AP Sports SummaryBrief at 11:45 p.m. EDT

LeBron James has big finish to lift Lakers past Pacers and extend record scoring streak

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — LeBron James started the fourth quarter Wednesday in danger of failing to extend his NBA  record for consecutive double-digit scoring games. He finished it with yet another crowning achievement. The 40-year-old James scored the last of his 13 points on a buzzer-beating tip-in to give the Los Angeles Lakers a 120-119 victory over the Indiana Pacers, barely extending his double-digit scoring streak to 1,283. Not that James was counting.

NFL competition committee proposes moving touchback to 35 and making dynamic kickoff permanent

The NFL competition committee is recommending making the dynamic kickoff rule permanent and moving touchbacks to the 35-yard line in hopes of generating even more returns. The competition committee released several potential rule changes for 2025 on Wednesday, including an expansion of instant replay that will be considered next week at the league meetings. Any rule change must be approved by 24 out of 32 team owners. Teams submitted several proposals last week that also could be voted on at the league meetings, including banning the “tush push” and changing playoff seeding rules.

Soto, Snell and Holmes debut for new teams, Skenes makes his first opening-day start

NEW YORK (AP) — Juan Soto, Blake Snell and Clay Holmes debut for new teams. Paul Skenes makes his first opening-day start at age 22 and Sandy Alcántara returns from Tommy John surgery. A week after the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers swept an opening two-game series over the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo, 26 other teams get underway Thursday on opening day in the U.S. and Canada. One day later the Rays and Rockies become the final clubs to take the field, given extra time while Tampa Bay moved into the New York Yankees’ Steinbrenner Field, its temporary home this season after Hurricane Milton destroyed Tropicana Field’s roof.

Calipari embraces new Cinderella role with 10th seeded Arkansas in the Sweet 16

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — In an NCAA Tournament sorely lacking in Cinderella stories, coach John Calipari has the unusual role of being the closest thing to it. After routinely taking powerhouse teams in his first decade at Kentucky to the Sweet 16 and beyond, Calipari has surprisingly done the same in his first season at Arkansas with the 10th-seeded Razorbacks set to take on No. 3 seed Texas Tech in the West Region semifinals on Thursday night as the only double-digit seed remaining in the tournament. Top-seeded Florida will take on No. 4 seed Maryland in the other Sweet 16 game in San Francisco.

Love affair back on at March Madness. Now with Arizona, Caleb Love takes on Duke again

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — If there’s a single player Duke or any of its fans would love to not run into when the stakes are this high, Caleb Love would be that player. Love used to play for Duke’s biggest rival, North Carolina. Now he plays for Duke’s next opponent, Arizona. They meet Thursday in the Sweet 16, with Love, now a fifth-year senior averaging 16.8 points a game for the fourth-seeded Wildcats, trying to wreck another season for the top-seeded Blue Devils. In 2022, Love was key to handing Duke's legendary coach, Mike Krzyzewski, a pair of losses, including the one at the Final Four that ended his career.

UConn's Dan Hurley expresses regret over postgame remarks that were caught on camera

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — UConn coach Dan Hurley acknowledged there are things that “I wish I didn’t do” as he expressed regret over making profane comments about the officiating after the Huskies’ NCAA Tournament loss to Florida. Hurley was caught on camera making those remarks as he walked off the floor and toward the locker room after UConn’s bid for a third straight national title ended with a 77-75 defeat in the NCAA Tournament’s round of 32 on Sunday.

Jokic gets a triple-double in his return to lead Nuggets past Bucks 127-117

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 39 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in his first game back in nearly two weeks to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 127-117 victory against the Milwaukee Bucks. The triple-double was Jokic’s NBA-leading 30th of the season. The reigning NBA MVP missed the team’s previous five games with an injured left ankle. Michael Porter Jr. added 23 points for the Nuggets. It was the Bucks’ first game since it was announced star guard Damian Lillard had been diagnosed with blood clots in his right calf. Milwaukee was also without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was sidelined with a sprained left foot. Brook Lopez had 26 points for the Bucks.

Iga Swiatek is given extra security protection at the Miami Open after being verbally harassed

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Iga Swiatek has been given extra security protection at the Miami Open after being verbally attacked during a practice session by a man who had sent the five-time Grand Slam champion harassing messages via social media. Swiatek's team confirmed what happened in a statement Wednesday after the episode was first reported by BBC Sport. This comes a little more than a month after a stalker was removed from a match being played by 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu in Dubai. The No. 2-seeded Swiatek lost to Alexandra Eala in the quarterfinals in Miami on Wednesday.

Mavericks star Kyrie Irving has surgery for torn ACL in his left knee

DALLAS (AP) — Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving had surgery on the torn ACL in his left knee, starting a process of recovery that’s likely to continue into next season. The team says further medical updates on Irving will be provided “as appropriate.” Irving was injured in the first quarter of a 122-98 loss to the Sacramento Kings on March 3. It was the biggest in a string of injuries that decimated the Dallas roster. The Mavericks had already lost fellow All-Star Anthony Davis to a groin injury when Irving went down. Davis has since returned as the defending West champs pursue a spot in the play-in tournament.

From Moscow to Washington, how Alex Ovechkin became the Great 8 on the way to chasing NHL history

Raised in Moscow within the Soviet sports system by parents who were accomplished athletes, Alex Ovechkin was given every chance to succeed at hockey and along the way showed he didn’t need special treatment. He became a superstar on the ice and the top NHL draft pick by the Washington Capitals in 2004, and was known as a fun-loving person off the ice. He is now a Stanley Cup champion, a husband, father and a beloved teammate. He has become reflective on his career accomplishments — the next of which will be breaking Wayne Gretzky's career goals record.