AP Sports SummaryBrief at 1:31 p.m. EST

Djokovic tops Paul; faces Tsitsipas in Australian Open final

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic has put aside some shaky early play to beat unseeded American Tommy Paul 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 and reach the Australian Open final. Djokovic will face Stefanos Tsitsipas for the title on Sunday. The winner will move up to No. 1 in the ATP rankings. Tsitsipas made it to his second Grand Slam final with a 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-3 semifinal victory over Karen Khachanov. The No. 3-seeded Tsitsipas had been 0-3 in semifinals at Melbourne Park. Djokovic is seeking his 10th Australian Open championship to extend his own men’s record and a 22nd Grand Slam trophy overall to equal Rafael Nadal’s mark.

Djokovic’s dad stays away from Australian Open semifinal

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Tennis Australia says Novak Djokovic’s father decided to stay away from the 21-time Grand Slam champion’s semifinal after getting embroiled in a flap involving spectators who brought banned Russian flags to Melbourne Park. Djokovic wound up beating unseeded American Tommy Paul 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 to earn a berth in the men’s singles final. Tournament organizers said they have spoken with players and their teams about not engaging in any activity that causes distress or disruption. Djokovic’s father was filmed standing with a group of people waving Russian flags outside Rod Laver Arena after the younger Djokovic’s quarterfinal victory over Russian player Andrey Rublev on Wednesday.

Wilks ‘disappointed, not defeated’ over Panthers snub

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Former Carolina Panthers interim head coach Steve Wilks Tweeted said that he is “disappointed, but not defeated” that he didn’t land the team’s full-time head coaching position. The Panthers announced on Thursday they have agreed to hire Frank Reich as their new head coach. Wilks said “many people aren’t built for this but I know what it means to persevere and see it through.” Wilks’ comments come less than 24 hours after his attorney in a previous lawsuit alleging unfair racial hiring practice against the NFL blasted the Panthers for choosing Reich over Wilks.

Paul says Djokovic thwarted his Australian Open gameplan

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Tommy Paul says he went into his Australian Open semifinal against Novak Djokovic with a specific game plan. He also says none of it worked because Djokovic wouldn’t let it work. Paul managed to take four games in a row to make the score 5-all in the first set. But Djokovic then grabbed the next seven games and 14 of 17 the rest of the way to win 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 and reach the final at Melbourne Park. Paul was playing in the semifinals of a major tournament for the first time. Djokovic is now one win away from a 10th Australian Open championship and 22nd Grand Slam title overall.

Keyontae Johnson at No. 5 K-State to face ex-Gator teammates

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — There are still a handful of players left at Florida who remember watching Keyontae Johnson collapse on the sideline during a game in December 2020. They will share the floor with him again this weekend on opposite sides. The senior forward has an unspecified heart condition. He has helped the Wildcats reach No. 5 in the nation as they prepare to face the Gators in the Big 12-SEC Challenge. Johnson is third in the Big 12 in scoring at 18.3 points per game, third in rebounding at 7.5 per game and is in the league’s top 10 in field-goal percentage.

College basketball broadcaster Billy Packer dies at 82

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Billy Packer, an Emmy award-winning college basketball broadcaster who covered 34 Final Fours for NBC and CBS, has died at 82. Packer’s son, Mark, told The Associated Press on Thursday night that his father had been hospitalized for the past three weeks and had several medical issues, and ultimately succumbed to kidney failure. Packer’s broadcasting career coincided with the growth of college basketball. He worked as analyst or color commentator on every Final Four from 1975 to 2008.

Analysis: Nick Sirianni won over fans who didn’t want him

Nick Sirianni is getting his flowers figuratively instead of thrown at his face. The chest-bumping, sideline-prancing, expletive-tossing head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles has won over a tough city that questioned his credentials and mocked his introductory news conference when he was hired two years ago. Sirianni has the Eagles in the NFC championship game and now he’s becoming more popular than Rocky Balboa in the city of cheesesteaks and Liberty Bell.  The Eagles will host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday with a chance to reach the Super Bowl for the fourth time in franchise history and second time in six seasons. Sirianni is leading the way with his swagger and an offensive system labeled “unstoppable” by CBS analyst Tony Romo, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback.

LeBron, Giannis chosen as captains for NBA All-Star Game

LeBron James is closing in on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA career scoring record. And now, he has caught Abdul-Jabbar on another page of the All-Star record book. James was announced Thursday as an NBA All-Star for the 19th time, the Los Angeles Lakers’ star tying Abdul-Jabbar for the most selections in league history. James was the leading overall vote-getter and will be the captain of one of the teams for the Feb. 19 All-Star Game in Salt Lake City. Eastern Conference voting leader Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks will captain the other side.

Rodney Terry constantly auditioning as Texas interim coach

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas interim coach Rodney Terry is in the midst of a long audition. And the school at some point must decide whether he deserves a callback. Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte isn’t discussing the search for a permanent replacement for Chris Beard, who was fired earlier this month. Del Conte also won’t say whether Terry is a top candidate. The No. 10 Longhorns share first place in the Big 12 and haven’t missed a step since Beard was suspended and then fired following his arrest on a felony domestic violence charge.

Analysis: It may be time to re-think NBA All-Star voting

It’s reasonable to think Chet Holmgren will be an NBA All-Star one day. He was a highly recruited high school player whose one year at Gonzaga was stellar enough for Oklahoma City to make him the No. 2 pick in last year’s draft. He’s an obvious talent, an enormous talent. And it’s terrible that Holmgren got hurt last summer and will miss the entirety of this season. But evidently, his rehab has been going extremely well since four NBA players say he should start next month’s All-Star Game. It doesn’t make much sense, but the voting by NBA players for their own All-Star Game rarely does.