The Mavericks and Rockets had two games in Macau, China, with Sunday’s game drawing 11,711 fans, which was down from a sellout crowd of 14,000 on Friday. The crowd include actor Jackie Chan, former NBAer Yao Ming and Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham. Mavs majority shareholder Miriam Adelson, her son-in-law and team governor Patrick Dumont and their family were “on hand as the trip’s hosts” and the owners of the Venetian Arena (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 10/11). While Mavs G Kyrie Irving and Rockets F Kevin Durant were the main draws on the court, even they “did not elicit the roar that greeted the sight” of Ming sitting courtside. Others in attendance included Alibaba founder Jack Ma and Nets owner Joe Tsai (SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, 10/9).
Crowds for Friday’s game “gathered hours in advance” of the opening tip-off and “lengthy queues” snaked past the prominent fan festival NBA House. Liang Xiaoye, a teacher from Hangzhou, “turned to the secondary market after standard tickets sold out.” She said she “paid four times the original 888 yuan face value.” She said she was asked by someone if they “could buy it from me for 3,500 yuan, and I immediately said no.” Melissa Tranquille, a fan from Western Australia, said she thinks organizers of the NBA House have “done a fantastic job.” She said the NBA House “has been amazing,” adding, “the way it’s set up, you can walk through all of it, it’s not too crowded and the experience is amazing” (SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, 10/9). If the crowd “outside the players’ hotel is any guide, the NBA’s China comeback is gaining traction” (CNBC SPORT, 10/9).
The Trail Blazers, led by Chinese C Yang Hansen, “could face” the Pacers at the Venetian Arena next year, per a source (SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, 10/9).