My Knicks almost stole one.
It is just like the vacation aka days off RULE? Booker has been sitting since scoring 30 points in game one? Ankle/Toe issues…. Just make the playoffs, thats all that counts!
The inaugural In-Season Tournament tipped off on Friday, Nov. 3 and will culminate with the Championship on Saturday, Dec. 9. The Semifinals (Thursday, Dec. 7) and Championship will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. For a complete schedule, click here.
The In-Season Tournament will consist of two stages: Group Play and the Knockout Rounds.
> A. Group Play
All 30 teams have been randomly drawn into groups of five within their conference based on won-loss records from the 2022-23 regular season. Beginning Nov. 3 and continuing through Tuesday, Nov. 28, each team will play four designated Group Play games on “Tournament Nights” – one game against each opponent in its group, with two games at home and two on the road.
> B. Knockout Rounds
Eight teams will advance to the Knockout Rounds: the team with the best standing in Group Play games in each of the six groups and two “wild cards” (the team from each conference with the best record in Group Play games that finished second in its group). The Knockout Rounds will be single-elimination games in the Quarterfinals (played in NBA team markets on Monday, Dec. 4 and Tuesday, Dec. 5), Semifinals and Championship. The qualifying teams will compete for a prize pool and the new In-Season Tournament trophy, the NBA Cup.
All 67 games across both stages of the In-Season Tournament will count toward the regular-season standings except the Championship. Each team will continue to play 82 regular-season games in the 2023-24 season, including those games that are part of Group Play and the Knockout Rounds.
Fourteen Group Play games (two games on each Tournament Night) and all seven Knockout Round games will be televised nationally. The game and broadcast schedule for the In-Season Tournament will be announced in August.
The In-Season Tournament will consist of two stages: Group Play and the Knockout Rounds.
> A. Group Play
All 30 teams have been randomly drawn into groups of five within their conference based on won-loss records from the 2022-23 regular season. Beginning Nov. 3 and continuing through Tuesday, Nov. 28, each team will play four designated Group Play games on “Tournament Nights” – one game against each opponent in its group, with two games at home and two on the road.
> B. Knockout Rounds
Eight teams will advance to the Knockout Rounds: the team with the best standing in Group Play games in each of the six groups and two “wild cards” (the team from each conference with the best record in Group Play games that finished second in its group). The Knockout Rounds will be single-elimination games in the Quarterfinals (played in NBA team markets on Monday, Dec. 4 and Tuesday, Dec. 5), Semifinals and Championship. The qualifying teams will compete for a prize pool and the new In-Season Tournament trophy, the NBA Cup.
All 67 games across both stages of the In-Season Tournament will count toward the regular-season standings except the Championship. Each team will continue to play 82 regular-season games in the 2023-24 season, including those games that are part of Group Play and the Knockout Rounds.
Fourteen Group Play games (two games on each Tournament Night) and all seven Knockout Round games will be televised nationally. The game and broadcast schedule for the In-Season Tournament will be announced in August.
II. Tournament Detail
> A. Group Play Draw
To determine each team’s opponents in the Group Play games, the 15 teams in each conference were divided into three groups of five teams via a random drawing.
Before the drawing, each team was placed into a “pot” based on its record from the prior regular season (2022-23). In each conference, one team from each pot was randomly selected into each of the three groups in that conference. The pots were as follows:
• Pot 1: The teams with the three best prior-season records in a conference.
• Pot 2: The teams with the fourth- through sixth-best prior-season records.
• Pot 3: The teams with the seventh- through ninth-best prior-season records.
• Pot 4: The teams with the 10th-through 12th-best prior-season records.
• Pot 5: The teams with the 13th-through 15th-best prior-season records.
> B. Group Play
Tournament Nights will take place every Tuesday and Friday from Nov. 3-28 (with the exception of Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 7, when no games will be played). The only NBA games played on Tournament Nights will be Group Play games. Group Play games will count as Regular Season games for all purposes.
A team will play each of the other four teams in its group in one Group Play game. A team’s record in these four intraconference games will determine whether the team qualifies for the Knockout Rounds. In the event two or more teams are tied within a group, the tie among the teams will be broken according to the following tiebreakers (in sequential order):
• 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 NBA regular season; and
• Random drawing (in the unlikely scenario that two or more teams are still tied following the previous tiebreakers).
Eight teams will advance to the Knockout Rounds: the team with the best standing in Group Play games in each of the six groups and one wild card team from each conference. The wild card will be the team from each conference with the best record in Group Play games that finished second in its group. In the event two or more teams are tied for the wild card in a conference, the tie among the teams will be broken following the same tiebreaker protocol as described above (with the exception of the head-to-head record in the Group Stage). Ties within groups will be broken before the calculation of wild card tiebreakers.
> A. Group Play Draw
To determine each team’s opponents in the Group Play games, the 15 teams in each conference were divided into three groups of five teams via a random drawing.
