Sports News Roundup: NBA roundup: Heat KO Hawks in Game 5; MLB roundup: Anthony Rizzo's 3 HRs carry Yankees over Orioles and more

Valieva, who turned 16 on Tuesday, failed a doping test at the Russian national championships last December but the result was only revealed on Feb. 8, a day after she had already helped the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) win the team event at the Beijing Games. NBA-Lakers should keep 'Big Three' but need younger players too says Shaq The Los Angeles Lakers should keep their 'Big Three' of LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis together but need to surround them with young players who can knock down shots, Lakers legend Shaquille O'Neal has said.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

NBA roundup: Heat KO Hawks in Game 5

Victor Oladipo scored 23 points and Bam Adebayo posted 20 points and made a key defensive play as Miami Heat held off the visiting Atlanta Hawks 97-94 for a series-clinching victory in Game 5 of a first-round Eastern Conference playoff series. The Hawks had a couple of chances to pull even in the final 30 seconds, but a missed shot came before a game-ending steal by Adebayo. Miami will be off until opening the conference semifinals Monday night against the Philadelphia 76ers or the Toronto Raptors.

MLB roundup: Anthony Rizzo's 3 HRs carry Yankees over Orioles

Anthony Rizzo hit three homers for the first time in his career as the New York Yankees recorded a 12-8 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. Rizzo's first multi-homer game as a Yankee gave him sole possession of the major league lead, with eight homers. It was New York's first three-homer game since Kyle Higashioka went deep three times against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sept. 16, 2020.

Tennis-Only viable option: Wimbledon defends ban on Russian, Belarusian players

Banning Russian and Belarusian players from this year's Wimbledon championships was the only viable option under the guidance provided by the British government, the organizers of the grasscourt Grand Slam said on Tuesday. The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) took the decision in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the stand was swiftly condemned by the men's and women's tours.

Soccer-Villarreal high on confidence ahead of Liverpool tie says Parejo

After eliminating Juventus and Bayern Munich from the Champions League, Villarreal have "all the confidence in the world" that they can get past Liverpool and reach the final of Europe's elite club competition, midfielder Dani Parejo said. The Spanish side won the Europa League last season and followed up that impressive European campaign by reaching their first Champions League semi-final in 16 years.

Putin says Valieva's skating 'perfection' could not be achieved with doping

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that teenage figure skater Kamila Valieva's performances could not have been achieved with the help of any banned substances. Valieva, who turned 16 on Tuesday, failed a doping test at the Russian national championships last December but the result was only revealed on Feb. 8, a day after she had already helped the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) win the team event at the Beijing Games.

NBA-Lakers should keep 'Big Three' but need younger players too says Shaq

The Los Angeles Lakers should keep their 'Big Three' of LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, and Anthony Davis together but need to surround them with young players who can knock down shots, Lakers legend Shaquille O'Neal has said. Injuries sidelined Davis and James for stretches of the season and prevented the trio from ever finding a rhythm. The veteran squad, which was the oldest in the league with an average age of 30, ultimately missed the playoffs.

NHL roundup: Flames set team road win mark

Elias Lindholm scored the overtime winner and Dillon Dube tallied twice as the Calgary Flames collected a franchise-record 25th road victory with a 5-4 win over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday. Calgary's Matthew Tkachuk tied the game with 0.1 seconds left in regulation.

Cricket-Former Australia batsman Slater avoids jail in the domestic violence case

Former Australia batsman Michael Slater avoided jail on Wednesday after a Sydney court dismissed domestic violence charges against him on mental health grounds, Australian state media reported. Slater, 52, was arrested by police in October and charged with harassment and intimidation of his ex-wife following an allegation of domestic violence.

Soccer-Ukraine league season terminated due to martial law

The Ukrainian Premier League (UPL) season has been terminated and the title will not be awarded due to continuing martial law in the country, the league said. No matches have been played since Russia invaded Ukraine in February in what Moscow calls a "special military operation".

Tennis-Federer to play Swiss Indoors in October

Roger Federer has signed up to play at his home tournament in Basel in October, tournament organizers said on Tuesday as doubts continue on when the 20-time major winner will return to competition from his knee problem. The former world number one, who will be 41 in August, has not played since July last year when he was knocked out of Wimbledon in the quarter-finals against Hubert Hurkacz.

(With inputs from agencies.)