NBA champion Heat to play Clippers in China

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The NBA champion Miami Heat will play two preseason games against the Los Angeles Clippers in China this fall.

The teams will meet Oct. 11 at MasterCard Center in Beijing and Oct. 14 at Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai.

It's the first time the reigning NBA champions will play in the NBA China Games, which will mark their sixth edition.

Eight NBA teams will play in eight international games in October as part of the league's international preseason schedule.

The Dallas Mavericks will play games in Barcelona and Berlin and the Boston Celtics will play games in Istanbul and Milan against top Euroleague teams.

Toronto and the New York Knicks will play in Montreal and Minnesota and Detroit will play in Winnipeg.

In 2004, the NBA became the first American professional sports league to play games in China, with two games between the Houston Rockets and Sacramento.