AP Sports SummaryBrief at 11:35 p.m. EST

By The Associated Press

Freeman and Notre Dame handle ‘tough moments’ and oust Georgia from CFP with 23-10 win in Sugar Bowl

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Riley Leonard passed for a touchdown, Jayden Harrison returned a kickoff 98 yards for a score, and Notre Dame’s defense made it hold up in a 23-10 victory over No. 2 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl that sends the third-ranked Fighting Irish into the semifinals of the College Football Playoff. In a game that was delayed by a day because of a deadly terror attack in the host city, Notre Dame made enough big plays and got some help from a clever move by coach Marcus Freeman. He sent out the punt team deep in his own territory before running all 11 players off the field, and an offside penalty gave the Irish a critical first down.

Georgia’s Kirby Smart defends aggressive but ill-fated play calls in CFP loss to Notre Dame

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Georgia coach Kirby Smart says he doesn’t regret aggressive offensive play calls that backfired during the Bulldogs’ College Football Playoff quarterfinal loss to Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. A decision to have inexperienced quarterback Gunner Stockton drop back to pass in the final minute of the first half went badly when he was sacked by Notre Dame’s RJ Oben and fumbled. Notre Dame recovered and scored a touchdown one play later. Smart’s bid for his third national title with the Bulldogs fell short as he was frequently outmaneuvered by Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman.

Big 12 commissioner calls for ‘national standards’ for calling targeting after controversial play

DALLAS (AP) — Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark is calling for more consistency on what constitutes a targeting penalty after no call was made on Texas safety Michael Taaffe’s high hit on Arizona State receiver Melquan Stovall late in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Peach Bowl. Taaffe struck Stovall with a helmet-to-helmet hit as Stovall caught a pass near midfield with 1:15 left in regulation Wednesday. No flag was thrown, but referee Larry Smith of the Big Ten halted play to check the replay for possible targeting. As Stovall was being helped off the field, Smith announced there was no penalty.

Jimmy Butler, when asked if he can find on-court joy again in Miami: ‘Probably not’

MIAMI (AP) — Jimmy Butler says he needs to find joy again on the basketball court. And when asked if he can find that joy in Miami, he had a two-word answer. “Probably not,” he said. The relationship between Butler and the Heat — a talking point for weeks now — seems to have further deteriorated. The Heat lost to Indiana 128-115 on Thursday night, Butler scoring exactly nine points and playing exactly zero seconds in the fourth quarter for the second consecutive game. It also happened Wednesday in a win over New Orleans.

Pro Bowl rosters include 9 Ravens, 7 Lions, 6 Vikings and Eagles and no Patrick Mahomes

Nine Baltimore Ravens, including two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, were selected for the Pro Bowl Games. The Detroit Lions are next with seven players and the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles each have six players on the NFC roster. Patrick Mahomes wasn’t selected to the AFC roster for the first time since becoming Kansas City’s starting quarterback in his second season. Mahomes, a three-time Super Bowl MVP and six-time Pro Bowl pick, wasn’t among five Chiefs chosen. Travis Kelce made it for the 10th time.

Postponed Sugar Bowl played with enhanced security about 36 hours after terror attack in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Snipers were positioned on rooftops outside the Superdome in New Orleans as fans filed in for the Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish won the College Football Playoff semifinal 23-10. The game was originally scheduled for Wednesday night but was postponed until Thursday afternoon because of a terror attack on New Orleans’ Bourbon Street that killed 14 revelers early on New Year’s Day. Flags were at half-staff at the stadium, and a moment of silence was held before the singing of the national anthem. Fans said they felt safe amid the enhanced security.

Surging Ohio State to face tenacious Texas in the Cotton Bowl for a spot in the CFP title game

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Texas will be a whole lot closer to home than Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. The Buckeyes appear to be a whole lot closer to Atlanta. That’s where the winner of the Cotton Bowl, which doubles as a College Football Playoff semifinal this year, will be heading next for the national championship game. But first, two powerhouse college football programs meet Jan. 10 at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium. Ohio State has rebounded from two regular-season losses to rout a pair of elite opponents by a combined 45 points, while Texas has survived two difficult tests on its CFP journey.

Antetokounmpo, Jokic and James among early NBA All-Star leading vote-getters

Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo is the early leader in fan balloting for the NBA All-Star Game, and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers seems well on his way toward extending his record and getting picked for a 21st time. The first update on All-Star voting for this season’s revised game was released Thursday, with Antetokounmpo the overall leader with about 1.7 million votes. Denver’s Nikola Jokic is second overall with about 1.4 million votes, which is tops among all Western Conference players.

Pistons guard Jaden Ivey has surgery on leg he broke in collision vs. Magic

DETROIT (AP) — Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey had surgery on his left leg, a day after breaking his fibula in a collision during a win over the Orlando Magic. The Pistons said Thursday that Ivey will be reevaluated in four weeks. Ivey shared a social media post that said he promises to come back even better. Detroit drafted Ivey with the No. 5 overall pick in 2022 and the former Purdue star was having a breakout year. Ivey averaged 17.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and four assists in 30 games this season.

Tom Hoge leads at Kapalua where good golf exceeds expectations in PGA Tour opener

KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) — Tom Hoge has a new baby and no expectations. The North Dakota player had the right vibe for Maui in the opening round of The Sentry. He just took whatever golf gave him. That was 10 birdies in the wind at Kapalua for a 64. Hoge leads the PGA Tour opener by one shot over Hideki Matsuyama and Will Zalatoris. Matsuyama had a birdie-eagle-birdie stretch on the back nine to get back in the game. Zalatoris came to Kapalua weighing some 20 pounds more than he did in August. He hopes a stronger physique will be good for his back.