The NBA announced the full schedule for the remainder of the inaugural In-Season Tournament, including the quarterfinals, semifinals, finals and the added regular season games for the teams who lose in the quarterfinal round.
The Los Angeles Lakers face the Phoenix Suns at Crypto.com Arena in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, Dec. 5 at 7:00 p.m. PT, a game that will be broadcast as part of a TNT doubleheader with an Eastern Conference quarterfinals matchup between the New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks. On Monday, Dec. 4, TNT and TruTV will host a doubleheader of the Boston Celtics vs. the Indiana Pacers and the New Orleans Pelicans vs. the Sacramento Kings.
From there, both the semifinal round and the added regular season game will be determined. Both semifinal games will take place from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, with the Eastern Conference semifinal airing on ESPN at 2:00 p.m. PT on Thursday, Dec. 7 and the Western Conference semifinal at 6:00 p.m. PT on TNT/TruTV on the same day.
The NBA has devised a schedule for every possible losing combination of teams in each conference’s quarterfinal for the additional regular season game. If the Lakers and Pelicans both lose in the quarterfinal, they will face off on Friday, Dec. 8 at 5:00 p.m. PT. If the Lakers and Kings lose, they will play on the same day at 7:30 p.m. PT. New Orleans would host the Lakers and the Lakers would host the Kings.
The In-Season Tournament Finals will take place on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 5:00 p.m. PT in Las Vegas. From there, the first ever NBA Cup winners will be determined and prize money will be given out accordingly.
Lakers one of four undefeated teams in In-Season Tournament
The Lakers went 4-0 in Group A play to secure their spot in the quarterfinal and secure a home game against the Suns. But L.A. was not the only team to have a perfect group stage. The Kings were the other Western Conference team to do so, meaning they’ll be hosting the Pelicans.
In the Eastern Conference, both the Bucks and Pacers went 4-0, setting up the Bucks to host the Knicks and the Pacers to host the Celtics. The Lakers are the No. 1 overall seed with the highest point differential in the group stage.
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