![]() In-Season Tournament court of the Los Angeles Lakers | |
Tournament information | |
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Location |
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Date | November 3 – December 9, 2023 |
Venue(s) |
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Teams | 30 |
Purse | See prize money |
The 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament is an ongoing multi-stage basketball tournament that is part of the 2023–24 NBA season. It is the first edition of the NBA In-Season Tournament. All 30 teams participate, each playing four regular season games that count towards the tournament's group stage standings. All games in the knockout round, except for the championship game, will also count towards the regular season standings. The tournament's semifinals and championship game will be played at T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip.
Format
The tournament's format is similar to in-season, multi-stage tournaments in European soccer.[1]
In the group stage, each conference is divided into three groups with five teams each, for a total of six groups. Regular season games played on Tuesdays and Fridays between November 3 and November 28 count in the regular season standings and the In-Season Tournament standings. Each team plays one game against each of the other teams in its group, for a total of four games (two at home and two on the road).[1]
If two or more teams in a group have equal records upon completion of group play, the following tiebreakers are applied in this order:[1]
- Head-to-head record in the group stage
- Point differential in the group stage
- Total points scored in the group stage
- Regular season record from the 2022–23 regular season
- Random drawing

Each group's winner then advances to the knockout stage, as does one wild card from each conference – the group runner-up with the best group stage record. Quarterfinal games will be played in local NBA markets on December 4 and 5, with the teams with the top two group stage records in each conference hosting, and the best team in Group Play games will host the wild card team. The semifinals will be played on December 7, and the championship will be on December 9. The final two rounds will be played at T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip.[1]
Quarterfinal and semifinal games also count as regular season games, affecting teams' positions in league standings, but the championship game does not. Statistics from the championship game are not counted in regular season totals.[1]
The four teams that lose in the quarterfinals will play one additional game on December 8, against each other in the same conference.[1]
While the knockout stage is concluding, the 22 teams that do not qualify for the knockout stage will play two additional regular season games in order to make sure each team plays 82 total regular season games, one at home and one on the road, based on the group stage standings, but also subject to travel constraints. Among these 22 total matchups, 20 will be intra-conference games, with an attempt by the league to schedule as many teams that were originally scheduled to only play each other three times during the regular season. The other two matchups will be interconference games, since there will be an odd number of teams in each conference (11). These two interconference matchups will feature four of the six teams that finished last in their respective group.[1]
Prize money
Players on teams advancing to the knockout stage will receive prize money as follows:[2]
- Players on teams that lose in the quarterfinals: $50,000 each
- Players on teams that lose in the semifinals: $100,000 each
- Players on the tournament runner-up team: $200,000 each
- Players on the tournament championship team: $500,000 each
Draw
Pots
Teams were allocated into five pots per conference based on the 2022–23 regular season standings. Pot 1 contained the teams with the top three regular season records in each conference, while Pot 2 contained the teams with the fourth to sixth best records and so forth concluding with Pot 5, which contained the teams with the bottom three (thirteenth through fifteenth) records.[3][1]
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Draw results
The initial groups were revealed during the tournament announcement on July 8, 2023.[4] The five teams in each group were selected by a draw of one team from each of the five pots for the conference in question.
