NBA in-season tournament schedule revealed: Matchups, dates, what to know about the new competition

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - FEBRUARY 03: The NBA logo is pictured before the game between the Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets at Little Caesars Arena on February 03, 2023 in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
By Mike Vorkunov and The Athletic Staff
Aug 15, 2023

The NBA unveiled the schedule for its first-ever in-season tournament Tuesday afternoon. The tournament starts on Nov. 3 with seven games, including marquee matchups between the Dallas Mavericks and the Denver Nuggets and the New York Knicks visiting the Milwaukee Bucks on the first night.

The Athletic has you covered on everything you need to know about the tournament:

2023 NBA in-season tournament group play national TV schedule

Nov. 3

  • Knicks at Bucks, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
  • Mavericks at Nuggets, 10 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Nov. 10

Nov. 14

Nov. 17

  • Kings at Spurs, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
  • Suns at Jazz, 10 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Nov. 21

  • Cavaliers at 76ers, 7:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
  • Jazz at Lakers, 10 p.m. ET (TNT)

Nov. 24

  • Celtics at Magic, 2:30 p.m. ET (NBA TV)
  • Suns at Grizzlies, 5 p.m. ET (NBA TV)
  • Heat at Knicks, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
  • Spurs at Warriors, 10 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Nov. 28

  • Bucks at Heat, 7:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
  • Warriors at Kings, 10 p.m. ET (TNT)

Full group schedules

Biggest matchups

The NBA is definitely using some juicy prime-time matchups to roll out the first-ever in-season tournament. We get Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks against the Knicks on the first night, and then Nikola Jokić and the defending champion Nuggets against Luka Dončić and the Mavericks.

This bracket grouping has given us some interesting matchups, including playoff rematches between the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings, and the Miami Heat-Knicks and Heat-Bucks. There’s no group of death but with only one team advancing out of each group, we’ll see definite playoff teams miss the group stage. — Vorkunov

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The tournament could reveal breakout seasons

The most interesting part might just be if, or who, the surprise team might be. Will the Indiana Pacers make the group stage out of East A? Could the Orlando Magic or the Oklahoma City Thunder show they are a possible playoff team this season with a strong showing in their West groups? This could be our first indication of breakout seasons. — Vorkunov

What is the NBA in-season tournament?

The NBA in-season tournament is an annual competition debuting this upcoming season that will feature all 30 teams vying for the NBA Cup.

The format is akin to popular international soccer tournaments and is the league’s way of introducing a new title that it hopes will gain some import with all of its constituents.

How is it structured?

The tournament will play out in two stages, first group play involving each franchise and then a knockout stage when the field trickles down to just eight teams. The group stage games will be held on Tuesdays and Fridays in November as the NBA divides teams into six groups of five teams apiece split up by conference. The winners of each group, along with the second-place team with the best record in each conference, will move on.

The quarterfinals games will be on Dec. 4 and 5 in a team’s home arena, before the semifinals on Dec. 7 and the final on Dec. 9 are held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

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NBA in-season tournament details revealed

How will the tournament work around the season?

Every team will still play an 82-game regular season, with all in-season tournament games counting toward the regular-season standings except for the championship on Dec. 9.

Each team currently has two games labeled as TBD on their 2023-24 regular-season schedule to account for games during the week of Dec. 4. The 22 teams that don’t qualify for the knockout stage will play two regular-season games during tournament off nights that week (Dec. 6 and 8). The losing quarterfinalists will also play each other on Dec. 8.

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How were the groups chosen?

The league split up the 15 teams in each conference into three groups, chosen by random drawing. The teams with the three best records in the conference during the 2022-23 season were put in one pot, the next three best teams in another and so on, and one team per pot ended up in each group.

West Group A: Grizzlies, Suns, Lakers, Jazz, Blazers

West Group B: Nuggets, Clippers, Pelicans, Mavericks, Rockets

West Group C: Kings, Warriors, Timberwolves, Thunder, Spurs

East Group A: 76ers, Cavaliers, Hawks, Pacers, Pistons

East Group B: Bucks, Knicks, Heat, Wizards, Hornets

East Group C: Celtics, Nets, Raptors, Bulls, Magic

Where is the in-season tournament played?

Group stage play and quarterfinals games will be played in a team’s home arena, while the semifinals and final will be held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Each team will play four group stage games — one game against each team in its group — with two at home and two on the road. Quarterfinal games will be hosted by the two teams with the best records in group play.

What does the winning team get?

The team that wins the tournament will be crowned with the NBA Cup. Each player on the winning team will take home $500,000; players on the second-place team will get $200,000 each; players on losing semifinals teams will get $100,000 each; and the losing quarterfinalists will earn $50,000 per player.

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(Photo: Nic Antaya / Getty Images)

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