How to watch the Milwaukee Bucks Abu Dhabi games
The Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks are playing the first of two games in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, starting at 11 AM central time. The two teams will remain in Abu Dhabi and play another matchup on the same time on Saturday morning, both games can be found on NBATV.
The Bucks and Hawks will get to show fans in the United Arab Emirates a taste of what the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals were like, with a few additions to each team. Both teams figure to be players in this year’s Eastern Conference playoffs.
The games will be played at Etihad Arena, a large stadium that has held countless mixed martial arts events, the Harlem Globetrotters, Maroon 5, Sting and much, much more.
Several former players will be on hand for the games Thursday and Saturday as there has been an NBA District opened from Wednesday through Sunday. Players reported to be on hand are Chris Bosh, Shaquille O’Neal, Isiah Thomas and Dominique Wilkins.
The two games represent a much larger initiative in the Middle East for the NBA. Not only are the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks playing two preseason games in Abu Dhabi, the NBA has started a partnership with the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism.
The partnership is aiming to help promote health and fitness through NBA FIT Clinics and give access to former NBA players to those in Abu Dhabi.
The Bucks and Hawks aren’t the only teams playing games in another country this pre-season. The Golden State Warriors and Washington Wizards just got done playing two games in Japan.
The San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat are playing a regular season game in Mexico City in December and the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons are playing a game in Paris in January.
The Milwaukee Bucks are no stranger to playing in a different setting in pre-season.
This is not the first time the Milwaukee Bucks have played a pre-season game in a formerly unthought of environment. Back in the 2019 NBA pre-season, the Milwaukee Bucks and Sacramento Kings played in the Play for Justice games. Games that were centered around playing basketball games in correctional facilities in an attempt to connect with incarcerated persons and inspire them through the game of basketball.
Way back in 2008 the Milwaukee Bucks played two pre-season games in China against the Golden State Warriors.
The Milwaukee Bucks have played two regular season game outside North America. The first was a 95-79 victory over the New York Knicks in London in 2015. The second was a 116-103 victory over the Charlotte Hornets in Paris in 2020.
It may also be worth noting that Giannis Antetokounmpo, Thanasis Antetokounmpo and Sandro Mamukelashvili spent their summer playing basketball in Europe at the Eurobasket tournament.
Who can we expect to play for the Milwaukee Bucks?
All of the players and coaches are heading to the United Arab Emirates for the Abu Dhabi games, as are some of the teams ownership group. However, despite the entire team making the trip, one that is sure to aid in building chemistry around an already tight knit group that returned nearly all of the players from last year’s team and added Joe Ingles, not everyone will suit up for these games.
Joe Ingles is an obvious omission from the Milwaukee Bucks players available to play Thursday and Saturday as he is out for the next couple months at least recovering from his ACL injury.
The main player missing for the Milwaukee Bucks is Khris Middleton, sidelined with his wrist injury, whether or not he will be ready for the season opener remains to be seen. The other player who may not play is Wesley Matthews, who has not been practicing. It sounds as though Giannis Antetokounmpo will be a full go after sitting out the preseason opener Saturday night, when the Milwaukee Bucks fell to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Thursday and Saturday’s pre-season games are sure to be interesting and will aide in the NBA helping grow the game of basketball on a worldwide scale. Catch the first game tomorrow morning at 11 AM Central time, same time on Saturday.
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Stay tuned with Behind the Buck Pass for takeaways from the Abu Dhabi games.