Aww! Beyonce Dotes on Nephew Julez, 7, at Nets Game

USMagazine, Tuesday, April 17, 2012, 4:01pm (PDT)

A big night for most 7-year-olds? Staying up late on a school night.

A big night for 7-year-old Julez Smith? Staying up late on a school night--to sit courtside at a Nets game with Auntie Bey and Uncle Jay.

New Jersey Nets co-owner Jay-Z watched his team take on the Miami Heat at Newark's Prudential Center Monday alongside some very special guests: his wife Beyonce, and the couple's nephew Julez. (Mom is Beyonce's sister, Solange.)

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While Julez's 4-month-old cousin Blue Ivy stayed at home, the adorable trio made the most of their special time together. Accompanied by Julez's dad, Daniel Smith, Julez sat in between his aunt and uncle. (Jay-Z, at one point, reached over to give his nephew a big bear hug.)

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Beyonce--who gave birth January 7--rocked a striped, southwest-inspired dress, and accessorized with a thunderbird brooch and studded ankle boots. (On her nails? A metallic blue mani, her go-to homage to her daughter.)

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The Grammy winner, 30, has talked before about how much her relationship with her younger sister's son means to her. Last summer, she spoke to Essence magazine about her year-long break from the music biz--during which she was determined to focus solely on traveling and hanging with her husband, her sister, and her nephew.

"I was going to give myself a year to do the things I never get to do. Simple things like play with my nephew, pick him up from school, visit museums," Beyonce shared. "I was looking for tiny moments that would speak to my heart and make me smile."

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