The third installment of the NBA Abu Dhabi Games will feature the defending champion Nuggets taking on the Celtics in a pair of preseason games slated for Friday, Oct. 4 and Sunday, Oct. 6. This "only intensifies the NBA’s relationship with the United Arab Emirates," and the nation is "only growing in importance as a bedrock of the league's business." This will be the third straight year in which the NBA will hold preseason games in Abu Dhabi. In addition, Team USA held two exhibition games in the UAE last summer in preparation for the FIBA World Cup. The NBA also recently struck a significant sponsorship deal with Emirates Airlines to rename its in-season tournament the Emirates NBA Cup and agreed to put Emirates patches on its referees in the NBA, G League and WNBA (THE ATHLETIC, 3/6).
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