Heat schedules Hawks, Hornets, Celtics at home during preseason
The Miami Heat will kick off the 2021-22 NBA season with a slate of preseason games in October, including three home games at the newly christened FTX Arena.
The Heat expects to have the building at full or nearfull capacity for the Oct. 4 preseason home opener against the Atlanta Hawks. Miami will also host the Charlotte Hornets on Oct. 11 and the Boston Celtics on Oct. 15.
A full preseason schedule will be announced at a later date. The first two games are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and the third is set for 8.
Tickets for the three games will go on sale Monday at noon through Ticketmaster and the Heat’s team website.
Despite rising COVID-19 cases, Miami hopes to have a full 17,000-person crowd on hand for its preseason tune-ups in the fall. The Heat spent most of the 2020-21 NBA season playing in front of limitedcapacity crowds, but opened the arena to maximum capacity for the 2021 NBA playoffs.
After two unusual seasons, the NBA is eyeing a return to normalcy this season. Training camp is scheduled to start Sept. 28 with the regular season slated to begin Oct. 19.
GAUFF WITHDRAWS FROM OLYMPICS
Rising tennis star Coco Gauff of Delray Beach has withdrawn from the Tokyo Olympics after a positive COVID-19 test. Gauff, 17, was to compete in singles and doubles at her first Olympics. She disclosed her positive test via Twitter, writing: “I am
so disappointed to share the news that I have tested positive for covid and won’t be able to play in the Olympic Games in Tokyo. It has always been a dream of mine to represent the USA at the Olympics, and I hope there will be many more chances for me to make this come true in the future.”
Elsewhere: Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini announced his withdrawal from the Olympics due to a thigh injury . ... Two Russian swimmers, Alexandr Kudashev and Veronika Andrusenko, who were provisionally suspended by FINA for doping violations have been cleared to compete in the Olympics.
ETC.
Soccer: Shaq Moore scored 20 seconds in and the U.S. beat Canada 1-0 to win Group B at the CONCACAF Gold Cup and end Canada’s eight-game winning streak.
NHL: After backstopping the Montreal Canadiens to the Stanley Cup Final, Carey Price has been left unprotected for
the Seattle Kraken expansion draft. Price could become the face of the NHL’s 32nd franchise if GM Ron Francis and his staff decide to take on one of the biggest contracts in hockey.
Tennis: French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova triumphed at the Prague Open for her third WTA title, beating Tereza Martincova 6-2, 6-0, and hitting 26 winners in 65 minutes . ... Pablo Carreno Busta continued to impress on clay with a 6-2, 6-4 win against Filip Krajinovic in the Hamburg European Open final.
Golf: Thai sisters Ariya
and Moriya Jutanugarn
won the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational at Midland, Michigan on Saturday, shooting their second 11-under 59 in best-ball play for a three-stroke victory over defending champions Cydney Clanton and Jasmine Suwannapura . ... Rose Zhang,
18, won the U.S. Girls’ Junior on Saturday at Columbia Country Club at Chevy Chase, Maryland, beating local favorite Bailey Davis 6 and 4 in the 36-hole final.