Group A | Group B | Group C |
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Philadelphia 76ers (3) Cleveland Cavaliers (4) Atlanta Hawks (8) Indiana Pacers (11) Detroit Pistons (15) |
Milwaukee Bucks (1) New York Knicks (5) Miami Heat (7) Washington Wizards (12) Charlotte Hornets (14) |
Boston Celtics (2) Brooklyn Nets (6) Toronto Raptors (9) Chicago Bulls (10) Orlando Magic (13) |
Group A | Group B | Group C |
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Memphis Grizzlies (2) Phoenix Suns (4) Los Angeles Lakers (7) Utah Jazz (12) Portland Trail Blazers (13) |
Denver Nuggets (1) Los Angeles Clippers (5) New Orleans Pelicans (9) Dallas Mavericks (11) Houston Rockets (14) |
Sacramento Kings (3) Golden State Warriors (6) Minnesota Timberwolves (8) Oklahoma City Thunder (10) San Antonio Spurs (15) |
Group stage
East Group A
Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Qualification | IND | CLE | PHI | ATL | DET | |
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1 | Indiana Pacers | 4 | 4 | 0 | 546 | 507 | +39 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 121–116 | 132–126 | 157–152 | 136–113 | |
2 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 4 | 3 | 1 | 474 | 445 | +29 | 116–121 | — | 122–119 (OT) | 128–105 | 108–100 | ||
3 | Philadelphia 76ers | 4 | 2 | 2 | 485 | 476 | +9 | 126–132 | 119–122 (OT) | — | 126–116 | 114–106 | ||
4 | Atlanta Hawks | 4 | 1 | 3 | 499 | 531 | −32 | 152–157 | 105–128 | 116–126 | — | 126–120 | ||
5 | Detroit Pistons | 4 | 0 | 4 | 439 | 484 | −45 | 113–136 | 100–108 | 106–114 | 120–126 | — |
Games | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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East Group B
Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Qualification | MIL | NYK | MIA | CHA | WAS | |
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1 | Milwaukee Bucks | 4 | 4 | 0 | 502 | 456 | +46 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 110–105 | 131–124 | 130–99 | 131–128 | |
2 | New York Knicks | 4 | 3 | 1 | 440 | 398 | +42 | 105–110 | — | 100–98 | 115–91 | 120–99 | ||
3 | Miami Heat | 4 | 2 | 2 | 454 | 450 | +4 | 124–131 | 98–100 | — | 111–105 | 121–114 | ||
4 | Charlotte Hornets | 4 | 1 | 3 | 419 | 473 | −54 | 99–130 | 91–115 | 105–111 | — | 124–117 | ||
5 | Washington Wizards | 4 | 0 | 4 | 458 | 496 | −38 | 128–131 | 99–120 | 114–121 | 117–124 | — |
Games | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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East Group C
Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Qualification | BOS | ORL | BKN | TOR | CHI | |
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1 | Boston Celtics | 4 | 3[lower-alpha 1] | 1 | 449 | 422 | +27 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 96–113 | 121–107 | 108–105 | 124–97 | |
2 | Orlando Magic | 4 | 3[lower-alpha 1] | 1 | 446 | 424 | +22 | 113–96 | — | 104–124 | 126–107 | 103–97 | ||
3 | Brooklyn Nets | 4 | 3[lower-alpha 1] | 1 | 455 | 435 | +20 | 107–121 | 124–104 | — | 115–103 | 109–107 | ||
4 | Toronto Raptors | 4 | 1 | 3 | 436 | 457 | −21 | 105–108 | 107–126 | 103–115 | — | 121–108 | ||
5 | Chicago Bulls | 4 | 0 | 4 | 409 | 457 | −48 | 97–124 | 97–103 | 107–109 | 108–121 | — |
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West Group A
Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Qualification | LAL | PHX | UTA | POR | MEM | |
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1 | Los Angeles Lakers | 4 | 4 | 0 | 494 | 420 | +74 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 122–119 | 131–99 | 107–95 | 134–107 | |
2 | Phoenix Suns | 4 | 3 | 1 | 480 | 446 | +34 | 119–122 | — | 131–128 | 120–107 | 110–89 | ||
3 | Utah Jazz | 4 | 2 | 2 | 469 | 482 | −13 | 99–131 | 128–131 | — | 115–99 | 127–121 | ||
4 | Portland Trail Blazers | 4 | 1 | 3 | 416 | 455 | −39 | 95–107 | 107–120 | 99–115 | — | 115–113 (OT) | ||
