MIAMI -- Vaccinated fans will soon have their own sections at Miami Heat games.

The Heat announced plans Tuesday to open two sections in their lower bowl only for fully vaccinated fans starting with an April 1 game against the Golden State Warriors. The Heat are the first NBA team to reveal such a plan, though other clubs are believed to be working on similar measures.

Masks will still be required, even for the vaccinated fans, but social distancing rules will be slightly relaxed in those areas.

The NBA told teams last week that such sections would be allowed, under very specific conditions and in accordance with local and state health and safety guidelines. If any of the sections provided by teams include seats within 30 feet of the court, fans in those seats will have to take a PCR test two days prior to the game or an approved antigen test on game day.

"You're already getting a sense that things are starting to change and go in a much more positive direction," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said." Just the environment in our building, I remember those first couple games we had at the beginning of the year when there was literally nobody here, that was an eerie experience."

The Heat are devoting two sections for the fully vaccinated fans, where pods of groups will be separated by just one seat. Those fans will be admitted through a separate gate and required to show their CDC vaccination card, or proof thereof, along with valid identification. Fans will have to have been fully vaccinated for at least 14 days to be eligible to be in those sections.

Miami has allowed a small number of fans to attend games for the past several weeks and has had virus-detecting dogs at entrances this season. The Heat are also one of three teams -- including the New Orleans Pelicans and the Atlanta Hawks -- to publicly acknowledge in recent days that some players and staff members have started the vaccination process.

"Things are moving," Spoelstra said. "All of us can't wait until we get our building full again, and same thing for other arenas."

By NBA rules for the vaccinated-only sections, children not yet eligible to receive the vaccine would not be permitted even if with parents or guardians who have been vaccinated. Teams are also being encouraged to have dedicated concession and restroom areas for the vaccinated fans, and to make efforts to limit any chance for those fans to commingle with others inside the arena.

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone broke down in tears during his pregame media session Tuesday after reading the names of the 10 victims of Monday's shooting massacre in Boulder, Colorado.

Malone, speaking before the Nuggets played the Orlando Magic, opened his session by shifting the focus off of basketball and toward the latest mass shooting in the United States, which took place in the Nuggets' home state.

"Obviously, I think we are all tired of it," Malone said of how he and his team processed the latest shooting in Colorado. "That's an understatement. I know for me, you get so caught up in the job and basketball and..."

"You know we get judged on wins and losses ... I apologize," added Malone, fighting back tears. "But if you take a step back and put yourself in one of those families, what do you feel?"

Malone read off the names of the 10 men and women who were shot and killed on Monday -- Denny Stong, Neven Stanisic, Rikki Olds, Tralona Bartkowiak, Suzanne Fountain, Teri Leiker, Kevin Mahoney, Lynn Murray, Jody Waters and Eric Talley. Malone choked up when he read off the name of Talley, a Boulder police officer, who was a father of seven.

This is not the first time Malone has spoken to reporters about a shooting in Colorado. Before Game 5 against the Portland Trail Blazers in the second round of the NBA Western Conference Semifinals in May of 2019, he pleaded for something to change after a school shooting left one student dead at a Highlands Ranch public charter school in his suburban Denver community.

Malone's two daughters, then in middle school and attending a different school, experienced a lockdown that day at their school. At that time, it was the second lockdown in the span of three weeks due to a shooting threat.

"This is a game, the game I love, I have a passion for," Malone said choking up. "But I think about Eric Talley and his seven kids. ... That is what I think about. I'm just heartbroken for them and everybody else. And hopefully we as a country, we as a state, can find a way to be better. I apologize for my emotions."

Since the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, Colorado has had several fatal shootings that have made national headlines.

"Seems like we have been here," Malone said at the start of his media session. "I think it is really important that we turn our attention where it should be and that is back in Boulder. Yesterday was another tragedy. Hopefully that is something that we can find a way to prevent from happening in the future.

