AP Sports SummaryBrief at 11:52 p.m. EST

By The Associated Press

Mark Cuban working on $3.5B sale of Dallas Mavericks to Sands casino family, AP source says

A person with knowledge of the talks says Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is working on a deal to sell a majority stake in the NBA franchise to the family that runs the Las Vegas Sands casino company. The agreement would be in the valuation range of $3.5 billion and take weeks for the league to process. Cuban would retain control of basketball operations in the deal. The family of Miriam Adelson, widow of billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, has announced it’s selling $2 billion of her shares to buy an unspecified professional sports team.

Loaded field of CFP contenders for last 4-team playoff fuels championship weekend drama

The four-team College Football Playoff is going out with the most crowded field of contenders and the most consequential championship weekend in the 10-year history of the system. Eight teams have at least a glimmer of hope to make the field. The penultimate CFP rankings were released Tuesday. Georgia remained No. 1. Michigan moved up a spot to second after beating Ohio State. Unbeaten Washington was third, followed by unbeaten Florida State. Oregon remained fifth, Ohio State slipped to No. 6, Texas was seventh and Alabama eighth. The field for the playoff will be announced Sunday.

RB Jonathan Taylor to have thumb surgery and hopes to return to Colts in 3 weeks, AP source says

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Running back Jonathan Taylor will have thumb surgery on Wednesday and hopes to return to the Indianapolis Colts in about three weeks, a person with knowledge of the injury has told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because the team has not yet made a formal announcement. Taylor apparently was injured during Sunday’s 27-20 victory over Tampa Bay, but finished the game with 15 carries for 91 yards and a season-high two TDs. Zack Moss is expected to replace Taylor at Tennessee.

Tiger Woods sounds more optimistic about his game than a Saudi deal getting done on time

Tiger Woods sounds more optimistic about his golf schedule than the PGA Tour getting a deal finalized with Saudi Arabia on time. Woods is in the Bahamas for his first competition since ankle surgery in April. So much has happened since then. The tour struck a deal with the backers of LIV Golf. And Woods joined the tour’s policy board. He says he was frustrated by being left in the dark on the Saudi deal and wants to make sure that doesn’t happen again. As for his golf, Woods says an ideal scenario would be to play once a month.

Antetokounmpo, Lillard combine for 65, and Bucks earn quarterfinal berth by topping Heat 131-124

MIAMI (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points, Damian Lillard added 32 and the Milwaukee Bucks rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Miami Heat 131-124 on Tuesday night and clinch a home quarterfinal game in the NBA In-Season Tournament. Khris Middleton scored 17, Malik Beasley had 16 and Brook Lopez added 12 for the Bucks, who won East Group B with a 4-0 record. Bam Adebayo scored 31 points for the Heat, who got 21 from Kyle Lowry and 20 from Josh Richardson.

Knicks rout Hornets, earn wild-card spot in East to advance in the In-Season Tournament

NEW YORK (AP) — Julius Randle had 25 points and 20 rebounds, RJ Barrett scored 16 points, and the New York Knicks advanced to the quarterfinals of the NBA In-Season Tournament with a 115-91 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night. The Knicks missed their chance to win Group B when the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Miami Heat to finish unbeaten in pool play. But the Knicks took the wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference by tiebreaker because of their point differential in the preliminary round. The Knicks will visit the Bucks, the East’s No. 1 seed, either Monday or Tuesday. Reserves Immanuel Quickley scored 23 points and Josh Hart chipped in 17 as the New York bench outscored Charlotte’s 50-35.

Blackhawks say Corey Perry engaged in unacceptable conduct and move to terminate his contract

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks say veteran Corey Perry engaged in unacceptable conduct and took a step toward terminating his contract. The Blackhawks say an internal investigation showed Perry acted in violation of his NHL contract and their club policies intended to promote a professional and safe working environment. Chicago put Perry on unconditional waivers and said his deal will be terminated as long as he clears. The team has not given any indication as to what Perry did to warrant being sent home last week.

Suspended Broncos safety Kareem Jackson says he’s meeting with NFL commissioner on Wednesday

DENVER (AP) — Suspended safety Kareem Jackson of the Denver Broncos says he’s flying to New York on Wednesday to meet with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to discuss his latest suspension and what he calls the league’s uneven enforcement of its player safety rules. Jackson said he’s not sure what will come of the meeting because he doubts the league has answers as to how he can avoid future fines, flags and suspensions over the way he plays. Jackson has been suspended twice this season for a total of six games, costing him $837,000 in wages. He’s also been ejected from two games and fined $89,670 for four illegal hits.

Analysis: Frank Reich paid the price for a Panthers roster lacking talent

Frank Reich paid the price for a roster that lacked talent. The Carolina Panthers are 1-10 for several reasons, including poor coaching. But Vince Lombardi couldn’t win with this team. The Panthers haven’t surrounded rookie quarterback Bryce Young with enough players to help him succeed. They have a weak offensive line and mediocre players at the skill positions. Firing Reich just 11 games into his first season was a desperate move for an owner known for being impatient. Since David Tepper bought the Panthers 5 1/2 years ago, he has gone through Ron Rivera, Matt Rhule and Reich. Add interim coaches Perry Fewell, Steve Wilks and now Chris Tabor. That gives Tepper more coaches than years in charge.

Sports Illustrated is the latest media company damaged by an AI experiment gone wrong

NEW YORK (AP) — Sports Illustrated is the latest media company damaged by being less than forthcoming about who or what is writing its stories at the dawn of the artificial intelligence age. The website Futurism reported that the once-grand magazine used articles with “authors” who apparently don’t exist, with photos generated by AI. The magazine denied claims that some articles themselves were AI-assisted, but has cut ties with a vendor it hired to produce the articles. The Gannett newspaper chain and the tech website CNET each had unsuccessful experiments with AI this past year and had kept readers in the dark about what they were doing.