Vancouver, Montreal to host preseason NBA games in October

The Canadian cities of Montreal and Vancouver will host one preseason game each ahead of the 2023-24 NBA regular season, the league said Thursday.

The two games are part of the NBA Canada Series aimed at increasing the game's popularity in the country and will start with the Toronto Raptors facing the Sacramento Kings on Oct. 8 in Vancouver.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, whose roster features Canadians Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort, will then close out the showcase when they take on the Detroit Pistons in Montreal on Oct. 12.

In total, 15 teams have participated in 16 preseason games across six cities as part of the NBA Canada Series, which launched in 2012.

NBA rosters at the start of the 2022-23 season featured a record number of players from Canada (22), making it the most-represented country outside of the United States for the ninth consecutive year.

The 2023-24 NBA regular season begins Oct. 24.