Dejounte Murray scored 25 points in his Atlanta debut and the Hawks beat the Milwaukee Bucks 123-113 on Thursday in the NBA’s first game in the UAE and the Arabian Gulf.

The teams will play another preseason game on Saturday at Etihad Arena.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 19 points. Jevon Carter scored 17 points off Milwaukee’s bench.

Murray added nine assists, eight rebounds and two blocked shots. His backcourt partner, Trae Young, added 22 points with three assists. Murray was acquired from the San Antonio Spurs for three first-round picks in the Hawks’ biggest offseason move.

Murray and Young combined to make 13 of 16 free throws, all in the first half.

The game featured the NBA’s three Holiday brothers. Aaron Holiday had 16 points and Justin Holiday added nine for the Hawks. Jrue Holiday had 12 points for the Bucks.

De’Andre Hunter had 17 points for Atlanta.

Sheikh Khaled meets NBA Commissioner: Sheikh Khaled Bin Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Member of Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Office, has met with the National Basketball Association (NBA) Commissioner Adam Silver ahead of the NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2022 series taking place, as part of the multi-year partnership between Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) and the NBA.

Sheikh Khaled also attended a practice session and met with NBA star players from the 2021 NBA championship-winning team, the Milwaukee Bucks. He was accompanied by Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi, Saood Abdulaziz Al Hosani, Under-Secretary, DCT Abu Dhabi, Saleh Mohamed Saleh Al Geziry, Director-General for Tourism, DCT Abu Dhabi, and Marc Lasry, co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks.

The landmark series marks the first NBA games to take place in the GCC, and highlights Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading tourism destination and a hub for world-class sports events.

Signed in November 2021, the partnership agreement between DCT Abu Dhabi and the NBA has seen the launch of the Junior NBA Abu Dhabi League, a youth basketball league for 450 boys and girls aged 11-14 from 30 schools across Abu Dhabi, as well as an NBA 2K League exhibition event. A series of NBA Fit Clinics promoting health and wellness are also in the pipeline. Under the terms of the partnership, DCT Abu Dhabi, under the Visit Abu Dhabi initiative, serves as the Official Tourism Destination Partner of the NBA in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and China.

Wizards’ Kispert injured: Corey Kispert is expected to miss four to six weeks because of a sprained left ankle, the Washington Wizards announced on Wednesday.

Kispert stepped on an opponent’s foot during Sunday’s preseason game in Japan against the Golden State Warriors.

The Wizards open the regular season Oct.19 at Indiana, so this timetable would certainly keep Kispert out for the first few games.

The 6-foot-6 Kispert, Washington’s first-round draft pick before last season, averaged 8.2 points in 77 games as a rookie.

Meanwhile, LeBron James made his post-retirement goals clear: He wants to own an NBA team, and he wants it in Las Vegas.

“I would love to bring a team here at some point,” he told reporters after scoring 23 points in the Los Angeles Lakers’ loss to the Phoenix Suns in a preseason game played Wednesday night in Las Vegas. And he addressed commissioner Silver, who was not in Las Vegas, directly. “He probably sees every single interview and transcript that comes through from NBA players,” James said. “So, I want the team here, Adam. Thank you.”

This isn’t the first time James has linked potential future ownership and Las Vegas. He talked about expanding his sports ownership portfolio in June on an episode of his show, “The Shop: Uninterrupted.” He is a part-owner of the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool FC.

Curry hails ‘productive’ pre-season: Stephen Curry said the Golden State Warriors had enjoyed a “productive” pre-season trip to Japan after the reigning NBA champions beat the Washington Wizards on Sunday for a second time.

Agencies