"I think I speak for everyone on our team, our travel party, that our thoughts and prayers -- which is never enough -- but our thoughts and prayers are definitely with the Boulder community and all the families of the 10 innocent people who were murdered yesterday."

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Twins optioned prized prospect Alex Kirilloff to their alternate training site on Tuesday, leaving a wide-open competition for playing time in left field while giving the 2016 first-round draft pick more time to develop.

Jake Cave, Kyle Garlick and Brent Rooker are the primary candidates at that position, vacated when Eddie Rosario was not tendered a contract during the offseason. Luis Arraez, a natural infielder who has moved into a super-sub role this year, has also been in the mix in left field.

Kirilloff made his major league debut in last year's postseason but has yet to appear in a regular-season game. Excluding him from the major league roster to start the year will allow the Twins to keep his service time clock from running and potentially delay his eligibility for free agency by a year. This issue has become increasingly tense between clubs and players following the union's loss of a grievance against the Chicago Cubs for holding back third baseman Kris Bryant as a rookie in 2015.

Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey told reporters Sunday that service time wouldn't factor into decisions about the roster.

"Our goal is to figure out a way to put the best roster together that we think can impact us over the course of a season. We're out there trying to compete, we're trying to win, and we're going to figure out a way to do that," Falvey said.

Kirilloff has four hits in 31 at-bats with one home run and eight strikeouts in spring training exhibitions, which didn't help his cause to make the team out of camp. The COVID-19 pandemic that eliminated minor league competition last year didn't help, either.

Kirilloff, who finished 2019 in Double-A, performed so well at the team's alternate training site last summer that he was included on the roster for the playoffs and achieved the rarity of making his debut in a postseason game. When Rosario was released, Kirilloff was widely viewed as the natural replacement, but the Twins obviously are not in a rush.

"What we really want is for Alex to start his career off at the major league level on a good note where he's feeling good, and he's locked in, and he's ready to go and then never look back," manager Rocco Baldelli said. "And I have no doubt that we're going to find that point."

Star San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. left his team's spring training game Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds because of left shoulder discomfort.

Tatis, who throws with his right hand, left the game in the third inning after making a backhanded play at shortstop. Tatis moved to his right to field a ground ball by the Reds' Jonathan India and then made a throw to first to record the out. He then left the field with trainers.

The Padres said that Tatis will be reevaluated on Wednesday.

The 22-year-old Tatis signed a 14-year, $340 million contract extension with the Padres last month.

Other than that, it hasn't been a smooth spring for Tatis. He missed time with flu-like symptoms and then jarred himself after diving headfirst into home on a flyball to shallow left field in a game on March 13.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Texas Rangers designated hitter Khris Davis strained his left quadriceps running out a bunt single in a Cactus League game Tuesday and could start the season on the injured list.

Davis pulled up before reaching first base and left the game against the Los Angeles Angels. Texas won 6-4. Manager Chris Woodward said after the game the extent of the injury wasn't known but that the IL was a possibility.

The injury to Davis means the two leading candidates at DH for the Rangers could begin the season on the injured list. Willie Calhoun is dealing with a hamstring injury. Texas opens the season April 1 at Kansas City.

The Rangers acquired Davis from Oakland this offseason in a trade that sent longtime shortstop Elvis Andrus to the Athletics.

Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter says the criticism of England coach Eddie Jones is unfair.

Baxter, 50, has been tipped as a future head coach for England.

"That's probably the biggest problem with the game, or with the position of being England head coach or head coach in international rugby, most things get blown out of all proportion," he said.

"In other jobs, if you got to a one match off winning a World Cup and you have the success over the last five to six years that England have had there probably would not be that much scrutiny.

"This year it has not gone so well and there is massive scrutiny. That's kind of how it goes.

"Is it fair? Of course it is not. That's what sport is now and that's probably more magnified in the current climate when you don't have anything else."

