably in first place after Friday's short program and returned to score 200.46 points in Saturday's free skate.

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