AP Sports SummaryBrief at 11:19 p.m. EST

By The Associated Press

Shohei Ohtani wins 3rd AP Male Athlete of the Year award, tying Michael Jordan for 1 shy of record

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani has been named The Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for the third time. That ties the two-way superstar with Michael Jordan, an athlete Ohtani followed while growing up in Japan. He trails only Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods and LeBron James, who each won the award four times. Ohtani received 48 votes in balloting by 74 sports journalists from the AP and its members. He earned his third National League Most Valuable Player award after helping the Dodgers win their eighth World Series title. Ohtani hit 54 home runs and stole 59 bases as the first player with a 50-50 season. His dog, Decoy, became a celebrity, too, helping Ohtani deliver a ceremonial first pitch at a game.

Packers clinch playoff berth with 1st shutout in NFL this season, 34-0 over Saints

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Josh Jacobs gained 107 yards from scrimmage and scored a touchdown for a sixth straight game as the Green Bay Packers clinched a playoff berth while producing the first shutout of the NFL season, 34-0 over the hapless New Orleans Saints. Green Bay improved to 11-4 and earned its fifth postseason appearance in six years. New Orleans played without injured quarterback Derek Carr and running back Alvin Kamara. Rookie Spencer Rattler started and went 15 of 30 for 153 yards with an interception and a fumble. The Packers have won nine of their last 11 games.

Georgia turns to backup Stockton at quarterback in CFP quarterfinal; Beck has season-ending surgery

No. 2 Georgia is resting its national championship hopes on backup quarterback Gunner Stockton. Coach Kirby Smart says Georgia is preparing Stockton to start in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1 in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against No. 3 Notre Dame. Stockton took over when starter Carson Beck suffered a right elbow injury in the the first half in the Bulldogs’ 22-19 overtime win over Texas in the Southeastern Conference championship game on Dec. 7 in Atlanta. Beck had surgery on Monday in Los Angeles to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow.

Embiid ejected after drawing 2 technicals in game against Wembanyama and Spurs

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid was ejected in the first half of Monday night’s game against San Antonio after drawing two technical fouls. Referee Jenna Schroeder ejected Embiid with 2 minutes, 59 seconds left in the second quarter. The seven-time All-Star received the first technical for arguing with Schroeder, and received another technical — and ejection — from Schroeder before any more game time elapsed. Embiid was close to Schroeder, but it wasn’t clear from replays whether he made contact with the official. An enraged Embiid charged toward the officials after the ejection and was restrained by teammate Kyle Lowry, head coach Nick Nurse and several assistants.

Tank Dell out for season with dislocated knee, torn ACL. Texans claim Diontae Johnson off waivers

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Texans receiver Tank Dell will miss the remainder of the season after dislocating a knee and tearing an ACL in a loss to Kansas City on Saturday. Coach DeMeco Ryans revealed the details of the injury Monday before announcing that Dell would have season-ending surgery for a second straight season. Dell fractured his fibula in Week 13 against the Broncos as a rookie last season and had surgery on it the following day. The Texans placed Dell on injured reserve and claimed receiver Diontae Johnson off waivers from Baltimore. Johnson joins his third team this year after a brief and rocky tenure with the Ravens.

On Football: Falcons and Buccaneers flip spots atop the NFC South and playoff races tighten up

The 49ers, Cowboys and Cardinals are out of the playoff race. The Falcons took control of their hopes and the Colts, Dolphins and Bengals kept slim chances alive. The NFL’s playoff picture became clearer Sunday. With two weeks remaining, three of eight division titles are secured, eight teams have wrapped up playoff berths and 11 more are competing for the six remaining spots. The biggest change in the standings occurred in the NFC South with Atlanta reclaiming the top spot from Tampa Bay. The Chiefs have the inside track for the AFC’s No. 1 seed and the NFC’s top spot could likely come down to the Vikings-Lions matchup in Week 18.

Tennessee and Auburn remain 1-2 in AP Top 25 poll featuring 10 SEC teams

Tennessee and Auburn remained Nos. 1-2 atop The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll. They were the headliners among the Southeastern Conference’s haul of 10 ranked teams. Iowa State, Duke and Alabama rounded out the top five. Kentucky had the week’s biggest fall, sliding six spots to No. 10 after a loss to Ohio State. Mississippi State, Arkansas, Illinois and Baylor rejoined the poll after stints in the rankings earlier this season. They replaced Memphis, Dayton, Michigan and Clemson. The Big 12 and Big Ten were tied for second with five teams each in the AP Top 25.

USC up to No. 4 in women’s AP Top 25 after win over UConn. UCLA, South Carolina, Notre Dame stay 1-3

Southern California jumped to No. 4 in The Associated Press women’s college basketball poll on Monday after edging UConn. The Trojans moved up three spots after beating the then-No. 4 Huskies 72-70 in a rematch of last season’s Elite Eight game that UConn won. UCLA, South Carolina and Notre Dame remained the top three teams. The Bruins received 30 of the 32 first-place votes from a national media panel. The Gamecocks and the Fighting Irish each got one first-place vote. UConn fell to seventh behind Texas and LSU. Maryland, Oklahoma and Ohio State rounded out the top 10 teams.

No. 1 Oregon and No. 8 Ohio State gear up for rematch of thriller won by Ducks

Oregon and Ohio State have already produced one heck of a game this season. Now, the top-seeded Ducks and eighth-seeded Buckeyes are gearing up for a rematch more than 10 weeks later in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game at the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. Of course, both teams have had ample time for evolution since that 32-31 Oregon win on Oct. 12. But they also have that game and players’ familiarity with each other, not to mention common opponents in the Big Ten.

NCAA appealing Pavia injunction as D-I board grants waiver to former JUCO players

The NCAA on Monday appealed the preliminary injunction granted by a U.S. federal judge giving Diego Pavia another year of eligibility even as the organization’s Division I board of directors granted a waiver allowing athletes in a similar situation as the Vanderbilt quarterback to play in 2025-26. The injunction Dec. 18 was limited to Pavia arguing he was likely to win on his argument that NCAA Division I eligibility rules discriminated against his junior college seasons. The NCAA waiver announced Monday should limit the lawsuits from other athletes who started at a junior college seeking another season to access name, image and likeness opportunities.