The NBA made a star-studded return to China on Friday, with singers, dancers, thousands of fans and a glittering array of celebrities cheering the league’s first game in the country for six years.

A night long in the making began with a crowd of 11,317 at The Venetian Arena in Macau being treated to a show of illuminated lion dancers dressed in black, orange and purple, the colours of the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns.

“Thank you for letting us back,” the Suns’ Dillon Brooks told the crowd in an opening speech on behalf of his team. Harbin-born Fanbo Zeng, a Net, told the venue in Mandarin to have “a lovely night”.

Fans flocked to the casino in the hours before the 8pm tip-off, and Dan Wang, from Hainan province, said he had come for the atmosphere always associated with large sporting occasions.

“The tickets weren’t that hard to get, but expensive,” he said, adding he was most looking forward to seeing the Suns’ Devin Booker on the court.

“I think he is one of the more talented players tonight, and it is a pleasure to be able to see him.”