What’s on the box

Week ahead

If you’re a hard-nosed NRL fan, you’ll be counting the sleeps until the kick off of the 2019 season. The organisation will certainly be counting down, hoping there are no more scandals hitting the sport before the actual onfield big hits unfurl from Thursday next week, when the season opens with a classic StormBroncos showdown.

IndyCars

Kiwi Scott Dixon begins his 18th season in IndyCars with more wins (44) than anyone other than the legendary pair of AJ Foyt (67) and Mario Andretti (52), and his five series championships are more than anyone but Foyt (seven). But the 38-year-old New Zealander has never won backto-back titles, something he wants to do in 2019. “We've come close a couple of times,” the 2008 Indianapolis 500 winner said. “It's a testament to how good this series is and how good the drivers in this series are. You've got to be fast — and you've got to have a little bit of luck.” Grand Prix of St Petersburg: Qualifying, Sky Sport 4, tomorrow, 8.30am. Race: Sky Sport 1, Monday from 5.30am.

Basketball

LeBron James’ famed aura is starting to look like a dirty red bandanna (with apologies to Kris Kristoffersen) and it’s the LA Lakers’ fans singing the blues with their team busted flat. But if you’re a Lakers fans, there’s nothing quite as fun as remembering the great matchups against the Celtics. NBA, LA Lakers v Boston Celtics, ESPN2, tomorrow 2.30pm.

Football

The Wellington Phoenix could leap up to fourth place in the A-League is they do what everyone else does: beat the Central Coast Mariners. A win would put the Phoenix on 31 points, the same as Adelaide, and a two-goal margin would have them ahead on goal difference. You know you can never say for sure the Nix are going to win but this is as good a chance as any, given the Mariners have lost 15 of 20 matches this season, with four draws. Central Coast Mariners v Wellington Phoenix, Sky Sport 4, tonight 9.45pm.

Rugby

Blues? Win? Who knows? For those desperadoes still clinging to hope . . . Blues v Sunwolves, Sky Sport 1 tonight, 7.35pm.