Southern Mississippi accepted an invitation to join the Sun Belt Conference on Friday, dealing another blow to Conference USA, which already had six members announce their departures this week.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The red-hot rivalry between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton returned to the race track with a flip of the finger and an insult.

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy has agreed to a new contract that will keep him on a perpetual five-year deal at his alma mater.

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves know what happened last October and want to avoid a repeat. The Los Angeles Dodgers plan on an encore.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Plagued by a shortage of stadium workers and complaints about long concession lines at home football games during the pandemic, the University of Alabama has contracted with an online app.

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (AP) — Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby still isn't sure when he will be cleared to return after he had left wrist surgery last month.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The story line has not changed over the last couple of months, nor did Miami coach Brian Flores’ answer on Friday from when he was first asked about the future of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa months ago.

SÖLDEN, Austria (AP) — Alpine skiing heads into its Olympic season this weekend with the first World Cup races of a 37-event schedule that looks more balanced than in previous years.

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Longtime U.S. rowing coach Mike Teti, who has been criticized by some of his former athletes as being emotionally abusive and using physical intimidation, has resigned but immediately accepted a position funded by a large donor leading a new high-performance training c…

The last three weeks have featured a team ranked in the top three of the AP college football poll losing to an unranked team.

A look at what's happening around the majors today:

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry raised his arms, waved to acknowledge the adoring fans as shot after shot dropped through the net and screamed in celebration — no trash about it.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Atlanta Braves welcomed back outfielder Jorge Soler for Game 5 of the NL Championship Series on Thursday after he was sidelined following a positive COVID-19 test.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — For a guy who dislikes drama, Chris Taylor sure provided plenty of it.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Baker Mayfield had the best seat in the house to watch the Browns' backups deliver.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Von Miller's ankle didn't hurt as much as his pride.

MIAMI (AP) — Only one thing went wrong for the Miami Heat on Thursday night. Udonis Haslem voted no.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The U.S. women's national team had its 22-match winning streak on home soil snapped Thursday night in a scoreless draw against a surprisingly resilient South Korean team.

ATLANTA (AP) — Beginning a season of high expectations, the Atlanta Hawks showed they're far more than Trae Young.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dodgers opener Joe Kelly gave up a two-run homer to Atlanta's Freddie Freeman in the first inning and soon exited with tightness in his right biceps Thursday night as Los Angeles tried to avoid elimination in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield also is dealing with a broken bone in his injured left shoulder but believes he can play with it, a person familiar with his health told The Associated Press on Thursday night.

A look at what's happening around the majors Friday:

For the NBA’s 75th anniversary team, 75 players weren’t enough.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Broncos quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. are both active and will play Thursday night despite being slowed by injuries.

A Congressional committee is seeking documents and information from the NFL regarding the investigation into the Washington Football Team and how the league handled it.

Every week for the past two seasons, NFL players take the field wearing social justice messages on their helmets, and “It Takes All of Us” and “End Racism” are stenciled in the end zones as part of the league’s Inspire Change platform.

BOSTON (AP) — Nathan Eovaldi wants the ball, the pressure, the chance to extend Boston's season — all of it.

Major college football is settling into a strange period with lame duck memberships and frayed allegiances that could last another season or even two as conferences sort out the latest shifts and turns of realignment.

Chinese broadcaster and NBA partner Tencent is not showing current or archived Boston Celtics games on its platforms, in apparent response to comments that Celtics center Enes Kanter made to advocate Tibetan independence.

HOUSTON (AP) — Rookie Luis García will start for the Houston Astros against the Boston Red Sox in Game 6 of the AL Championship Series on Friday night with a trip to the World Series on the line.

Let this sink in: Nathan Chen has not lost a competition since February 2018.

Among those likely playing at the NBA All-Star weekend this season are Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Stephen Curry.

The American Athletic Conference's latest rebuild leaves Conference USA in a precarious position.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Behind the red-hot bat of Eddie Rosario, the Atlanta Braves are one win away from their first World Series appearance since 1999.

A look at what’s happening around the majors today:

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The NFL and lawyers for thousands of retired NFL players have reached an agreement to end race-based adjustments in dementia testing in the $1 billion settlement of concussion claims, according to a proposed deal filed Wednesday in federal court.

BOONE, N.C. (AP) — Chase Brice is determined to make the most of what is left of his roller-coaster college career. He took a big step forward Wednesday night.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers were asking the world of Julio Urías when he took the mound for the fourth time in 12 days.

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks never could contain Jaylen Brown and on the last play of regulation completely lost track of Marcus Smart.

BOSTON (AP) — Framber Valdez was perfect through four, took a two-hit shutout into the seventh and became the first pitcher in the 2021 postseason to finish eight innings on Wednesday as the Houston Astros beat Boston 9-1 in Game 5 of the AL Championship Series and moved one win from a secon…

Former Washington State football coach Nick Rolovich's termination for refusing to get a COVID-19 vaccination was unlawful and an attack on his Catholic faith, his attorney said Wednesday.

CLEVELAND (AP) — One starting quarterback is limping, the other has his arm in a sling. There are injuries up and down both rosters, and the two coaches are feeling some external pressure — one for the first time.

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Gonzaga coach Mark Few has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor driving under the influence in Idaho and must pay a fine of $1,000 in lieu of spending four days in jail, according to court documents.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Baker Mayfield had to surrender to the pain.

Georgia and Alabama could be heading for another showdown in the Southeastern Conference championship game.

Wake Forest has turned years of steady winning into a potential breakthrough moment in the Atlantic Coast Conference, while Pittsburgh has made a leap behind the rise of quarterback Kenny Pickett.

A career in the NBA seemed such an uncertainty as the 1950s arrived that Bob Cousy considered driving school a better option than playing for a team he didn’t even know how to find on a map.

BROOKSHIRE, Texas (AP) — A plane taking passengers from Texas to the AL Championship Series game in Boston burst into flames after it ran off a runway during takeoff Tuesday morning, but no one was seriously hurt, authorities said.