AP Sports SummaryBrief at 7:16 a.m. EST

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.

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.

Panthers hire Frank Reich over Steve Wilks as head coach

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Panthers have hired Frank Reich as their new head coach following an extensive search. The 61-year-old Reich joins the Panthers after spending the past four-plus seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, where he went 40-33-1 as head coach before being fired on Nov. 7. The Colts went to the playoffs twice as a wild-card team under Reich. For Reich, the hire represents a return to Carolina, where he spent one season as the team’s quarterback and started the franchise’s inaugural game in 1995. He was chosen over candidates including Steve Wilks, who served as the team’s defensive coordinator before being promoted to interim coach.

Final 4 NFL teams all feature offensive-minded head coaches

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Coach Kyle Shanahan’s success in San Francisco overseeing productive offenses without elite quarterback play is a reason why so many teams each January are seeking the next trendy, play-calling offensive coach to take over their team. All four head coaches in the conference championship games come from an offensive background with Kansas City’s Andy Reid and Cincinnati’s Zac Taylor also calling plays like Shanahan, while Philadelphia’s Nick Sirianni delegated that duty during his first season.

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.

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.

Ryder extends Farmers lead to 3, Rahm gets hot on windy day

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Sam Ryder extended his lead to three shots in the Farmers Insurance Open with a 4-under 68 in challenging wind in the second round on Torrey Pines’ South Course. Meanwhile, Jon Rahm had an eagle followed by three straight birdies late in his 5-under 67 on the easier North Course to get under the cut line. Ryder survived both the Santa Ana wind and the tougher South Course with just one bogey to reach 12-under 132 and take a three-stroke lead over Brendan Steele, who shot a 70 on the South Course. Tano Goya was two more shots back after a 67 on the North Course.

Jets hire former Broncos coach Hackett to run offense

The New York Jets have hired former Denver Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett as their offensive coordinator. The team announced the hiring Thursday of the 43-year-old Hackett, who replaces Mike LaFleur. Hackett went 4-11 in less than one season as head coach of the Broncos. Hackett’s arrival will fuel some speculation about whether the Jets could pursue Aaron Rodgers, whose playing future is uncertain. Hackett served as the Packers’ offensive coordinator from 2019-21 with Rodgers as the quarterback. The Jets also announced that Keith Carter was hired as the team’s offensive line coach/run game coordinator.

Rybakina, Sabalenka to meet in Australian Open women’s final

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina has reached her second final in the past three Grand Slam tournaments by beating Victoria Azarenka 7-6 (4), 6-3 at the Australian Open. Azarenka was the champion at Melbourne Park in 2012 and 2013. She joins a list of players eliminated by Rybakina over the past two weeks that includes No. 1 Iga Swiatek, No. 17 Jelena Ostapenko and 2022 Australian Open runner-up Danielle Collins. Rybakina will take on No. 5 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in Saturday’s final. Sabalenka reached her first Grand Slam title match by defeating unseeded Magda Linette 7-6 (1), 6-2 in the semifinals.

Tommy Paul’s Australian run helps make US men relevant again

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Tommy Paul’s run to the semifinals at the Australian Open is the latest in a series of signs that men from the United States are relevant again in tennis. The last Grand Slam singles title for an American man came when Andy Roddick won the 2003 U.S. Open. Paul will try to take the next step toward ending that drought when he faces 21-time major champion Novak Djokovic in the final four on Friday. The other men’s semifinal is Stefanos Tsitsipas against Karen Khachanov. Paul’s breakthrough comes a few months after countryman Frances Tiafoe reached the semifinals at the U.S. Open. There are projected to be 10 men from the U.S. in the ATP top 50 when the rankings are released Monday. That is the most since 1995.