NBA In-Season Tournament 2023 Explained: Here’s How Format Works for Debut Event in Vegas
An NBA In-Season Tournament 2023 was revealed during the Vegas Summer League. This inaugural tournament will feature all 30 NBA teams competing and begins in November. Teams were split into three groups per conference, and prizes are distributed based on players’ performance in the Group Play and Knockout Rounds. Here are details about how the NBA’s new tourney format will work.
NBA In-Season Tournament 2023: Teams Split into Six Groups
Move over Playoffs Play-In Tournament, there’s another tournament on the way first during the 2023-24 season! During the NBA 2K24 Summer League, they announced the new NBA In-Season Tournament. This competition will offer an exciting new batch of games and awards for star players and the winning team.
There are three groups each in the Eastern and Western Conference. Each group includes five teams, with a random draw determining who goes where based on last season’s records. The group draw results were revealed in a graphic via @nba’s Instagram.
- West Group A features the Memphis Grizzles, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, and Portland Trailblazers.
- West Group B includes the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans, Dallas Mavs, and Houston Rockets.
- West Group C has the Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, OKC Thunder, and San Antonio Spurs.
- East Group A features the Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavs, Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers, and Detroit Pistons.
- East Group B has the Milwaukee Bucks, NY Knicks, Miami Heat, Washington Wizards, and Charlotte Hornets.
- East Group C includes the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, and Orlando Magic.
Depending on how seriously teams take the in-season tournament, one has to think early predictions favor the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, and Golden State Warriors to win the West groups. In the East, it seems the Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Boston Celtics might be favorites.
Tournament Format Explained: Group Play and Knockout Round Schedule
In the Group Play, each team will play the other four teams in their group once each. They’ll have two home games and two road games. These regular-season games, which count as tournament games, will take place on Tuesdays and Fridays in November.
The team with the best record in each group after four games will move on. The team with the next-best record in the Eastern and Western Conference are the wildcard teams.
These eight teams advanced to the Knockout Round, which is a single-elimination tournament. The last four remaining teams will head to Las Vegas for the Semifinals and Championship games.
The semifinal games take place on December 7. The NBA In-Season Tournament 2023 Championship will take place on December 9 in a winner-takes-all finale.
The winner is awarded the first-ever NBA Cup, an exclusive piece of hardware. In addition, there are monetary rewards as mentioned for players in the Group Play and Knockout Rounds.
There will also be a Most Valuable Player and All-Tournament team revealed upon the completion of the inaugural tournament in Las Vegas.
The Nuggets are coming off their impressive first NBA championship in franchise history. Will they follow it up with the In-Season Tournament win and capture the NBA Cup? Could rookie Victor Wembanyama or another young star win an early MVP award before Rookie of the Year?
Stay tuned for more updates on odds as the schedule arrives revealing which games are part of this exciting new tournament!
Visit Sports Odds Digest’s NBA page to get more rumors and news for the league.