5 | Memphis Grizzlies | 4 | 0 | 4 | 430 | 486 | −56 | 107–134 | 89–110 | 121–127 | 113–115 (OT) | — |
Games | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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West Group B
Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Qualification | NOP | HOU | DAL | DEN | LAC | |
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1 | New Orleans Pelicans | 4 | 3 | 1 | 463 | 430 | +33 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 101–104 | 131–110 | 115–110 | 116–106 | |
2 | Houston Rockets | 4 | 2[lower-alpha 1] | 2 | 424 | 414 | +10 | 104–101 | — | 115–121 | 105–86 | 100–106 | ||
3 | Dallas Mavericks | 4 | 2[lower-alpha 1] | 2 | 489 | 497 | −8 | 110–131 | 121–115 | — | 114–125 | 144–126 | ||
4 | Denver Nuggets | 4 | 2[lower-alpha 1] | 2 | 432 | 442 | −10 | 110–115 | 86–105 | 125–114 | — | 111–108 | ||
5 | Los Angeles Clippers | 4 | 1 | 3 | 446 | 471 | −25 | 106–116 | 106–100 | 126–144 | 108–111 | — |
Games | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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West Group C
Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Qualification | SAC | MIN | GSW | OKC | SAS | |
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1 | Sacramento Kings | 4 | 4 | 0 | 482 | 452 | +30 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 124–111 | 124–123 | 105–98 | 129–120 | |
2 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 4 | 3 | 1 | 438 | 438 | 0 | 111–124 | — | 104–101 | 106–103 | 117–110 | ||
3 | Golden State Warriors | 4 | 2 | 2 | 483 | 479 | +4 | 123–124 | 101–104 | — | 141–139 | 118–112 | ||
4 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 4 | 1 | 3 | 463 | 439 | +24 | 98–105 | 103–106 | 139–141 | — | 123–87 | ||
5 | San Antonio Spurs | 4 | 0 | 4 | 429 | 487 | −58 | 120–129 | 110–117 | 112–118 | 87–123 | — |
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Ranking of second-placed teams
Eastern Conference
Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Qualification |
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1 | B | New York Knicks | 4 | 3 | 1 | 440 | 398 | +42 | Advance to knockout stage |
2 | A | Cleveland Cavaliers | 4 | 3 | 1 | 474 | 445 | +29 | |
3 | C | Orlando Magic | 4 | 3 | 1 | 446 | 424 | +22 |
Western Conference
Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Qualification |
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1 | A | Phoenix Suns | 4 | 3 | 1 | 480 | 446 | +34 | Advance to knockout stage |
2 | C | Minnesota Timberwolves | 4 | 3 | 1 | 438 | 438 | 0 | |
3 | B | Houston Rockets | 4 | 2 | 2 | 424 | 414 | +10 |
Knockout stage
Qualified teams
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Bracket
Home team listed first.
Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Championship game | ||||||||
December 5 – Milwaukee, WI | ||||||||||
Milwaukee | ||||||||||
December 7 – Las Vegas, NV | ||||||||||
New York | ||||||||||
Quarterfinal 1 winner | ||||||||||
December 4 – Indianapolis, IN | ||||||||||
Quarterfinal 2 winner | ||||||||||
Indiana | ||||||||||
December 9 – Las Vegas, NV | ||||||||||
Boston | ||||||||||
Semifinal 1 winner | ||||||||||
December 5 – Los Angeles, CA | ||||||||||
Semifinal 2 winner | ||||||||||
LA Lakers | ||||||||||
December 7 – Las Vegas, NV | ||||||||||
Phoenix | ||||||||||
Quarterfinal 3 winner | ||||||||||
December 4 – Sacramento, CA | ||||||||||
Quarterfinal 4 winner | ||||||||||
Sacramento | ||||||||||
New Orleans | ||||||||||
Source:[5]
Quarterfinals
- Note: Times are Eastern Standard Time (UTC−5) as listed by the NBA. If the venue is located in a different time zone, the local time is also given.
Semifinals
December 7 9:00 p.m. (6:00 p.m. Pacific) |
West QF1 winner vs. West QF2 winner |
Championship game
December 9 8:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. Pacific) |
Semifinal 1 winner vs. Semifinal 2 winner |
Media coverage
The group stage of the tournament is covered by the NBA's existing broadcasters.
