ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The NBA returned to the Persian Gulf on Friday for the third consecutive year, and 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.

The Celtics and Nuggets will finish their two-game set in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

Denver sat its starters in the second half and Boston sat four of its five starters after halftime, with Luke Kornet the exception. The teams combined to use 36 players — 18 apiece.

Payton Pritchard had a game-high 21 points for Boston, which was 20 of 61 from 3-point range. The Celtics' trio of Olympic gold medalists from this summer's Paris Games — Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White — combined to score 25 points and Jaylen Brown had eight for Boston.

Reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic scored 14 for Denver. Russell Westbrook had 12 in his first outing with the Nuggets, while Michael Porter Jr. scored 12 and Jamal Murray — who was in street clothes on the bench by the end of the game — had three points in 15 minutes.

The NBA signed a deal with tourism officials in Abu Dhabi in 2021 to send teams there for preseason trips; the series started with Milwaukee and Atlanta in 2022, and Dallas and Minnesota went last year.

USA Basketball has played in Abu Dhabi in each of the last two summers as well as part of its tuneups for the 2023 Basketball World Cup in the Philippines and the Paris Games.

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