Before the drawing, each team was placed into a “pot” based on its record from the prior regular season (2022-23). In each conference, one team from each pot was randomly selected into each of the three groups in that conference. The pots were as follows:
• Pot 1: The teams with the three best prior-season records in a conference.
• Pot 2: The teams with the fourth- through sixth-best prior-season records.
• Pot 3: The teams with the seventh- through ninth-best prior-season records.
• Pot 4: The teams with the 10th-through 12th-best prior-season records.
• Pot 5: The teams with the 13th-through 15th-best prior-season records.
> B. Group Play
Tournament Nights will take place every Tuesday and Friday from Nov. 3-28 (with the exception of Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 7, when no games will be played). The only NBA games played on Tournament Nights will be Group Play games. Group Play games will count as Regular Season games for all purposes.
A team will play each of the other four teams in its group in one Group Play game. A team’s record in these four intraconference games will determine whether the team qualifies for the Knockout Rounds. In the event two or more teams are tied within a group, the tie among the teams will be broken according to the following tiebreakers (in sequential order):
• 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 NBA regular season; and
• Random drawing (in the unlikely scenario that two or more teams are still tied following the previous tiebreakers).
Eight teams will advance to the Knockout Rounds: the team with the best standing in Group Play games in each of the six groups and one wild card team from each conference. The wild card will be the team from each conference with the best record in Group Play games that finished second in its group. In the event two or more teams are tied for the wild card in a conference, the tie among the teams will be broken following the same tiebreaker protocol as described above (with the exception of the head-to-head record in the Group Stage). Ties within groups will be broken before the calculation of wild card tiebreakers.
> C. Knockout Rounds
The Knockout Rounds will consist of single-elimination games for the eight teams that advance from Group Play, beginning with the Quarterfinals on Dec. 4-5. Teams that win will progress to the neutral-site Semifinals on Dec. 7, and then the Championship on Dec. 9.
Games played in the first and second rounds of the Knockout Rounds (i.e., Quarterfinals and Semifinals, respectively) will count as Regular Season games for all purposes. The Championship will not be counted as a Regular Season game (e.g., such game would not count toward a team’s Regular Season record and a player’s or team’s performance in such game would not count towards Regular Season statistics).
In each conference, Quarterfinal games will be hosted by the two teams with the best record in Group Play games, and the team with the best record in Group Play games will host the wild card team. In the event two or more teams are tied for the higher seed in a conference, the tie among the teams will be broken following the same tiebreaker protocol as described above.
During the Knockout Rounds on days when In-Season Tournament games are not scheduled (Wednesday, Dec. 6 and Friday, Dec. 8), the 22 teams that do not qualify for the Knockout Rounds will each play two regular-season games.
A formulaic approach will determine the matchups for these games using the Group Play standings in each conference (5th-15th). Two of the 22 games will be scheduled cross-conference since there will be an odd number of teams in each conference that do not advance to the Quarterfinals. These cross-conference games will be scheduled between bottom-finishing teams in the Group Play stage subject to travel constraints, and no team will play more than one of its two games cross-conference. The other 20 games will be scheduled within conference featuring teams that are otherwise scheduled to play each other three times over the course of the season wherever possible.
The four teams that lose in the Quarterfinals will each play a regular-season game on Friday, Dec. 8, against the opponent in their same conference.
The Knockout Rounds will consist of single-elimination games for the eight teams that advance from Group Play, beginning with the Quarterfinals on Dec. 4-5. Teams that win will progress to the neutral-site Semifinals on Dec. 7, and then the Championship on Dec. 9.
Games played in the first and second rounds of the Knockout Rounds (i.e., Quarterfinals and Semifinals, respectively) will count as Regular Season games for all purposes. The Championship will not be counted as a Regular Season game (e.g., such game would not count toward a team’s Regular Season record and a player’s or team’s performance in such game would not count towards Regular Season statistics).
In each conference, Quarterfinal games will be hosted by the two teams with the best record in Group Play games, and the team with the best record in Group Play games will host the wild card team. In the event two or more teams are tied for the higher seed in a conference, the tie among the teams will be broken following the same tiebreaker protocol as described above.
During the Knockout Rounds on days when In-Season Tournament games are not scheduled (Wednesday, Dec. 6 and Friday, Dec. 8), the 22 teams that do not qualify for the Knockout Rounds will each play two regular-season games.
A formulaic approach will determine the matchups for these games using the Group Play standings in each conference (5th-15th). Two of the 22 games will be scheduled cross-conference since there will be an odd number of teams in each conference that do not advance to the Quarterfinals. These cross-conference games will be scheduled between bottom-finishing teams in the Group Play stage subject to travel constraints, and no team will play more than one of its two games cross-conference. The other 20 games will be scheduled within conference featuring teams that are otherwise scheduled to play each other three times over the course of the season wherever possible.
The four teams that lose in the Quarterfinals will each play a regular-season game on Friday, Dec. 8, against the opponent in their same conference.
