So it turns out you’re actually into the NBA In-Season Tournament, huh? We get it — the concept was hard to envision, but it’s been compelling stuff. And now you must be wondering: What comes next? We’ve got you covered.
In case you missed it …
To recap, the knockout stage was set Tuesday night, when six of the eight spots were up for grabs. Think of it like the final day of a World Cup group stage — with tiebreakers that proved to be both confusing and entertaining.
Advertisement
The NBA was divided into six groups of five teams apiece split up by conference for the group stage. Each team played four designated group-stage games. The winners of each group, along with the second-place team with the best record in each conference, moved on.
First, five Eastern Conference games played out at the same time. The Milwaukee Bucks (4-0) defeated the Miami Heat (2-2) on the road to win Group B and earn the top seed in the East. The Indiana Pacers (4-0), who already clinched, claimed Group A.
Group C was where the most drama occurred. The Boston Celtics needed to beat the Chicago Bulls by at least 22 points, plus a Brooklyn Nets win — so long as the Celtics’ margin of victory was at least 8 points more than the Nets’.
Brooklyn beat Toronto 115-103, which meant Boston had to blow out Chicago. It provided an interesting, only-in-the-In-Season-Tournament moment: The Celtics continued to play their stars to pad a 124-97 win.
GO DEEPER
Celtics win big over Bulls to guarantee In-Season Tournament seeding
“It’s tough because that’s just not how the game is supposed to be played,” Celtics guard Jaylen Brown said.
The New York Knicks (3-1) won the East’s wild-card spot based on their record and a plus-42 point differential, beating out the Cleveland Cavaliers by 12 points. New York sealed the deal with a 24-point win over the Charlotte Hornets.
GO DEEPER
Knicks thought they were going to Las Vegas, and they might be, but Milwaukee is next
In the West, the Sacramento Kings (4-0) came back from a 24-point deficit to win at home against the Golden State Warriors (2-2), sealing Group C and eliminating the Warriors. Golden State entered the game needing to win by 12 points to claim the group.
MALIK. CALLED. GAME. 😤 pic.twitter.com/soskDnxPTs
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) November 29, 2023
The Los Angeles Lakers (4-0) took Group A and the New Orleans Pelicans (3-1) won Group B with the Phoenix Suns (3-1) in as the wild-card winner.
The rest of the tournament is single-elimination and will play out over the course of one week.
Quarterfinals bracket
Tuesday’s action left us with the following quarterfinals bracket for Dec. 4 and 5:
| Day | Matchup | How to watch |
|---|---|---|
Monday, Dec. 4 | Celtics (East No. 3) at Pacers (No. 2) | 7:30 p.m. ET, TNT |
Monday, Dec. 4 | Pelicans (West No. 3) at Kings (No. 2) | 10 p.m. ET, TNT |
Tuesday, Dec. 5 | Knicks (East No. 4) at Bucks (No. 1) | 7:30 p.m. ET, TNT |
Tuesday, Dec. 5 | Suns (West No. 4) at Lakers (No. 1) | 10 p.m. ET, TNT |
As a reminder, these matchups still count toward teams’ regular-season records.
Everyone loves a bracket…
The NBA In-Season Tournament moves on to the Knockout Rounds!
Quarterfinals: Dec. 4 & 5
Semifinals: Dec. 7
Championship: Dec. 9 pic.twitter.com/7yoDMwe9Xe— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) November 29, 2023
John Hollinger previewed the games for us:
Celtics-Pacers
Upstart Indiana went unbeaten in a tough Group A but the Pacers now draw the mighty Celtics for their troubles. Boston embarrassed Indiana 155-104 in their only meeting thus far on Nov. 1; however, unlike that game, this contest will be played in Indiana. The Celtics have the league’s best record, while the Pacers lead the league in both points scored and points allowed.
Advertisement
Pelicans-Kings
Houston’s loss to Dallas opened the door for New Orleans to win Group B as the only team to win more than half its games. The Pelicans will play the Kings; they swept Sacramento in a two-game series in New Orleans last week but were hammered 130-102 by Golden State in late October.
Suns–Lakers
Lakers versus Suns, meanwhile, should be the marquee game of the quarterfinals, featuring a head-to-head matchup of LeBron James and Kevin Durant. The Lakers narrowly won both earlier meetings between the two teams, with L.A.’s 122-119 win in Phoenix on Nov. 10 being the difference in the two teams’ placement in the In-Season Tournament standings.
Knicks-Bucks
Milwaukee and New York will be a rematch of the tournament game won by the Bucks, 110-105, on Nov. 3. The two teams will now play each other three times in December, as the two were already slated to meet on Dec. 23 and on Christmas. Milwaukee will be favored on its home court.
Zach Harper also made his own predictions.
When are the semifinals and final?
The semifinals will take place in Las Vegas on Dec. 7 with the games still counting toward the regular-season standings. The first will happen at 5 p.m. ET and air on ESPN and the second at 9 p.m. ET on TNT.
The final, where the league will hand out the inaugural NBA Cup, is set for 8:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 9 (ABC) — and is the one game that won’t count toward regular-season standings.
What does the winning team get?
Each player on the winning team will take home a $500,000 prize; 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.
What about the teams that didn’t advance?
Each team entered the season with 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 didn’t qualify for the knockout stage will play two regular-season games during tournament off nights next week (Dec. 6 and 8). The losing quarterfinalists will also play each other on Dec. 8.
Advertisement
What’s the point of the NBA In-Season Tournament?
The format is akin to popular international soccer tournaments and is the league’s way of introducing a new title to add some oomph to early season play.
“We think this is a really unique opportunity to create a second championship, create a tradition that serves as a legacy builder for teams and players,” Evan Wasch, the NBA’s EVP of basketball strategy and analytics, said when the tournament was introduced. “Something that teams can chase early in the season. Something for fans to celebrate. When we look back at players’ careers and resumes over time we can build in their performance in the in-season tournament, along with all the other accolades that NBA players achieve.
“Of course, the hope is that this becomes a real tentpole in our season and drives significant value for the league in future years.”
Prior to Tuesday’s chaotic final round of group play, the In-Season Tournament was already getting attention — for its court designs. The bright — and sometimes gaudy — courts for the tournament were inspired by the colors of each team’s uniforms. The Athletic’s designers offered their opinions earlier this month.
The home courts will get one more look next week when Indiana, Sacramento, Milwaukee and Los Angeles host the quarterfinals before the tournament shifts to Vegas.
Further reading
- NBA In-Season Tournament brackets, predictions + Russell Westbrook vs. fans isn’t going away
- NBA In-Season Tournament stakes explained + are point-differential complaints fair?
(Photos: Benny Sieu and Bill Streicher / USA Today)