The New NBA In-Season Tournament!

Recently, basketball fans around the world were shocked when they announced the new NBA In-Season Tournament. Teams will be competing for the new NBA Cup, which will happen on November 3, 2023. There will be home and away games; however, the Semis and Finals will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

What are they going to compete for?

The stake for this new In-Season tournament will be the new NBA Cup. They will also award league honors for the most valuable player and the all-tournament team. There will also be a prize pool that will be distributed to the players on the teams that participate in the knockout rounds.

When will the tournament take place?

The In-Season Tournament will begin on November 3, 2023, and run until November 28, 2023. The game is scheduled every Tuesday and Friday. However, on November 7, there will be no games because of the election day. The Semis and Finals will happen on December 7–9, 2023.

How is the competition going to run?

All 30 NBA teams were divided into six groups that consisted of five teams each. The group was determined via a draw based on the prior season’s regular-season record. Each of the teams will play the other four teams in their group once (two at home and two away). Then all tournament games will be counted for the upcoming regular season standings, except for the championship.

For the quarterfinals, three group winners will be selected, and the other one will play for the wild card spot. The two winners of the four groups will proceed to the semis, and the team that wins the semis will battle for the new NBA Cup.

Team groups

West A

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

West B

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

West C

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

East A

• Philadelphia 76ers
• Cleveland Cavaliers
• Atlanta Hawks
• Indiana Pacers
• Detroit Pistons

East B

• Milwaukee Bucks
• New York Knicks
• Miami Heat
• Washington Wizards
• Charlotte Hornets

East C

• Boston Celtics
• New Jersey Nets
• Toronto Raptors
• Chicago Bulls
• Orlando Magic

This new format for the regular season drew different opinions from NBA fans around the world. Some say it’s pointless; others say that it’s good because it’s an opportunity for the teams to go all-out at the start of the upcoming NBA regular season.

Also read: Learn how to understand NBA odds