Katie Ledecky was barely in the pool when American swim great Michael Phelps was asked about the precocious teenager who seems to mow down world records at will.

"It's always something special when she gets in the water," Phelps said with an eye toward the timing board.

San Antonio stretched its franchise-record unbeaten streak this season to 24-0 by routing Texan rival Dallas 112-83 on Sunday.

The result opened a 13-game gap between the top and second teams in the NBA's Southwest Division, and meant the Spurs were now only 1-1/2 games behind Golden State for the Western Conference and overall league lead.

Real Madrid's second straight five-goal performance under new coach Zinedine Zidane came at the high price of losing Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema to injury on Sunday, while Luis Suarez scored a hat trick to lead Barcelona's 6-0 demolition of 10-man Athletic Bilbao.

As the two powerhouses got goals from their trios of star strikers, Atletico Madrid quietly churned out a 3-0 win at Las Palmas to retain its provisional lead of the Spanish league.

Iran will release four detained Americans in exchange for seven Iranians held or charged in the United States, U.S. and Iranian officials said Saturday in a major diplomatic breakthrough announced as implementation of a landmark nuclear deal appeared imminent. A fifth American detained in Iran, a student, was released in a move unrelated to the swap, U.S. officials said.

Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati, pastor Saeed Abedini and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, whose name had not been previously made public, were to be flown from Iran to Switzerland aboard a Swiss aircraft and then transported to a U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, for medical treatment, U.S. officials said.

A Lebanese official on Friday acknowledged European concerns about safety regulations at the Beirut airport, saying the facility needs improvement but adding that recent reports that the airport does not meet international safety standards are "exaggerated."

Mohammed Qabbani, head of Parliament's public works and transport committee, also said that Lebanon will use part of a $25 million Saudi grant to buy scanners and other new inspection machines to ensure more security in and around the airport.

Defending champion Serena Williams and No. 5-ranked Maria Sharapova were drawn into the same section for the Australian Open on Friday, setting up a potential quarterfinal match featuring the 2015 finalists.

Six-time champion Williams has a tough draw starting in the opening round against Camila Giorgi of Italy, who finished 2015 at No. 34 and was the highest-ranked player who was not seeded for the season's first major which begins Monday.

The Cleveland Cavaliers gave San Antonio another tense test at home before the Spurs rose up on defense for what they deemed their biggest win of the season.

Tony Parker had 24 points and San Antonio used a furious start to the fourth quarter to beat Cleveland 99-95 on Thursday night, remaining undefeated at home and avenging their previous loss in their own arena.

Novak Djokovic is in the kind of form that has rivals no less than Rafael Nadal describing it as being close to perfection. Serena Williams has been injured, has hardly played since the U.S. Open and had to withdraw from her only tune-up event ahead of the Australian Open.

The preparations of the reigning champions couldn't be more contrasting in the week leading up to the first Grand Slam tournament of the year.

Olympic bronze medalist Carolina Kostner made a return to competitive skating on Friday, finishing second in an invitational event in Japan.

Kostner had 59.69 points in the women's singles program to finish 12 points behind Joannie Rochette of Canada.

Arsenal conceded a 90th-minute equalizer at Liverpool to lose its outright lead in the Premier League on Wednesday, as Leicester kept up its surprising title challenge with a 1-0 win at Tottenham.

Only a superior goal difference is keeping Arsenal above Leicester after the 3-3 draw at Anfield. Manchester City was held to a 0-0 draw at home at Everton and is three points off the lead in third place.