NBA London 2017: Indiana Pacers to face Denver Nuggets at the O2

The Indiana Pacers and Denver Nuggets will face off at London’s O2 Arena on January 12 as the NBA hosts its seventh regular season game in the capital.

Neither the Pacers nor the Nuggets have played in London but will follow in the footsteps of the Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors, whose match was played in front of a sold-out, star-studded crowd last year.

Indiana’s journey across the Atlantic will be particularly warmly welcoming by British basketball fans, who will have the opportunity to see one of the NBA’s brightest stars, Paul George, in the flesh at the O2.

George will be joined by 2014 All NBA Centre Al Jefferson, All-Star guard Jeff Teague and free-scoring wing Monta Ellis as part of a Pacers side expected to be among the best in the league’s Eastern Conference when the NBA returns to action in October.

The Nuggets will also have plenty to offer London fans; though Mike Malone’s youthful squad had a losing record last season the likes of Will Barton, Emmanuel Mudiay and Gary Harris are expected to emerge as high-quality players over the coming months.

London has played host to regular season match-ups in each of the last four seasons, though no team from the league’s Western Conference has ever played a competitive match in Britain, largely due to the increased travel burden in a season where every team must play 82 games.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said: “We are thrilled to return for our seventh regular-season game in London. With almost 25 percent of players in the NBA born outside of the United States, we are seeing firsthand the global growth of our game, which has never been more popular in the U.K.”

Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari added: “It will be a true honor and a great experience to represent both the Nuggets and the NBA in London as part of the NBA Global Games in 2017. Our entire team and organization are looking forward to this opportunity to showcase our league to fans overseas.”

Indiana Pacers forward Paul George continued: “I’m really excited and thankful the NBA is allowing us to reach out to our fans in London. This is great exposure for our team and our franchise. I think it will be a great experience for us and the fans in attendance.