While preseason games might not count for very much, as far as setting tones go, the Boston Celtics and Jaylen Brown could not have done much better with their trip to Abu Dhabi. In the capital of the United Arab Emirates to play the Denver Nuggets in a pair of exhibition games,

Per Brown's statement, Dallas guard Kyrie Irving ended Game 3 with a game-high 35 points but could not pull his team to victory, even with Luka Doncic adding 27 points. The Celtics' duo of Brown and Jayson Tatum combined for 61 points with both going over 30.

The NBA returned to the Persian Gulf on Friday for the third consecutive year. 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.