Baxter has led the Chiefs to two Premiership titles and the 2020 European Champions Cup since taking over in 2009.

But Baxter - who first joined the club in 1987 as a player - reaffirmed his commitment to the Chiefs, where his contract runs until the summer of 2023.

"You've got to suddenly say I'm prepared to drop everything and this is it, this is what I'm going to focus the next pretty much 24 hours a day on from now on until I get sacked," he said.

"I'd have to ask myself a lot of questions before I'd want to commit to something like that.

"I'd have to spend a lot of time talking to my wife about it, whether it's something she was comfortable with because she's a huge part of the success I've had down here.

"That on top of the fact that I'm under contract here which is very important to me.

"I'm the kind of guy when I offer contracts to players I expect them to honour them. I've signed more players here with the shake of a hand than we have with the signing of the pen, the pen stuff has come afterwards as a bit of a by-product of everything else.

"When I shake hands with Tony Rowe and he says 'you're going to be here for the next three years' and I say 'yes', then that means a lot to me as well.

"That and things like coaching staff - the only coaching staff I know I'd feel comfortable with at the moment are here at this club and I couldn't take them away from here."

Ireland centre Bundee Aki will serve a four-match suspension after his red card in Saturday's 32-18 Six Nations victory over England.

The 30-year-old will now miss Connacht's next four matches in the Champions Cup, Rainbow Cup or Pro14.

It was Ireland's second red card of the tournament after back row Peter O'Mahony was sent off against Wales.

Aki will sit out Connacht's last-16 encounter with Leicester Tigers in the Challenge Cup on 3 April and the three following matches, which will roll into the Rainbow Cup should the Irish side exit the European stage.

A Six Nations statement said Aki accepted the charge and the disciplinary committee agreed the tackle "had been reckless rather than deliberate or intentional."

With the entry point for the offence set at six weeks, he was denied the maximum 50 percent discount because of his previous disciplinary record, which included a red card against Samoa at the 2019 World Cup, but his sanction was reduced by two weeks due to his "clear remorse and concern for the welfare" of Vunipola.

The British and Irish Lions plan to tour South Africa this summer after rejecting contingency options of staging the matches elsewhere.

However, the Lions hope to press ahead with the original itinerary.

"The Board's intended position is for the Tour to go ahead as scheduled ," said Lions chairman Jason Leonard.

"We acknowledge that there is a significant amount of work still to be undertaken to deliver a robust Covid-19 countermeasure plan to ensure a successful, safe and uninterrupted tour."

Mark Alexander, SA Rugby president, admitted that the original schedule, which includes five warm-up matches against provincial teams, an invitational side and second-string South Africa A before the three Test series, could be changed.

"There are serious financial implications for SA Rugby, should the event take place without any supporters in attendance, and we cannot ignore that in our considerations," he said.

It is not yet known whether, as with this summer's Tokyo Olympics, overseas supporters will be barred from following the tour.

Earlier on Tuesday, Rugby Football Union boss and Lions board member Bill Sweeney said there was "critical dialogue" ongoing about what was possible in South Africa.

Australia put forward a bid to host the matches in January, underlining the ability to play in front of capacity crowds in a relatively Covid-free environment.

However that offer was rejected earlier this month, leaving Britain and Ireland or South Africa as the possible destinations for 2021, alongside a possible postponement for 12 months or outright cancellation.

"We have run out of runway on the UK option so the agreement that is in place is South Africa have an obligation to host the tour if they can, and we have an obligation to go there and tour," Sweeney told the BBC.

"There is a lot of work to be done now. The statement is just the start of the process. All of the negotiations around the players that are going to be in the squad and making sure of the safety of the players to go to South Africa. All that work has to be done, so it is not a small undertaking."

Covid concerns have kept South Africa out of action since beating England in the Rugby World Cup final in November 2019.

Lions coach Warren Gatland is due to announce a squad for the tour at the start of May.

