After years of talks and speculation, the NBA is finally having its inaugural In-Season Tournament in 2023-24. There will be Group Play and Knockout Rounds similar to the World Cup, and the league announced the groups during NBA Con at the Las Vegas Summer League. The Los Angeles Lakers were placed in Group A of the Western Conference.
Rounding out Group A is the Memphis Grizzlies, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers.
The first In-Season Tournament will tip off on Friday, Nov. 3 and culminate with the Championship on Saturday, Dec. 9. The Semifinals and Championship will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
To begin, teams will play the other four opponents in their group with two games at home and two on the road. Group Player games will take place on Tuesdays and Fridays in November.
Once Group Play is over, eight teams will advance to the Knockout Rounds. Six of those teams will be the winners of their group while the other two will be “wild cards,” which will be the team from each conference with the best record in Group Play games that finished second in its group.
If there is a tiebreaker needed with two teams tied atop group standings, the league will first look at head-to-head record in the Group Stage, then point differential in the Group Stage, then total points scored in the Group Stage, then regular season record from the 2022-23 NBA regular season and finally, a random drawing in the unlikely scenario that two or more teams are still tied following the previous tiebreakers.
The Quarterfinals of the Knockout Rounds will be played in NBA team markets on Dec. 4 and 5 before the Semifinals and Championship shift to Las Vegas. The qualifying teams will compete for a prize pool and the new In-Season Tournament trophy that they’re calling the “NBA Cup.” The players on the winning team will receive $500,000 apiece while players on losing team of Championship receive $200,000 each, players on losing team of Semifinals receive $100,000 each and players on losing team of Quarterfinals receive $50,000 each.
All of the games will count towards teams’ regular-season records except for the Championship. Every team will still play 82 games throughout the course of the season.
A majority of the Group Play games and all seven Knockout Round games will be televised nationally with the broadcast schedule expected to be announced in August.
Teams that do not qualify for the Knockout Rounds will continue to play regular season games, two each, while the others compete for the NBA Cup.
Western Conference Groups
Group A: Lakers, Suns, Grizzlies, Jazz, Trail Blazers
Group B: Nuggets, Clippers, Pelicans, Mavericks, Rockets
Group C: Kings, Warriors, Timberwolves, Thunder, Spurs
Eastern Conference Groups
Group A: 76ers, Cavaliers, Hawks, Pacers, Pistons
Group B: Bucks, Knicks, Heat, Wizards, Hornets
Group C: Celtics, Nets, Raptors, Bulls, Magic
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