Some 15,000 French basketball fans will be served a treat as the NBA returns to France's capital with the Cleveland Cavaliers taking on the Brooklyn Nets in a regular season game on Thursday 11 January. The Cavs-Nets matchup will mark the third regular season NBA game in Paris.

Still, it will also provide a dress rehearsal with the venue, the Bercy Arena, set to stage the Paris 2024 Olympic basketball finals later this year. Sources tell ClutchPoints that Brooklyn's Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson are in consideration for Team USA for the 2024 Olympic games.

Meanwhile, on Cleveland's side of things, Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, and Darius Garland could also be in the mix to represent the United States. While Garland will be unavailable for Cleveland while still recovering from jaw surgery, there will still be plenty of stars available on either side to give an Olympic preview.

“We’re really excited to have the Cavaliers and the Nets there,” said Samantha Engelhardt, the NBA’s SVP of global strategy and innovation to Crain's Cleveland. “They were both playoff teams last year and they both have up-and-coming stars. So it’s a great opportunity for us to bring it all together and showcase an NBA game for a market that we’re really excited about and has a lot of future growth, particularly with the Olympics just around the corner.”

The NBA Paris Game 2024 will mark the Nets’ second game in Paris, having played a preseason game in the French capital in 2008.

Meanwhile, this will be the first time the Cavs have ever played in Europe. Cleveland's forrays into international hoops were a trip to China in 2007 and Brazil in 2015 during preseason action. The Nets and the Cavs last played each other during their respective season openers where the Cavs managed to squeak out a 114-113 victory over the Nets at the Barclays Center.

“We are extremely honored as an organization to showcase the Cleveland Cavaliers in Paris,” said Cavs President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman in a prepared statement. “This unique opportunity will provide our players, coaches, staff, and families an experience into a different culture, all while creating memories both on and off the court that will last a lifetime. We also recognize the universal appeal basketball inspires and we take great pride in our stewardship of the game. As proud representatives of the city of Cleveland and all of Northeast Ohio, we look forward to establishing a personal level of engagement with our fans overseas, as well as partnering with the NBA in our collective effort to elevate basketball on the international stage.”

Other than the Olympic implications, this matchup between the Cavs and the Nets also has some implications in a tightly-contested Eastern Conference. Right now, Cleveland is riding a three-game winning streak and is 21-15 overall, which is good for fifth place in the Eastern Conference. Brooklyn, meanwhile, is 5.5 games back of the Cavs in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, riding into Paris with a 16-21 record.

Considering that this is only the second time either team will play this year, the outcome could have implications when the playoffs are closer on the horizon.

Even more so for the Nets, who want to right the ship and get back in the playoff hunt like the Cavs. Before the trip, Brooklyn was surprised by the lowly Portland Trail Blazers at home, losing 134-127, and are currently 3-7 in their last ten games. It should be a fun, exciting game for international fans everywhere, for those watching back home will be able to enjoy the action earlier in the afternoon.