NBA v NBL pre-season: Sydney Kings draw LA Clippers in marquee match-up
THE Sydney Kings will take on the LA Clippers and Ben Simmons’ Philadelphia 76ers will face defending champions Melbourne United as part of an expanded NBL-NBA pre-season series.
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THE Sydney Kings will take on the Los Angeles Clippers and Ben Simmons’ Philadelphia 76ers will face Melbourne United in the headline clashes of seven games between NBL and NBA teams to be played in the US in September and October.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal that a record five NBL teams — Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and New Zealand — have been invited to take on some of the biggest franchises in American basketball.
The success of last year’s maiden pre-season games — highlighted by Melbourne’s stunning one-point loss to a star-studded Oklahoma City Thunder — has led to the series being expanded, with two NBL teams to get two games. Sydney will play the Los Angeles Clippers at the Stan Sheriff Centre in Honolulu, Hawaii, on September 30.
The NBL will announce the historic pre-season games at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne today.
NBL owner Larry Kestelman will be in attendance, as will Andrew Bogut and Sydney head coach Andrew Gaze.
The fixtures to be unveiled are:
-Sydney Kings v LA Clippers
-Melbourne United v Philadelphia 76ers
-Melbourne United v Toronto Raptors
-Perth Wildcats v Utah Jazz
-Perth Wildcats v Denver Nuggets
-New Zealand Breakers v Phoenix Suns
-Adelaide 36ers v Utah Jazz
Due to the extended NBA pre-season schedule, the start of the NBL will be pushed back a week until October 13. All seven NBL v NBA pre-season games are expected to be broadcast on ESPN.
The game against the Clippers won’t be Bogut’s debut in Sydney colours. He is expected to suit up in the franchise’s earlier pre-season fixtures.
It’s the second consecutive season the Clippers have hosted a pre-season game in Hawaii after they took on the Toronto Raptors in two matches in 2017.
The Los Angeles-based side held a pre-season camp on the island last year before taking on the Raptors at the Stan Sheriff Centre, which is located on the campus of the University of Hawaii in Manoa.
The Clippers will continue their pre-season camp tradition this year before taking on Sydney in a landmark fixture.
The game will be the perfect chance for the Kings’ strong roster to test itself against conditioned NBA talent.
The Clippers line-up, coached by former championship-winning Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, includes big names DeAndre Jordan, Lou Williams, Tobias Harris and Avery Bradley.
Jordan, the team’s star centre, could join another franchise because he is yet to decide if he’ll opt in to his $24.1 million contract for next season.
The Clippers are rebuilding after trading established players Blake Griffin and Chris Paul in the past two years.
The Los Angeles-based franchise finished 10th in the Western Conference last season to miss out on the finals.
Sydney played the Utah Jazz in last year’s maiden NBA pre-season series, losing 108-83.
The Kings may have lost to a Jazz side featuring fellow Australians Joe Ingles and Dante Exum, but they won plenty of admirers with their fight.