THE HOT CORNER

1 PRO BASKETBALL:

Dion Waiters was back on the court Tuesday with some Miami Heat teammates and members of the coaching staff, on what technically was a day off for the team. With AmericanAirlines Arena available to the roster for treatments on Christmas Eve, Waiters, whose sixgame suspension ended with the Heat’s Monday victory over the visiting Utah Jazz, took advantage of the opportunity for work on the team’s practice court. Waiters was suspended by the team on Dec. 12 for a third time this season, for “failure to adhere to team policies, violation of team rules and continued insubordination.”

2 TENNIS:

U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu withdrew from the ABS Classic due to a lingering left knee injury. Andreescu said in a video released Tuesday on social media by tournament organizers that she was disappointed with the decision but that she needed more time to recover from the injury she sustained during the WTA Finals in late October at Shenzhen, China. Andreescu has entered the Australian Open, beginning Jan. 20 in Melbourne.

3 SOCCER:

Though Barcelona and Real Madrid have yet to dominate like in past seasons, the two heavyweights are at the top of the Spanish league for the winter break. Lionel Messi’s Barcelona will head into 2020 with a 2-point advantage over second-place Madrid after completing 18 of 38 rounds. Barcelona got off to a slow start with two wins in the first five rounds before newcomer Antoine Griezmann started to click with Messi and Luis Suárez, and the Catalan club ended the year without a loss in seven rounds.

4 SOCCER:

Croatia striker Mario Mandzukic has joined Qatari club Al-Duhail on a free transfer from Juventus. The move ends speculation that the 33-year-old Mandzukic was a possible target for Manchester United.