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sports Thursday 18 augusT 2022
NBA schedule has less miles, and LeBron chasing more history

By TIM REYNOLDS tween 44 and 49 games to
AP Basketball Writer pass Abdul-Jabbar.
By mid-January, LeBron Games 44 through 49 for
James could be the NBA's the Lakers fall in the sec-
scoring king. ond half of January. They
The NBA schedule was happen to be at home for
released Wednesday, most of that stretch, a coin-
all 1,230 games that are cidence since it precedes
set between Oct. 18 and the annual spot in the cal-
April 9 taking place in four endar where the Lakers
countries with Mexico and and Los Angeles Clippers
France playing host to reg- need to vacate their home
ular-season contests along arena while it gets ready to
with the U.S. and Canada. play host to the Grammy
There are the usual high- Awards.
lights — Stephen Curry and Other revelations from the
Golden State will raise an- schedule:
other title banner on open- BACK-TO-BACKS
ing night, as is the NBA's cus- Minimizing the instances of
tomary perk for champions; having games on back-to-
a five-game slate of games back days is still a point of
on Christmas yet again; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) controls the ball during an NBA basketball game emphasis for the NBA, and
the traditional games in At- against the New Orleans Pelicans in Los Angeles, Friday, April 1, 2022. the average number of
lanta and Memphis as part Associated Press them dipped another 1.5%
of the leaguewide com- this season — the average
memoration of the life of office staff, team staff, less, about 5% fewer miles teams will combine to fly going from 13.5 per team
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This players, arena staff that are in the air on average over about 50,000 fewer miles last season to 13.3 per team
year brought a twist, with truly driving to this process," last season. this season. "There's a play- this season.
Election Day now a newly said Evan Wasch, who, The NBA made that hap- er health component, and Since 2014, the average is
created off day in the NBA. along with Gene Li and pen by adding to the in- there's also a sustainability down 31.1%. Teams faced
And now that the list of Tom Carelli, is on the NBA stances of teams having component there," Wasch an average of 19.3 of them
games is out, the numbers team of executives who no travel between road said. "That's a 5% decrease per season then.
show that James could build the schedule. "So, we games, something that'll from where we've been. No team has fewer than 12
catch Kareem Abdul-Jab- are just one small piece." happen 88 times this sea- We'll take it." back-to-backs this season.
bar in the final two weeks Wasch, Li and Carelli son — up 66% from last sea- Among the countless sto- No team has more than 15.
of January — assuming spent weeks putting a son. There are 55 instances rylines entering the season ATTENDANCE RECORD
James doesn't have to miss 1,230-piece jigsaw puzzle of teams playing consecu- is James, and his pursuit of The San Antonio Spurs'
games and scores at his together, mindful of things tive road games against more NBA history. magic number on Jan. 13
usual pace. James enters like team wishes to have the same opponent, and If he continues scoring at — 62,047.
this season No. 2 on the all- games on certain dates, 33 instances of teams play- his typical pace — 27 points If the Spurs' game against
time list, 1,325 points behind total miles traveled, even ing two games in a row per game for his career, 30 Golden State that night
Abdul-Jabbar. carbon footprint. against the two teams from points per game last sea- draws at least that many
"We have obviously a very The big headline from their Los Angeles or New York. son for the Los Angeles Lak- fans, it'll set an NBA regular-
large ecosystem of league work: Teams will travel a bit Add it all up, and NBA ers — he would need be- season record. q

Venus Williams back in U.S. Open after being given wild card

By BRIAN MAHONEY Serena Williams, 40, re- — who beat Serena Wil-
AP Sports Writer cently said she is prepar- liams during a run to the
NEW YORK (AP) — Venus ing to leave tennis, though fourth round at Wimbledon
Williams will be back in the she did not specify it would — and Australian Jaimee
U.S. Open this year after come after the U.S. Open, Fourlis also received wild
being given a wild card which begins Aug. 29. cards.
on Wednesday into what Dominic Thiem, the 2020 Mandlik, the daughter of
could be younger sister Ser- U.S. Open men's champion past U.S. Open champion
ena's final tournament. who has since dealt with in- Hana Mandlikova, earned
Venus Williams won back- juries and fallen to No. 228 hers by winning the U.S.
to-back U.S. Opens in 2000 in the world ranking, also Open wild-card challenge.
and 2001, and this year was granted a wild card by On the men's side, wild
marks 25 years since she the U.S. Tennis Association. cards went to Americans
reached the 1997 final in The USTA also gave a Sam Querrey, Emilio Nava,
Flushing Meadows as a wild card to Sofia Kenin, JJ Wolf, Ben Shelton and Venus Williams returns a ball from Jil Teichmann, of Switzerland,
17-year-old in her first full the 2020 Australian Open Learner Tien, along with during women's tennis action at the National Bank Open tennis
season on tour. champion who didn't com- Ugo Humbert of France tournament in Toronto, early Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022.
Now 42, Williams did not pete in New York last year and Australian Rinky Hiji- Associated Press
play in the U.S. Open last because of injury, along kata.
year because of injury, but with fellow Americans Also Wednesday, 2016 ing his match against Jack nounced he needed fur-
the seven-time Grand Slam CoCo Vandeweghe, Eliza- U.S. Open semifinalist Gael Draper in Montreal. Mon- ther treatment for the injury.
singles champion recently beth Mandlik, Peyton Stea- Monfils withdrew because fils, who missed time earlier Taro Daniel of Japan
returned to tour after miss- rns and Eleana Yu. of an injury to his right foot this season after a proce- moved into the main
ing nearly a year. Harmony Tan of France sustained last week dur- dure on his right heel, an- draw.q