Canada is once again hosting NBA preseason action outside of Toronto.
The Toronto Raptors will host a pair of preseason games outside of the city this year, visiting Vancouver and Montreal. Details are as follows:
- Sept. 29, Rogers Arena, Vancouver – vs. Portland Trail Blazers
- Oct. 10, Bell Centre, Montreal – vs. Brooklyn Nets
Tickets for both will go on sale on July 14.
“One of the many great things about being Canada’s team is that we get a chance to bring the game we love to different parts of the country, and to connect with our fans, whose support is so important to us throughout the season. It’s also an opportunity for us to enjoy these spectacular cities – we’re really looking forward to our time in Vancouver and Montreal,” Raptors president Masai Ujiri said in a release.
This continues the NBA Canada Series that began back in 2012 and has seen 11 preseason games to date played in five different Canadian cities other than Toronto. Vancouver will be hosting a preseason game for a fourth time as part of the series, Montreal for the fifth. This marks the first games since 2016, as the Raptors played the entirety of their preseason schedule in the U.S. and Toronto a year ago. (Prior to 2012, the NBA played a number of other exhibition games in Canada, they just came outside of the NBA Canada Series banner.)
The Raptors will also host Melbourne United of Australia’s NBL on Oct. 5. A full training camp and preseason schedule (with locations) is expected by early September, but this gives us a pretty good idea that the Raptors will once again be hosting training camp out west and beginning their exhibition schedule there. The game in Montreal could be the team’s final or penultimate preseason game (last year’s finale was Oct. 13).
It’s always really great when the Raptors can spread the brand and the game around the country. I know there are a number of cities (hi, St. John’s!) that would love to get a game in the future, too, and so it’s good to see the Raptors remain committed to the NBA Canada cause, even just in other major cities for this year.