Eddie Jones' future as England head coach will hinge on a "brutally honest" review into the fifth-placed Six Nations finish, says Rugby Football Union boss Bill Sweeney.

But Sweeney has vowed to leave no stone unturned in next month's debrief.

"We have got to have a brutally honest review of how we have gone," Sweeney told BBC Sport.

"Because 2023 is not far away."

The review into England's poor Six Nations has been moved forward from May to April, and will involve a panel of rugby experts both inside and outside the RFU.

But despite describing England's campaign as "massively disappointing", Sweeney has warned against any knee-jerk reaction.

"Out of respect for Eddie I don't think it is fair to start speculating," Sweeney added.

"We must give Eddie all the respect in the world, and the relationship is good enough and open enough for him to say 'This is what went wrong and this is why it went wrong, and more importantly this is how we are going to address it going forward'.

"You have got to recognise and respect what he's done - he is one of the best coaches in the world.

"But in sport that is history - he would be the last person to remind you of his win ratio."

In 2016, Jones said an international coach has a shelf-life of four years, and admitted he stayed on too long in one of his previous roles as Australia head coach.

However while he is now in his sixth year in the Twickenham hot seat, Sweeney says Jones is "very conscious" of not growing stale.

"He certainly hasn't lost any ambition, he certainly believes in the squad and he still knows what has to be done for us to make sure we are on track," Sweeney said.

Despite the majority of his squad being under the age of 30, Jones insists England are going through a period of "transition", something Sweeney has described as "slightly odd."

However the Twickenham boss has defended Jones and the union's obsession with trying to win the Rugby World Cup and emulate the heroes of 2003.

"You look at the impact 2003 had, strong rugby nations tend to be judged on their ability to win Rugby World Cups," Sweeney added. "That is the holy grail."

"Winning a Rugby World Cup is probably the hardest competition in the world to win, but I think the prize at the end is probably worth it.

"I think we've got an excellent chance [of winning in 2023], but we have just got to make sure we are being honest with ourselves and that we are checking it and looking at it and we are convinced we are on the right track."

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – MX Sports Pro Racing has announced that Lucas Oil Products, Inc., will embark on its 13th season as title sponsor of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing.

Additionally, the American-based manufacturer and distributor of high-performance automotive oils and additives will serve as the official oil and lubricant of the world’s most prestigious off-road motorcycle racing series, which will begin the season on Saturday, May 29, from Fox Raceway in Pala, Calif.

With a long and storied history supporting the American racing industry through vehicle sponsorships and event promotions at all levels of motorsport, Lucas Oil has become one of the most recognizable brands within the greater powersports industry through its commitment to Pro Motocross. In partnership with MX Sports Pro Racing, Lucas Oil helped usher in a new era of American Motocross beginning with the 2009 season and has remained the championship’s most ardent supporter ever since.

One of Lucas Oil’s most significant contributions to the championship during its tenure has been the elevation of Pro Motocross’ broadcast presence. Thanks to its dedicated production team, Lucas Oil Production Studios has continued to enhance the viewership experience of American motocross, which has put the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship at the forefront of motorsports telecasts around the world.

Moreover, thanks to Lucas Oil’s 24/7 motorsports network, MAVTV, and the series’ partnership with NBC Sports, Pro Motocross has become more accessible to its domestic audience than ever before, with an extensive schedule of live network broadcasts complemented by live, commercial-free online streaming.

“The growth and prominence the sport of American motocross has enjoyed over the past decade can be directly attributed to the unwavering commitment from Lucas Oil,” said MX Sports Managing Director, Roy Janson. “Their influence on the prominence of this championship, particularly as it pertains to the vital broadcast component of hosting a world-class championship, cannot be understated. The legacy Lucas Oil has built through its support of motorsports of all kinds is unparalleled and Pro Motocross is privileged to be a part of it. We are fortunate to have such a dedicated partner who is equally as passionate about amplifying the sport, its athletes, and its loyal fanbase.”