Phoenix-Denver To Tip Off In Outdoor NBA Preseason Clash In CA.

September 20, 2008 7:38 p.m. EST

Indian Wells, CA (AHN) - The Denver Nuggets will face the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 11, 2008 in the first ever NBA outdoor game held in the continental U.S.

The only other time the NBA has hosted such an event was in the 1970s in Puerto Rico.

The city of Indian Wells will host the two teams at the Tennis Garden during the 2008 preseason.

The Suns will provide the playing floor, scoreboard and video boards for the Tennis Garden, which holds 16,100 fans and features loge seating and 44 suites.

The City Council voted 4-1 to approve spending $100,000 to sponsor the NBA outdoor exhibition game.

Nearly five months of negotiations between Indian Wells and the NBA culminated with this announcement.

Cable network TNT will broadcast the event, which will include five national television commercial spots, rotational courtside signage and one 10-second audio/video billboard segment for the city.

This announcement comes on the heels of the NHL's highly successful "Winter Classic" outdoor game held last year between the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins in Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the NFL's Buffalo Bills.

The game drew a record 71,217 fans and added to the NHL's resurgence after the disappointing 2004-05 lockout.