Atlanta Hawks head coach Nate McMillan said his team's visit to the UAE for the NBA Abu Dhabi Games proved highly "successful", both on and off the basketball court.
Atlanta swept the Milwaukee Bucks in the pre-season double-header at Abu Dhabi's Etihad Arena, following their 123-113 victory in Game 1 with a 118-109 win on Saturday evening. It was the first time NBA games had been held in the Middle East and forms part of a long-term agreement signed in November with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi.
“It has been a great trip, a successful trip, not just winning games but we do feel we got better,” McMillan said after his side wrapped up the two-game series.
“We had an incredible time by experiencing all the different things in Abu Dhabi. We felt we got better as a unit. We thought the bonding that we had with the new guys in our roster was great.
“It was important we bond them on this road trip. The coaches and players got closer and that was something very important for us.”
Atlanta's star player Trae Young top-scored for the Hawks, sinking 31 points in the first half alone before he was rested for the remainder of the game. The Hawks point guard fired seven three-pointers and provided six assists in a spectacular first-half blitz that had the crowd chanting for more.
“Trae is a special talent and a great kid in this game. We’ll play him a little different in the years I have been with him," McMillan said.
“He’s playing off the ball a little more now than he has in the past. He wants to develop his game and add to his game. He’s been such a dynamic player with the basketball, [now] we want to add to his game. I think that’s going to put a lot of pressure on teams with him playing off the ball.”
Young, who scored 22 points in the first game, said he was pleased with his improvement and believes the Hawks are using the pre-season to gel as a team.
“I don’t think I shot the ball well last game,” he said. “I knew I could have shot the ball better, I did that tonight and that’s what pre-season is for."
“We’ve got a new team so I’m here just learning my new teammates and just trying to see where we’re at.”
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer was gracious in defeat and said he was taking the positives from the team's time in Abu Dhabi.
“The preseason is pretty significant, where you're looking at other things, and the results can take a back seat, but that’s not to say we weren’t going for the wins,” he said. “Credit to Atlanta, they played really well. I was impressed the way they shot the ball both Thursday night and tonight.”
Budenholzer rested star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and provided his bench with the opportunity to get on the floor in the third and fourth quarters. The crowd inside Etihad Arena wanted to see Antetokounmpo on the court but the Greek forward wasn’t even in his kit.
“That was the hardest parts about these preseason games, coming to Abu Dhabi, and how badly everybody wants to see, not just Giannis, see all these players,” Budenholzer said.
“There are so many great players on both teams, but obviously Giannis is special. He played the other night, I thought he put on an amazing performance.
“He’s played a lot this summer with the Greek national team [at Euro Basket] and played internationally all over the world. It’s our job to sometimes be the bad guys and we have to try and keep him healthy and in a good place for a long, long season.”
Atlanta Hawks have two more pre-season games scheduled, against Cleveland Cavaliers and New Orleans Pelicans, before starting the regular season at Houston Rockets on October 20.
Milwaukee Bucks face Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets in their final pre-season games, and begin their regular season with a trip to Philadelphia 76ers on October 21.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
EU's%2020-point%20migration%20plan
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FROM%20THE%20ASHES
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DUBAI%20BLING%3A%20EPISODE%201
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Hotel Data Cloud profile
Date started: June 2016
Founders: Gregor Amon and Kevin Czok
Based: Dubai
Sector: Travel Tech
Size: 10 employees
Funding: $350,000 (Dh1.3 million)
Investors: five angel investors (undisclosed except for Amar Shubar)
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
if you go
The flights
Flydubai offers three daily direct flights to Sarajevo and, from June, a daily flight from Thessaloniki from Dubai. A return flight costs from Dhs1,905 including taxes.
The trip
The Travel Scientists are the organisers of the Balkan Ride and several other rallies around the world. The 2018 running of this particular adventure will take place from August 3-11, once again starting in Sarajevo and ending a week later in Thessaloniki. If you’re driving your own vehicle, then entry start from €880 (Dhs 3,900) per person including all accommodation along the route. Contact the Travel Scientists if you wish to hire one of their vehicles.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday Stuttgart v Cologne (Kick-off 10.30pm UAE)
Saturday RB Leipzig v Hertha Berlin (5.30pm)
Mainz v Borussia Monchengladbach (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Union Berlin v SC Freiburg (5.30pm)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (5.30pm)
Sunday Wolfsburg v Arminia (6.30pm)
Werder Bremen v Hoffenheim (9pm)
Bayer Leverkusen v Augsburg (11.30pm)
THREE
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Nayla%20Al%20Khaja%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Jefferson%20Hall%2C%20Faten%20Ahmed%2C%20Noura%20Alabed%2C%20Saud%20Alzarooni%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Director: Jon Watts
Stars: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon
Rating:*****
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
