Nikola Jokic will lead the Denver Nuggets against Jayson Tatum's Boston Celtics at the third NBA Abu Dhabi Games. Getty Images
Nikola Jokic will lead the Denver Nuggets against Jayson Tatum's Boston Celtics at the third NBA Abu Dhabi Games. Getty Images
Nikola Jokic will lead the Denver Nuggets against Jayson Tatum's Boston Celtics at the third NBA Abu Dhabi Games. Getty Images
Nikola Jokic will lead the Denver Nuggets against Jayson Tatum's Boston Celtics at the third NBA Abu Dhabi Games. Getty Images

Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics to compete at third NBA Abu Dhabi Games


Reem Abulleil
  • English
  • Arabic

The Joker is coming to town! Yes, you heard that right.

Reigning NBA champions Denver Nuggets, spearheaded by their superstar MVP Nikola Jokic, are coming to Abu Dhabi, where they will take on Boston Celtics in two preseason games on October 4 and 6.

In what will be the third staging of the NBA Abu Dhabi Games – which are part of a multi-year deal between the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi and the NBA – basketball fans in the UAE will be treated to a clash between two Western Conference and Eastern Conference giants, pitting Jokic's Nuggets against Jayson Tatum’s Celtics.

Denver Nuggets beat Miami Heat in the Finals last season to clinch the first championship in the team’s 47-year NBA history.

After claiming back-to-back regular season MVP awards in 2021 and 2022, Jokic was named NBA Finals MVP, averaging 30.2 points, 14 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.4 blocks in the Finals against Miami.

“The Denver Nuggets organisation couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity to visit and play NBA games in Abu Dhabi this coming preseason. We look forward to this unique experience and being able to help expand the global reach of our great league,” said Kroenke Sports & Entertainment vice-chairman Josh Kroenke.

Celtics currently lead the Eastern Conference with an impressive 48-13 record – the best in the entire league – and are leading contenders to reach this year’s NBA Finals.

Their roster features five-time NBA All-Star Tatum, three-time NBA All-Star Jaylen Brown, 2021 NBA champion Jrue Holiday and 2018 NBA All-Star Kristaps Porziņgis. Holiday participated in the inaugural NBA Abu Dhabi Games in 2022 as a member of Milwaukee Bucks.

2023 NBA Abu Dhabi Games - in pictures

“The Boston Celtics have a rich history of international travel and countless fans worldwide, and we welcome this opportunity to play for NBA fans in Abu Dhabi. Basketball is a truly worldwide sport, and international events such as these can help inspire generations of fans across the globe,” said Boston Celtics team president Rich Gotham.

Ticket sales information and the venue for the games will be announced at a later date. Fans can register their interest in receiving more information by visiting nba.com/abudhabi.

The inaugural edition of the Games took place in 2022 with two games between Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks, marking the first time in history the NBA held a game in the Arab world.

Last year saw Minnesota Timberwolves pull off a two-game sweep over Dallas Mavericks in the capital, with the likes of Anthony Edwards, Luka Doncic, and Kyrie Irving all making an appearance.

“Our collaboration with the NBA supports our strategy of empowering youth in the UAE, the region and beyond. With the event now in its third year, we are excited to once again host The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2024 and build on our track record of hosting top-tier sporting events,” said Saleh Al Geziry, director general for tourism at DCT Abu Dhabi.

Basketball is fast becoming a key sport in the UAE’s events calendar. Last summer, ahead of the Fiba World Cup, star teams, including a Steve Kerr-coached USA, Germany and Greece, held training camps in Abu Dhabi and played friendly games as part of International Basketball Week, before flying east to the World Cup.

“We’re excited to bring two of the best teams in the NBA to Abu Dhabi in the Celtics and the Nuggets. 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,” said NBA deputy commissioner and chief operating officer Mark Tatum.

DCT – Abu Dhabi have also announced a new global agreement between their destination brand, Experience Abu Dhabi, and the Boston Celtics.

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Zidane's managerial achievements

La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
Uefa Super Cup: 2016, 2017
Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017

Gertrude Bell's life in focus

A feature film

At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.

A documentary

A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.

Books, letters and archives

Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
 

ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

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FINAL RESULT

Sharjah Wanderers 20 Dubai Tigers 25 (After extra-time)

Wanderers
Tries: Gormley, Penalty
cons: Flaherty
Pens: Flaherty 2

Tigers
Tries: O’Donnell, Gibbons, Kelly
Cons: Caldwell 2
Pens: Caldwell, Cross

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to avoid crypto fraud
  • Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
  • Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
  • Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
  • Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
  • Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
  • Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
  • Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.

Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
Jawbone Press

JOKE'S%20ON%20YOU
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Blonde
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster

We Weren’t Supposed to Survive But We Did

We weren’t supposed to survive but we did.      
We weren’t supposed to remember but we did.              
We weren’t supposed to write but we did.  
We weren’t supposed to fight but we did.              
We weren’t supposed to organise but we did.
We weren’t supposed to rap but we did.        
We weren’t supposed to find allies but we did.
We weren’t supposed to grow communities but we did.        
We weren’t supposed to return but WE ARE.
Amira Sakalla

J%20Street%20Polling%20Results
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'Texas Chainsaw Massacre'

Rating: 1 out of 4

Running time: 81 minutes

Director: David Blue Garcia

Starring: Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher, Mark Burnham

Updated: March 06, 2024, 1:58 PM`