Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

NBA roundup: Celtics end Heat’s five-game win streak

Jaylen Brown scored 17 points to lead six Boston scorers in double figures as the visiting Celtics routed the Miami Heat 95-78 on Thursday, using an impressive defensive effort to snap the Heat’s five-game winning streak. Dennis Schroder scored 14 points, Aaron Nesmith had 13 and Romeo Langford chipped in 12 for Boston, which won its second straight following a three-game losing streak.

Figure skating-Japan’s Hanyu injures ankle three months before Olympics

Yuzuru Hanyu’s hopes of winning a third Olympic figure skating gold medal for Japan have suffered a blow after he pulled out of a tournament in Tokyo due to an ankle injury. With the Beijing Winter Games three months away, the country’s skating federation said the 26-year-old had suffered ankle ligament damage and would miss the Nov. 12-14 NHK Cup.

Tennis-Australia to face Switzerland in Billie Jean King Cup semis

Storm Sanders and Ajla Tomljanovic won their singles rubbers to help Australia beat Belarus on Thursday and set up a semi-final against Switzerland at the Billie Jean King Cup finals. Australia, chasing an eighth title in the women’s team competition which was previously called the Fed Cup, had defeated Belgium in their opening tie and their unassailable 2-0 lead against Belarus ensured they will top Group B.

U.S. calls on China not to limit journalists’ freedom at 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

The United States on Thursday urged China not to restrict access and movement for journalists reporting on next year’s Winter Olympics in Beijing. The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China this week said it was concerned about a lack of transparency from organizers of the games, which begin in February.

Motor racing-I will win or lose title in the right way, says Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton vowed to win or lose “the right way” after fears the Formula One title battle with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen could be decided by a collision at the final race. The 36-year-old Mercedes driver is chasing a record eighth championship but is 12 points adrift of Dutch youngster Verstappen with five rounds remaining, including Sunday’s in Mexico City.

Baseball-Giants catcher Posey calls time on his career

San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey announced his retirement from Major League Baseball on Thursday after 12 seasons and three World Series championships, saying he had “fulfilled his lifelong dream”. The news came as a surprise after the 34-year-old led the Giants to an MLB-best 107 wins last season.

NHL roundup: Patrice Bergeron’s 4-goal game lifts Bruins past Wings

Patrice Bergeron matched a franchise record with a trio of power-play goals and scored four total to help the Boston Bruins skate past the visiting Detroit Red Wings 5-1 on Thursday night. Bergeron had been held without a goal during the Bruins’ first seven games. The Boston captain became the fifth player in team history to record a hat trick at age 36 or older, joining Hall of Famer Johnny Bucyk (six times), Jean Ratelle, Dit Clapper and Dave Andreychuk.

Olympics-USOPC must better recognise value of Black athletes: racial justice council

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) must do a better job of recognising the contribution and value of Black athletes, particularly at the elite level, beyond the field of play, a U.S. athlete-led council said on Thursday. The Team USA Council on Racial and Social Justice said in a report that Black athletes had repeatedly stated they did not feel they are valued by the USOPC community.

Tennis-Ruud becomes first Norwegian to book ATP Finals spot

Casper Ruud has become the first Norwegian to book a place in the season-ending ATP Finals, leaving one spot to be filled at the tournament in Turin, Italy later this month. The 22-year-old has won five of his six ATP Tour titles during a breakthrough 2021 and is tied with Germany’s world number four Alexander Zverev for the most tour-level trophies during the season.

Athletics-Olympic marathoners ready to go the distance in New York

Molly Seidel’s 2021 plans once seemed reasonable – the American would compete at the Tokyo Olympics and then prepare to line up in Sunday’s New York City Marathon. However, having won bronze in the marathon at the Games in August, the 27-year-old on Thursday conceded that the schedule had been “a lot harder than I thought it was going to be.”

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)