stage

And while the Lakers gladly accepted the hardware and the cash bonus that came with last season’s win, the team lost 10 of its next 13 games — the stretch that set the stage for the team to eventually fire Darvin Ham and the entirety of his coaching staff.

Like last year, the Lakers will have to survive group play to advance to the knockout round stage.

He was sentenced to nine years in jail, including time spent on remand, and under the previous rules would have been released on licence at the half-way stage.

The series will stage 17 events next year, six on oval speedways, seven on road courses and four on the streets, making it the most eclectic racing series in the U.S.

In July, Cavendish won a record-breaking 35th stage of the Tour de France, beating Eddy Merckx's total.