GARNETT TO WOW UK FANS
Hot on the heels of the NHL's UK roadshow, the stars of the NBA take to the O2 Arena to showcase basketball to the UK audience.
The Minnesota Timberwolves and the Boston Celtics will enter the arena in front of around 22,000 fans as they continue their preparations for the start of the new NBA season.
Unlike the recent NHL meeting, this isn't a truly meaningful league fixture with NBA points at stake, more the culmination of a European training camp ahead of the real business which will take place across the pond in 20 days time.
But British fans who bought tickets more than three months ago needed worry about a potential dead-rubber this evening, with both sides seeing this as a key process of their pre-season build-up, whilst the appearance of Kevin Garnett gives the game some added spice.
The Boston power forward, one of the NBA's top earners, will face his old team Minnesota for the first time tonight and has assured fans that he won't be going easy on his former team-mates.
When asked if the exhibition game would give him an excuse to go easy on the side he represented for 12 seasons, he replied: "No way in hell
"It's kill or be killed. I don't anticipate them taking it lightly. It's going to be a competitive game."
As part of the trade for Garnett, five Boston players headed in the opposite direction to Minnesota.
Both teams are making the stop-off in London after previous games on their European tour.
Minnesota beat Turkey's Efes Pilsen 84-81 in Istanbul whilst the Celtics beat the Toronto Raptors 89-85 in Rome on Saturday, with Garnett scoring 19 points.
Boston themselves are looking to complete a remarkable turnaround in fortunes this season after struggling last year.
The Celtics, who have won more NBA championships in history than any other, finished bottom of the Eastern Conference last season with a 24-58 record but are the bookies favourites to clinch the Atlantic Division this season and reach the play-offs, whilst being joint-second favourites for the Eastern Conference overall.
Both the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks are favourites for the NBA Championship, with defending champions San Antonio Spurs third favourites.
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