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10/04 14:03 CDT Celtics beat the Nuggets 107-103 in the NBA's preseason opener
at Abu Dhabi
Celtics beat the Nuggets 107-103 in the NBA's preseason opener at Abu Dhabi
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) --- The NBA returned to the Persian Gulf
on Friday for the third consecutive year, and the preseason schedule for the
2023-24 season opened with the Boston Celtics beating the Denver Nuggets
107-103 in a matchup of the two most recent championship clubs.
The Celtics and Nuggets will finish their two-game set in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
Denver sat its starters in the second half and Boston sat four of its five
starters after halftime, with Luke Kornet the exception. The teams combined to
use 36 players --- 18 apiece.
Payton Pritchard had a game-high 21 points for Boston, which was 20 of 61 from
3-point range. 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 and Jaylen Brown had eight for Boston.
Reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic scored 14 for Denver. Russell Westbrook had 12 in
his first outing with the Nuggets, while Michael Porter Jr. scored 12 and Jamal
Murray --- who was in street clothes on the bench by the end of the game ---
had three points in 15 minutes.
The NBA signed a deal with tourism officials in Abu Dhabi in 2021 to send teams
there for preseason trips; the series started with Milwaukee and Atlanta in
2022, and Dallas and Minnesota went last year.
USA Basketball has played in Abu Dhabi in each of the last two summers as well
as part of its tuneups for the 2023 Basketball World Cup in the Philippines and
the Paris Games.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
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