Mavericks, Rockets confirmed to play in October

The Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets will play two NBA preseason games at The Venetian Arena in Macau on Oct. 9 and 11, Sands China Ltd. and the National Basketball Association announced yesterday.

The games mark the NBA’s return to Macau following last year’s successful exhibition matchups between the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns at the same venue.

Mavericks owner and Las Vegas Sands Corp. chief operating officer Patrick Dumont will headline this year’s pairing at the Sands China property.

NBA deputy commissioner and chief operating officer Mark Tatum expressed enthusiasm in yesterday’s press release. “We look forward to welcoming the Mavericks and Rockets to Macau,” he said.

Tatum added, “The games in Macau earlier this season showed how much passion and enthusiasm there is for the NBA among fans in China and across Asia.”

Dumont echoed this sentiment. “It is a tremendous honor for Sands to host the games at The Venetian Arena next fall,” he said. “I could not be prouder of having the Mavericks come to Macau and have the team experience the incredible hospitality that Sands properties provide.”

Beyond the court, organizers plan interactive experiences mirroring last year’s games. These include NBA House, NBA Fan Day presented by Alibaba Cloud, youth basketball clinics, and a Community Impact Week through NBA Cares and Sands Cares.

The games, presented by Taobao 88VIP, are supported by partners including Alibaba Cloud, Ant International, Amazon Web Services, Gatorade, Mengniu Group, Nike, and Tissot.

Sands China, the NBA’s official integrated resort partner in China, will act as the official promoter.

Information about ticket sales and the fan, youth, and community events will be announced at a later date, according to the announcement.