The NBA has released the schedule for the group play stage of its inaugural in-season tournament, set to begin on November 3. The first game of the tournament will feature the Cleveland Cavaliers visiting the Indiana Pacers. The tournament will consist of 60 games in total, with each team playing four games in the group stage. The winners of the six groups and two wild-card teams will advance to the single-elimination quarterfinals. The tournament will offer a total prize money of around $18 million. The winning team will receive $500,000 per player, while the runner-up will receive $200,000 per player. The teams that lose in the semifinals will receive $100,000 per player, and the teams that lose in the quarterfinals will receive $50,000 per player.
The teams have already been assigned to their respective groups:
West Group A: Memphis, Phoenix, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah, Portland
West Group B: Denver, Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans, Dallas, Houston
West Group C: Sacramento, Golden State, Minnesota, Oklahoma City, San Antonio
East Group A: Philadelphia, Cleveland, Atlanta, Indiana, Detroit
East Group B: Milwaukee, New York, Miami, Washington, Charlotte
East Group C: Boston, Brooklyn, Toronto, Chicago, Orlando
All tournament games will be played on Tuesdays and Fridays in November, with the exception of November 7, when no games will be held due to Election Day. The knockout rounds will take place on December 4 and 5, with the semifinals scheduled for December 7 in Las Vegas. The championship game will also be held in Las Vegas on December 9. Each tournament game will count as a regular-season game in the standings, except for the championship game.
The regular-season schedules and national broadcast schedules will be released on Thursday. Each team will play 80 regular-season games, with the remaining two games being played in December. These two games will be either part of the tournament or additional regular-season games for the teams that do not qualify for the knockout rounds.
The NBA in-season tournament aims to add excitement and increase competitiveness during the regular season. It is a new initiative by the league to attract more fans and generate more interest in the mid-season.