In national linear television broadcasts in the United States, TNT has selected Tuesday games, ESPN has selected Friday games, and NBA TV have two on Friday, November 24.[6] Most group stage games will instead only be televised locally by the teams' regional broadcasters.[7][8][9] During the knockout stage, TNT will air all four quarterfinals in primetime[10] on December 4 and 5. For the semifinals on December 7, ESPN will televise the early game and TNT will have the late game. The championship game will air on ABC in primetime on December 9.[11][12]
For the tournament semifinals, ESPN and TNT announced that both of their broadcast teams would collaborate on each other's coverage. For ESPN, TNT's Reggie Miller joined Mike Breen, Doris Burke and Lisa Salters, while on TNT, ESPN's Doc Rivers joined Kevin Harlan, Candace Parker and Allie LaForce. The ESPN studio team of Malika Andrews, Stephen A. Smith, Michael Wilbon, Bob Myers and Adrian Wojnarowski, and the TNT studio team of Ernie Johnson Jr., Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal would also collaborate on each other's pregame coverage during extended segments of NBA Countdown and NBA Tipoff respectively. ESPN's Stephen A. Smith and Michael Wilbon would also appear on TNT's Inside the NBA postgame show.[13][14]
TruTV will also air three alternative telecasts of Quarterfinal and Semifinal games that air on TNT during the knockout round.
All TNT's games will be streamed on Max including two exclusive alternate telecast of quarterfinal games on December 5.[8] NBA League Pass will offer out-of-market group stage games, as well as live access to NBA TV's games.[9]
In Canada, TSN, Sportsnet, and NBA TV Canada show selected games nationally, including all Toronto Raptors games.[15][16]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "In-Season Tournament 101: Rules, format and how it works". National Basketball Association. July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
- ↑ Foglio, James (November 15, 2023). "Lakers' Anthony Davis says $500K prize in NBA In-Season Tournament is a 'real lure'". basketballinsiders.com. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ↑ Bontemps, Tim (July 8, 2023). "NBA officially unveils format, groups for new in-season tournament". ESPN. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
- ↑ Rosa, Francisco (July 8, 2023). "NBA In-Season Tournament 2023: Dates, Groups, More Revealed for Inaugural Format". Bleacher Report. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
- ↑ "NBA In-Season Tournament Tracker: Knockout Rounds matchups, schedule". nba.com.
- ↑ "2023 NBA In-Season Tournament Schedule". NBA.com (Press release).
- ↑ "ESPN & ABC's Blockbuster Broadcast Schedule for 2023–24 NBA Regular Season". ESPN Press Room (Press release). August 17, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
- 1 2 "TNT to Tip Off 2023–24 NBA Regular Season with Blockbuster Opening Night". Warner Bros. Discovery (Press release). August 17, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
- 1 2 "NBA TV to Televise 106 Games During 2023–24 Regular Season with Multiple Appearances by NBA Champion Nuggets, Celtics, Warriors, Bucks, Lakers, 76ers, Suns & Mavericks". Warner Bros. Discovery (Press release). August 17, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
- ↑ "Breaking News - TNT Sports to Showcase Inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament Knockout Rounds with Three Nights of Coverage Next Week Across TNT, truTV & Max | TheFutonCritic.com". www.thefutoncritic.com. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
- ↑ "ESPN Schedules". ESPN Press Room U.S. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
- ↑ "What to know about NBA in-season tournament: Games start Friday, team groups, Las Vegas hosts semifinals, championship". Yahoo! Sports. November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ↑ "ESPN, TNT Collaborate on Game and Studio Coverage for Inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament Semifinals December 7". ESPN Press Room (Press release). November 28, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
- ↑ "TNT Sports to Showcase Inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament Knockout Rounds with Three Nights of Coverage Next Week Across TNT, truTV & Max". Warner Bros. Discovery (Press release). November 28, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
- ↑ "NBA on TSN National Broadcast Schedule". TSN. October 24, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ↑ "NBA Schedule - NBA Games & Events | NBA.com". nba.com. Retrieved November 4, 2023.