The Toronto Raptors and the Houston Rockets will play a pair of preseason games in Japan on October 8 and October 10, the NBA has announced.
The #NBA announced today that the Toronto Raptors and the Houston Rockets will play two preseason games in Japan in October 2019. The #NBAJapanGames2019 will take place Tuesday, Oct. 8 and Thursday, Oct. 10.
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) March 5, 2019
Details » https://t.co/jiltC9hJeQ pic.twitter.com/T9lNNdV5RS
The games will be played in Saitama just outside Tokyo and it will be the first time the NBA has returned to Japan since playing 12 regular-season games between 1990 and 2003.
A Phoenix Suns-Utah Jazz matchup in Tokyo on November 2, 1990, was the first regular-season game outside of North America by a major U.S. sports league, according to the NBA.
The Rockets visited Japan when they opened the 1992-93 season with two losses to the Seattle SuperSonics in Yokohama, 111-94 and 89-85.
PHX won 119-96 against UTA in the first NBA Japan Game on Nov. 2, 1990! #NBAVault
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) March 5, 2019
NBA Japan Games 2019 presented by Rakuten to feature the @HoustonRockets & @Raptors on October 8 & 10. pic.twitter.com/Ggspu1zMSF
The Raptors have never previously played in Japan.
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