ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The NBA is back in the Persian Gulf for a third consecutive year, and the preseason schedule for the 2023-24 season opened Friday with the Boston Celtics topping the Denver Nuggets 107-103 in a matchup of the two most recent championship clubs.
The Celtics and Nuggets will complete their two-game set in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
The Denver starters did not play the second half, and Boston held out four of its five starters after the break, except for Luke Kornet. There was a total of 36 players who played — 18 on each side.
Payton Pritchard added a team-high 21 points for Boston, which was 20 of 61 from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Celtics trio of Olympic gold medalists from this summer’s Paris Games – Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White – combined to score 25 points while Jaylen Brown had eight for Boston.
NBA MVP Nikola Jokic of the reigning, visiting Denver Nuggets scored 14, Russell Westbrook had 12 in his first outing with the Nuggets, Michael Porter Jr. scored 12 and Jamal Murray — who was in street clothes on the bench by the end — had three points in 15 minutes.
The NBA struck a deal with tourism officials in Abu Dhabi in 2021 for teams to take preseason trips there; Milwaukee and Atlanta were the series-openers in 2022, then Dallas and Minnesota went last year.
USA Basketball has also played games in Abu Dhabi each of the past two summers, as part of its tuneups for the 2023 Basketball World Cup in the Philippines and the Paris Games.
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