Your Complete Guide to the NBA In-Season Tournament – Groups, Stages, Schedule, And Times

The NBA in-season tournament is set to bring an exciting new dynamic to the regular season, and here’s everything you need to know regarding the groups, stages, schedule, championship rounds, payment pools, and features!

Groups:

The groups were decided in July and were chosen via a random draw. Here are the groups:

Eastern Conference

Group A

Atlanta Hawks
Cleveland Cavaliers
Detroit Pistons
Indiana Pacers
Philadelphia 76ers

Group B

Charlotte Hornets
Miami Heat
Milwaukee Bucks
New York Knicks
Washington Wizards

Group C

Boston Celtics
Brooklyn Nets
Chicago Bulls
Orlando Magic
Toronto Raptors

Western Conference

Group A

Los Angeles Lakers
Memphis Grizzlies
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers
Utah Jazz

Group B

Dallas Mavericks
Denver Nuggets
Houston Rockets
Los Angeles Clippers
New Orleans Pelicans

Group C

Golden State Warriors
Minnesota Timberwolves
Oklahoma City Thunder
Sacramento Kings
San Antonio Spurs

NBA In-season Tournament Group Play Schedule

All game times are listed in ET.

Friday, Nov 3

Cavaliers at Pacers, 7 p.m.
Knicks at Bucks, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Wizards at Heat, 8 p.m.
Nets at Bulls, 8 p.m.
Warriors at Thunder, 8 p.m.
Grizzlies at Trail Blazers, 10 p.m.
Mavericks at Nuggets, 10 p.m. (ESPN)

Nov. 10

76ers at Pistons, 7 p.m.
Hornets at Wizards, 7 p.m.
Nets at Celtics, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Pelicans at Rockets, 8 p.m.
Jazz at Grizzlies, 8 p.m.
Timberwolves at Spurs, 8 p.m.
Clippers at Mavericks, 8:30 p.m.
Thunder at Kings, 10 p.m.
Lakers at Suns, 10 p.m. (ESPN)

Nov. 14

Heat at Hornets, 7 p.m.
Hawks at Pistons, 7 p.m.
Pacers at 76ers, 7 p.m.
Spurs at Thunder, 7:30 p.m. (TNT)
Magic at Nets, 7:30 p.m.
Mavericks at Pelicans, 8 p.m.
Trail Blazers at Jazz, 9 p.m.
Timberwolves at Warriors, 10 p.m.
Clippers at Nuggets, 10 p.m. (TNT)
Grizzlies at Lakers, 10:30 p.m.

Nov. 17

Bucks at Hornets, 7 p.m.
Knicks at Wizards, 7 p.m.
Kings at Spurs, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
76ers at Hawks, 7:30 p.m.
Pistons at Cavaliers, 7:30 p.m.
Celtics at Raptors, 7:30 p.m.
Magic at Bulls, 8 p.m.
Nuggets at Pelicans, 8 p.m.
Lakers at Trail Blazers, 10 p.m.
Suns at Jazz, 10 p.m. (ESPN)
Rockets at Clippers, 10:30 p.m.

Nov. 21

Raptors at Magic, 7 p.m.
Cavaliers at 76ers, 7:30 p.m. (TNT)
Pacers at Hawks, 7:30 p.m.
Trail Blazers at Suns, 9 p.m.
Jazz at Lakers, 10 p.m. (TNT)

Nov. 24

Celtics at Magic, 2:30 p.m. (NBA TV)
Suns at Memphis, 5 p.m. (NBA TV)
Heat at Knicks, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Bulls at Raptors, 7:30 p.m.
Pistons at Pacers, 8 p.m.
Nuggets at Rockets, 8 p.m.
Wizards at Bucks, 8 p.m.
Kings at Timberwolves, 8 p.m.
Spurs at Warriors, 10 p.m. (ESPN)
Pelicans at Clippers, 10:30 p.m.

Nov. 28

Bucks at Heat, 7:30 p.m. (TNT)
Bulls at Celtics, 7:30 p.m.
Raptors at Nets, 7:30 p.m.
Hawks at Cavaliers, 7:30 p.m.
Hornets at Knicks, 7:30 p.m.
Thunder at Timberwolves, 8 p.m.
Rockets at Mavericks, 8:30 p.m.
Warriors at Kings, 10 p.m. (TNT)

Group Stage:

• The 30 NBA teams are divided into three groups of five teams each within each conference.
• Games in the group stage are played only on Tuesdays and Fridays in November, except Election Day (Nov. 7), when no games are scheduled.
• Each team will play four group games, consisting of two home games and two road games.
• All games in the group stage count toward regular-season records and statistics.

Knockout Stage:

• The team with the best record in each group advances to the knockout stage, along with two wild-card teams.
• The wild-card teams are the ones in each conference that finished with the best record in group play but were second in their respective groups.
• The knockout stage features a four-game knockout round consisting of single-elimination quarterfinals, hosted by the teams with the best group-play record.
• The quarterfinals will be televised on TNT with doubleheaders on Dec. 4-5.
• The semifinals and championship will be held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 7 and 9, respectively. These games will be televised nationally.

Championship Game:

• The championship game is the only game that does not count toward the regular-season record and statistics. For the two teams in the final, it will count as Game 83, one more than the standard 82-game slate.

Remaining Games:

• Teams that do not advance to the knockout round will play two additional games on Dec. 6 and 8 to fill out their 82-game schedule.
• Teams that lose in the quarterfinals of the knockout round will play one additional regular-season game on Dec. 8.

Prizes and Recognition:

• A prize pool is allocated to teams advancing to the knockout round, with the champion earning the NBA Cup trophy.
• Players on quarterfinal teams receive $50,000, with those who make it to the semifinals earning $100,000. Players on the runner-up team receive $200,000, and players on the in-season tournament-winning team earn $500,000.
• There will be an MVP of the in-season tournament and an All-Tournament Team based on players’ performances throughout the group and knockout rounds.

Special Court Design:

• A unique aspect of the tournament is that the NBA has designed special basketball courts for all 30 teams to use during group play and the knockout-round quarterfinals. These courts are painted in a distinct color scheme for each team, featuring a unified design template. It marks the first time in NBA history that an alternate court has been used for all 30 teams. Some teams, like the Celtics, Bulls, Lakers, Pelicans, and Trail Blazers, have never played on an alternate court in their franchise histories.

The NBA In-Season Tournament will feature FRESH new court designs 🔥

(via @NBA)
pic.twitter.com/4PITtHqwc8

— Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie) October 30, 2023