Suns Edge Nets; NBA Returns Under Five-Year Macau Deal

The NBA returned to Chinese territory for the first time since 2019 with two sold-out preseason "China Games 2025" in Macau, staged at the Venetian under a multi-year partnership with Sands China that will bring games there for the next five years. Friday’s matchup drew a celebrity-studded, 11,317-strong crowd and Phoenix rallied from as much as an 18-point deficit to beat the Brooklyn Nets 132-127 in overtime, with Jordan Goodwin hitting a game-sealing three and Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks among Phoenix’s top contributors while Cam Thomas paced Brooklyn. Chinese forward Zeng Fanbo, recently signed by the Nets, received loud hometown applause and could see playing time. Brooklyn owner Joe Tsai’s team is leading community outreach tied to the trip, including 13 youth clinics across Macau and Hong Kong and a court-beautification initiative. NBA officials announced a strategic partnership with the Chinese Basketball Association and said the Macau fixtures could open the way for future mainland and Greater Bay Area games as part of a cautious, diplomatic re-entry amid rising U.S.–China tensions.