AP Sports SummaryBrief at 1:35 p.m. EST

As he turns 38, LeBron is clear: He still wants title shots

MIAMI (AP) — LeBron James turns 38 on Friday. And he averaged more points as a 37-year-old than anyone ever has in NBA history. He actually averaged more points at that age than he has at any age since he was 21. But the 20-year NBA veteran made clear after a loss in Miami that points and records aren’t what he’s seeking. The Los Angeles Lakers are 14-21 this season. They’re a long way from being a title contender. And more championship shots is what James wants most.

Djokovic says no hard feelings over Australian deportation

ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic has reiterated his earlier comments that he bears no hard feelings on his return to Australia after his visa cancellation and subsequent deportation in January ahead of the Australian Open. Djokovic was deported almost 12 months ago after arriving unvaccinated against COVID-19 at a time when the country was still subject to strict quarantine regulations and proof of vaccination. Those regulations have since been lifted and in November, the Australian government overturned the three-year ban that came with Djokovic’s deportation and granted him a visa to return for the Australian Open beginning Jan. 16. Djokovic arrived back in Australia on Tuesday ahead of the Adelaide International, where he is scheduled to play next week.

Kiffin: Texas Tech player spit, possibly used racial slur

HOUSTON (AP) — Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin said a Texas Tech player spit on one of his players and possibly used a racial slur Wednesday night in the Texas Bowl. A scrum between the teams came after Dayton Wade fumbled early in the fourth quarter and Texas Tech recovered. There was pushing and shoving between players and Ole Miss’ Jordan Watkins was given a personal foul penalty. After the game, which Ole Miss lost 42-25, Kiffin said that the penalty should have actually been on Texas Tech’s Dimitri Moore, who is No. 11 for the Red Raiders, instead of Watkins, who wears No. 11 for Ole Miss. When asked to clarify if a Texas Tech player used a racial slur, Kiffin said he wasn’t sure.

AP source: Titans start Dobbs, not Willis at QB vs. Dallas

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A person familiar with the situation says that the Tennessee Titans will start Joshua Dobbs at quarterback Thursday night against the Dallas Cowboys instead of rookie Malik Willis. The Titans’ third-round pick out of Liberty had been expected to make his fourth start with veteran Ryan Tannehill among eight declared out for this game. The person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press that the Titans will start Dobbs. He was signed off Detroit’s practice squad Dec. 21. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the move has not been announced.

Analysis: Doncic, Jokic set the pace; wild MVP race looming

Luka Doncic had 60 points and 21 rebounds and 10 assists on Tuesday, a stat line never seen before in NBA history. Nikola Jokic had 41 points and 15 rebounds and 15 assists on Sunday, a stat line that was managed on only two other occasions. Two amazing games. Also, they combined for zero dunks. The two best players in the NBA right now do not play with LeBron James’ strength and force, or with Michael Jordan’s acrobatic creativity. Doncic and Jokic do it differently. They dominate by making the game get played at their pace. And right now nobody does it better.

Chasing 80th win, Shiffrin holds big 1st-run lead in slalom

SEMMERING, Austria (AP) — Mikaela Shiffrin has taken a big lead in the opening run of a women’s World Cup slalom as she positioned herself for a third win in three days and 80th overall. The American was more than seven-tenths of a second faster than a group of three skiers. Petra Vlhová and Wendy Holdener had more than a second to make up in the second leg. Shiffrin said “I felt really good. I was firing.” A victory would leave Shiffrin two wins short of Lindsey Vonn’s best mark of 82 for most women’s World Cup wins.

Auriemma’s No. 8 Huskies again dealing with wave of injuries

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — This season certainly hasn’t unfolded the way Geno Auriemma envisioned. His UConn Huskies weathered a run of injuries and illness to reach the NCAA Tournament championship game last season and the core of that team was supposed to be back this year. Or so he thought. He said he wondered how many points his team could score if everybody were available. The Huskies are 10-2 but the lineups and rotations keep changing because of a run of injuries and illness for the second straight year. Only Aaliyah Edwards, Lou Lopez Senechal and Ayannia Patterson have appeared in every game.

Raiders bench QB Carr, will start Stidham for final 2 games

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Las Vegas Raiders coach Josh McDaniels said on Wednesday that Jarrett Stidham will start the final two games at quarterback in place of Derek Carr. McDaniels cited the struggles of the offense over the past month as the reason for the switch. McDaniels also said defensive lineman Chandler Jones and linebacker Denzel Perryman were placed on season-ending injured reserve. Jones has an elbow injury and Perryman a shoulder injury. The Raiders host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

McDaniel: Tua suffered concussion in loss to Packers

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained his second concussion of the season in last week’s loss to Green Bay, Miami coach Mike McDaniel confirmed Wednesday. Tagovailoa’s status for the rest of the season isn’t known, and the Dolphins are preparing for Sunday’s pivotal game at New England with Teddy Bridgewater as their starter. The NFL and the players association have launched a joint review of the application of the concussion protocol.

Three players ejected as Pistons-Magic scuffle in first half

DETROIT (AP) — Three players were ejected after a fight between the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons late in the first half of their game. Orlando’s Moritz Wagner was ejected for a flagrant foul, while Detroit’s Killian Hayes and Hamadou Diallo were ejected for their actions during the ensuing scuffle in front of the Pistons bench Wednesday. Wagner hip-checked Hayes into the Detroit bench as they chased an errant pass, starting a scuffle that involved every player on both teams.