III. Prizing and League Honors
For the 2023-24 season, the In-Season Tournament prize pool will be allocated to the players on the teams that participate in the Knockout Rounds, with allocations increasing depending on how far a team progresses in the tournament.
At the conclusion of the In-Season Tournament, the NBA will name the Most Valuable Player of the competition and the All-Tournament Team. Selection will be based on the players’ performance in both Group Play and the Knockout Rounds.
For the 2023-24 season, the In-Season Tournament prize pool will be allocated to the players on the teams that participate in the Knockout Rounds, with allocations increasing depending on how far a team progresses in the tournament.
At the conclusion of the In-Season Tournament, the NBA will name the Most Valuable Player of the competition and the All-Tournament Team. Selection will be based on the players’ performance in both Group Play and the Knockout Rounds.
After playing just 9 minutes vs. the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night, Denver Nuggets star point guard Jamal Murray left the game with right hamstring tightness and did not return. The severity of this injury is unknown, and there has not been any update from the Nuggets beyond their initial announcement. That said, a more concrete update will likely come from the team after the game.
"Houston we have a Problem"
Agree...
NBA knows it needs less games and teams but it won't happen. College Basketball/Football and NFL are tops in my books. MLB has same problem as NBA.
C's baby
Take them to win this tournament
Take them in every big game
If anyone wants some head to head action, let me know
Who wins more, who wins the championship, who advances further..... I'm here for you
Take them to win this tournament
Take them in every big game
If anyone wants some head to head action, let me know
Who wins more, who wins the championship, who advances further..... I'm here for you
You're lucky the C's weren't the first team to overcome a 3-0 deficit. You needed a catastrophic high angle sprang on the first possession of game 7 to save the series
Anyhow, is that a wager proposal? If they meet in the post season, who advances? I'm in baby
Anyhow, is that a wager proposal? If they meet in the post season, who advances? I'm in baby
No interest here too many games and don't see how this tournament affects anything related to the NBA position for playoff accept for the players "prize pool will be allocated". College ball starts tonight in Kentucky and U Conn... Both play Kansas later....... hope Both win and we match-up in March....We can talk about Wager Proposals then, if it happens
Not even this eternal optimist would make that bet this year
Lakers go 4-0 in group play, make in-season tournament quarters.
LOS ANGELES -- The Lakers are one step closer to Las Vegas.The Lakers beat the Utah Jazz 131-99 on Tuesday to win their group and advance to the quarterfinals in the NBA's inaugural in-season tournament.
It appears the in-season tournament came at the perfect time for Lakers. Just 3-5 on the season and riding a three-game losing streak when group play began, L.A. swept through the qualifying round, going 4-0 against the Phoenix Suns, Memphis Grizzlies, Portland Trail Blazers and Utah to win Group A in the Western Conference.
A couple of weeks into the competition, the Lakers notched their third straight win to bring their record to 9-6. L.A. didn't just win its group play games, either. It dominated, outscoring the four opponents by a combined 74 points.
LeBron James scored his 39,000th point on the way to 17 points, nine assists and seven rebounds against the Jazz.
"That was great that we were able to take care of business," James said.
The win guarantees L.A. a home game in the quarterfinals Dec. 4 or 5 with a trip to Las Vegas for the semifinals on the line. The winners of Groups A, B and C in each conference make the quarterfinals, plus a wild card.
"Being home and able to sleep in our beds, not having to travel, that's always good when you play well at home," said Anthony Davis, who led L.A. with 26 points and 16 rebounds. "Kind of a rocky start early on on the road so this kind of helps us out having our fans behind us. But it feels good. One step closer to winning The Cup."
The Lakers have not been shy about their motivation for the in-season tournament being not only the spirit of competition, but perhaps even more so, the cash prize. Every player on the winning team in the Dec. 9 championship game will receive a $500,000 bonus. The runner-up is gifted $200,000 per player. And just making it to Vegas will net the losers in the two semifinal games on Dec. 7 a cool $100,000 per player.
"It's not a run-of-the-mill regular-season game," Lakers coach Darvin Ham said when asked about the ramifications for the potential closeout game to clinch the group. "They're well aware. That purse is pretty attractive. ... Guys like money. ... Not like it, they love it. That incentive right there -- it's huge."
Lakers big man Christian Wood, signed to a $2.7 million veteran's minimum contract for the season, spoke about the potential impact of the winning payday.
"I've been in the league for a long time so I'm trying to save it as much as I can," Wood said. "Who wouldn't try to save that much money? But it's big time for the young guys. We're going to go and try to do it for them."
The Lakers are the second team to clinch their group. The Indiana Pacers secured Group A in the Eastern Conference earlier Tuesday, outlasting the Atlanta Hawks 157-152.
"A great, great step in the right direction in us not only securing anything for the in-season tournament but just us coming together and constantly trying to get better at being together and playing the right way," Ham said.
