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Portland Hosts London Lions in Historic NBA Preseason Clash

By מערכת אתר ערוץ הספורט

Translated & summarized from Sport5 by baba

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Hebrew · 6 newsrooms covering

The Portland Trail Blazers will host the London Lions in a historic preseason game, marking the first time an NBA team plays a UK club. The game features Israeli player Deni Avdija against former Maccabi Tel Aviv guard Kinan Evans. The London Lions face a demanding schedule, playing in Portland for only 48 hours before a EuroCup game. This is Portland's second preseason match after defeating the Golden State Warriors.

The story in 5 lines · by baba

Portland Trail Blazers will host London Lions in a historic NBA preseason game.
This is the first-ever game between an NBA team and a UK club.
Israeli player Deni Avdija will face former Maccabi Tel Aviv guard Kinan Evans.
London Lions coach Tautvydas Sabonis noted the challenging schedule for his team.
The Lions are also competing in the EuroCup and aim for a EuroLeague spot.

Portland Hosts London Lions in Historic NBA Preseason Clash — Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

The Portland Trail Blazers are set to host the London Lions in a historic preseason game at the Moda Center on Tuesday night. This marks the first time an NBA team will play against a club from the United Kingdom. The game features Israeli forward Deni Avdija for the Trail Blazers against former Maccabi Tel Aviv guard Kinan Evans, who is on loan from Zalgiris Kaunas and plays for the London Lions.

London Lions coach Tautvydas Sabonis, son of Blazers legend Arvydas Sabonis, acknowledged the challenging timing of the game during their preseason. The Lions will spend only 48 hours in Portland before heading to Frankfurt for a EuroCup game on Thursday, where they currently hold a 1-1 record. The team also includes Tarik Phillip, a former Hapoel Jerusalem player, who expressed excitement about his daughter seeing him play for the first time.

The London Lions have been making ambitious moves this season, becoming the first British team to wear Jordan Brand uniforms and applying for a spot in the EuroLeague. For Portland, this will be their second preseason game, following a 123-118 victory over the Golden State Warriors, in which Deni Avdija scored 23 points in 21 minutes.