NBA Preseason: Nuggets Beat Lakers as Rockets and Pacers Visit Philippines

Brian Shaw's debut game as coach of Denver Nuggets saw them defeat Los Angeles Lakers 97-88.

Both Jordon Hamilton and Ty Lawson scored 15 points for the Nuggets, while Paul Gasol had 13 points to go with his four rebounds for the Lakers. Steve Nash failed to score but had six assists during his cameo.

Shaw was an assistant coach under Phil Jackson at Lakers. Many believed that Shaw will take over as the main coach when Jackson retired in 2011. However, he was overlooked by the franchisee.

Asked if there were any hard feelings, Shaw said, "No, no. You know, it's the nature of the business. I found that out pretty quickly. I preach to our players to get on to the next play; let that last play go, and I try to do the same thing, too. Every decision is not my decision. It's not going to work out the way I want it to work out. So I've just got to move on."

Meanwhile, Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers will visit Philippines as a part of NBA's pre-season global games. This is the first NBA game in the basketball-crazy nation. Basketball is the most popular game in Philippines and the fans are eagerly waiting for the clash on Thursday evening.

"We're just excited to come over to play the game and give Filipinos a great show," Houston Rockets guard James Harden stressed.

The Rockets and Pacers will play in Taipei after the game in Manila. NBA's Global Games will see 12 teams playing outside the US. Teams will be visiting cities in Brazil and Spain as a part of the tour.