The NBA In-Season Tournament was confirmed for the 2023-24 season. Here is everything you need to know about it, including the format and dates for the tournament.
The 2022-23 NBA season concluded, with the Denver Nuggets standing as the reigning champions. Free agency began on June 30, and plenty of trades were made across the Eastern and Western Conferences. While the focus for every team is building a contender for the Larry O'Brien Trophy for next season, the NBA announced a big event for the campaign.
The NBA and the Player's Association approved and included the In-Season Tournament in the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which had been floated around for quite some time. Then this week, ESPN senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Final Four of the soccer-style tourney would be held in Las Vegas in early December. For those wondering what the format looks like for the tournament, more information was provided.
On Saturday, July 8, the NBA officially released information on the format and dates of the In-Season Tournament, with the help of former NBA champion and current ESPN analyst Richard Jefferson.
NBA In-Season Tournament 2023 format, explained
All 30 teams will be participating in the In-Season Tournament but will be split up into six groups. There will be three groups in the Eastern Conference and three groups in the Western Conference, five teams each. The groups were determined via a random draw based on the teams' final regular-season records. Each team per group will play each other one time, four games total (two at home, two on the road). Those games will be played on Tuesdays and Fridays throughout November.
Once group play is finished, the team with the best record in each group will advance. To make it an even eight-team quarterfinal, the non-group-winning team per Conference with the best record will advance as a wild card team.
This then leads to the Knock Out Round, which will be single-elimination games. The last four teams standing will advance to the Final Four.
The Final Four will begin on Dec. 7, live from Las Vegas, with the Semifinals. Two teams per conference will be vying for a spot in the Finals on Dec. 9. From there, it will be the last teams remaining in the Eastern and Western Conference vying for the NBA Cup, with the players on the winning team taking home $500,000 each (per ESPN).
NBA In-Season Tournament 2023 groups
For those wondering what each of the six groups looks like, the NBA unveiled them with this announcement video. Let's take a look at the three Western Conference Groups and the three Eastern Conference 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 Thunder
- 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
- Brooklyn Nets
- Toronto Raptors
- Chicago Bulls
- Orlando Magic
NBA In-Season Tournament 2023 dates
The tournament officially begins on Friday, Nov. 3, and will feature games played every Tuesday and Thursday throughout the month.
As for the Knock Out Round, that will take place on Monday, Dec. 4, and Tuesday, Dec. 5.
The NBA Cup Semifinals will be held on Thursday, Dec. 7 live from Las Vegas. The Finals take place on Saturday, Dec. 9.