average, NBA teams win 37.9 percent of their road games.---PO

Michael Phelps will receive the BBC Sports Personality lifetime achievement award on Sunday after capping his career with five Olympic golds in Rio.The American took his record Olympic haul to 23 golds and 28 medals in all, claiming individual 200 metres butterfly and medley titles and three relay triumphs.Phelps also took silver in the 100m butterfly, with his performances in Brazil justifying his decision to come out of retirement.He stands 10 medals clear of the next most successful Olympian, gymnast Larisa Latynina who won 18 medals for the Soviet Union from 1956 to 1964.Phelps, 31, said of his honour from the British broadcaster: Im thrilled to receive the prestigious Sports Personality lifetime achievement award and follow in the footsteps of so many sporting greats.It is a fitting way to end what has been an unbelievable year for me and Im looking forward to what will be a great night.Previous winners of the award include footballers George Best, Pele, Sir Bobby Charlton and David Beckham, golfer Seve Ballesteros, cyclist Sir Chris Hoy and jockey AP McCoy. Old Skool Australia Cheap . John Lucas, signed as a mentor for rookie Trey Burke, showed he can score if required, scoring 12 points of his 16 points in the second quarter as Utah built an 18-point lead. Cheap Old Skool Australia Free Shipping . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. http://www.cheapoldskoolaustralia.com/ . LOUIS -- Valtteri Filppula assisted on three of Tampa Bays four goals, and the Lightning beat the St. Vans Old Skool Sale .C. -- After a listless first half, the Washington Wizards used a big third quarter run to beat the Charlotte Bobcats Bradley Beal scored 21 points and the Wizards used a 17-0 run in the third quarter to take control of what had been a close game and beat the Bobcats 97-83 on Tuesday night. Wholesale Vans Shoes . Michell Burger, a woman who lives on an estate next to Pistorius gated community, said she and her husband were awoken by the screams in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 14 last year, when Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp by shooting four times through a door in his bathroom. MIAMI -- The offseason is over. And only 1,230 games are left until the playoffs start.So, before they raise that banner in Cleveland and the season finally begins Tuesday night, lets empty the notebook and go over 10 more things to know going into this NBA season:---THE CHAMPS: The opportunity is there for Cleveland to get off to a fast start. The Cavaliers play 10 of their first 14 games at home, and the four road contests are all merely one-game trips. LeBron James and his teammates wont have to pack anything bigger than an overnight bag until a two-game trip takes them to Philadelphia and Milwaukee on Nov. 27 and 29. (PS: Defending champions are 55-14 on opening night, including 8-1 in the last nine years.)---LEBRONS LEGEND: LeBron James has been a first-team All-NBA selection 10 times, including each of the last nine seasons. If hes a first-teamer again this year, hell become the third player in league history with 11 such selections joining only Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone. The other 10-timers besides James are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tim Duncan, Bob Cousy, Jerry West, Michael Jordan, Bob Pettit and Elgin Baylor. Besides James, no other active player has more than five first-team nods (Dwight Howard and Kevin Durant).---FOR OPENERS: Miami has the longest active streak of opening-night wins, with five straight going into their Game 1 of this season at Orlando on Wednesday. Atlanta has the longest active Game 1 losing streak, having dropped each of its last four openers.---WE SHOULD HAVE SEEN IT COMING: Last season, Golden State became the fifth team to start 14-0 or better in NBA history. Of those five, only one went on to win the title. The 1993-94 Houston Rockets started 15-0 and won the championship -- but the 1948-49 Washington Capitols (15-0), 1957-58 Boston Celtics (14-0), 2002-03 Dallas Mavericks (14-0) and last seasons Warriors all fell short in their title quests.---STEPH AT THE LINE: Golden States Stephen Curry -- the two-time reigning MVP -- enters this season as the third-best frree throw shooter in NBA history, having made 90.dddddddddddd16 percent of his tries. Hes within reach of No. 1 Steve Nash (90.43) and No. 2 Mark Price (90.39).---DRIVE FOR FIVE: DeAndre Jordan of the Los Angeles Clippers will bid this season to win his fifth straight field-goal percentage title. The only other two players to lead the league in shooting five straight times are Wilt Chamberlain (1964-65 through 1968-69) and Shaquille ONeal (1997-98 through 2001-02).---ROAD WARRIORS: San Antonio has a chance to become the only current NBA franchise with a winning road record. If the Spurs go 28-13 away from home this season -- doable, considering they were 27-14 on the road last season -- they would then be 829-828 in opposing arenas all-time. On average, NBA teams win 37.9 percent of their road games.---POP WATCH: Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is nine wins shy of tying Larry Brown (1,098) for No. 7 on the NBAs all-time list. Hes also 66 shy of No. 6 Phil Jackson (1,155).---MEXICO SUNS: Phoenix has 39 home games this season instead of the usual 41. The Suns are playing twice in Mexico City, and will be the home team there for games against Dallas on Jan. 12 and San Antonio on Jan. 14. We have an incredibly strong and supportive Hispanic fan base in Arizona, and these two games present a unique opportunity to strengthen our relationship with NBA fans in both Arizona and Mexico, Suns President Jason Rowley said.---PLANNING AHEAD: For those who need to fill their calendars, take note of the following dates -- All-Star weekend in New Orleans is Feb. 17-19; playoffs start April 15; second round starts May 1; conference finals will start May 14, 15 or 16; the NBA Draft lottery is May 16; the NBA Finals start on June 1 and a Game 7, if necessary, would be June 18. The draft is June 22.---Follow AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ByTimReynolds ' ' '