The Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets were announced as the two teams that will play in the NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2024 this October, the league said on Wednesday.
It’s the third edition of the series, and this time it will have two-time Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic squaring off against five-time All-Star Jayson Tatum in a pair of preseason games that’ll be played on Oct. 4 and Oct. 6.
“We’re excited to bring two of the best teams in the NBA to Abu Dhabi in the Celtics and the Nuggets,” Mark Tatum, the NBA’s deputy commissioner, said in the press release. “There is incredible momentum around basketball in the UAE and across the Middle East, and we believe these games as well as our year-round grassroots development and fan engagement efforts will be a catalyst for the continued growth of the game in the region.”
The NBA and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi today announced that The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2024 will feature the 17-time NBA champion Boston Celtics and the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets playing two preseason games on Friday, Oct. 4 and Sunday, Oct. 6 in…
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) March 6, 2024
The news comes one day before Boston heads to Denver play in the final game of the teams’ series with one another. The Nuggets won the first contest 102-100 in Boston on Jan. 19, and it was significant, because Denver was the first away team to win at Boston this season.
Thanks to a 34-point performance from Jokic and guard Jamal Murray pouring in 35 points, the Nuggets were able to overcome three players for Boston scoring 20 or more points in the affair. Guard Derrick White led the Celtics with 24 points, Tatum scored 22 and center Kristaps Porzingis had 21 that evening.
“Both teams were countering each other,” Murray said at the time. “Both throwing haymakers and we were able to have the final punch.”
