NBA In-Season Tournament explained: What is it? How does it impact the regular season? What games are TNT Sports?
The NBA In-Season Tournament is, at first, a little complicated to get your head around.
What is this brand new tournament that’s happening during the NBA season? How does it impact the regular season? Is it like a cup competition in football? Will it impact the playoffs?
It will all get started on November 3, with games to be shown live on TNT Sports.
So what exactly is the In-Season Tournament and how does it work? We run through everything you need to know.
What is the NBA In-Season Tournament?
The In-Season Tournament has been introduced for the first time this season and is, as the name suggests, a tournament within the season.
It will run from November 3 to December 9 and will see the 30 NBA teams split into six five-team groups.
Each team will play the other four teams in their group on ‘Tournament Nights’, when only In-Season Tournament games will be played. They will be on every Tuesday and Friday from November 3-28, aside from November 7.
The quarter-finals will be on December 4 and 5, the semi-finals on December 7, and the championship game on December 9.
Eight teams will advance to the quarter-finals; the teams with the best standings in each of the six groups and one wild card team from each conference.
How will the NBA In-Season Tournament impact the regular season?
The In-Season Tournament will not impact the regular season, much.
Regular season games will still be going on around the In-Season Tournament (although not on In-Season Tournament nights, as previously mentioned), and the In-Season Tournament games will count as regular season games in the standings.
Therefore every team will still play the standard 82 regular-season game schedule. Only the two teams who make the In-Season Tournament final will play an 83rd game, and this will not count towards the regular season standings.
The In-Season Tournament will not have an impact on the playoffs other than the wins and losses throughout the tournament counting towards the regular season record.
Where will the NBA In-Season Tournament be played?
All group games along with the quarter-finals will be played at the venue of the home team in the fixture.
The semi-finals and the final will be played in Las Vegas.
What are the NBA In-Season Tournament groups?
The groups have been split by conference – East and West.
All 15 teams in each conference were put into five pots determined by their record last season and then drawn into three groups of five teams.
- East Group A: Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons
- East Group B: Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets
- East Group C: Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic
- West Group A: Memphis Grizzlies, Phoenix Suns, LA Lakers, Utah Jazz, Portland Trail Blazers
- West Group B: Denver Nuggets, LA Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets
- West Group C: Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs
What is the NBA In-Season Tournament prize?
The winners of the In-Season Tournament will lift the NBA Cup.
There is also a prize pool for players, which increases as teams progress further in the tournament. The players on the winning team will each get $500,000 (£412,330).
There will also be a Most Valuable Player award for the In-Season Tournament.
What is the NBA In-Season Tournament schedule?
The opening night of the In-Season Tournament on November 3 will feature seven games.
- Cleveland Cavaliers @ Indiana Pacers (1am UK time November 4)
- New York Knocks @ Milwaukee Bucks (1.30am UK time November 4)
- Washington Wizards @ Miami Heat (2am UK time November 4)
- Brooklyn Nets @ Chicago Bulls (2am UK time November 4)
- Golden State Warriors @ Oklahoma City Thunder (2am UK time November 4)
- Dallas Mavericks @ Denver Nuggets (4am UK time November 4, live on TNT Sports 3)
- Memphis Grizzlies @ Portland Trail Blazers (4am UK time November 4)
The first In-Season Tournament game to be shown live on TNT Sports will be Dallas Mavericks @ Denver Nuggets, which starts at 4am UK time on Saturday, November 4.
The following week will see Brooklyn Nets @ Boston Celtics shown live on TNT Sports, starting at 12.30am on Saturday, November 11.
How to watch the NBA In-Season Tournament on TNT Sports
TNT Sports in the UK and Ireland is broadcasting 250 live NBA games throughout the regular season as part of a new multi-year deal.
discovery+ is the streaming destination for TNT Sports in the UK. discovery+ will present many of the world’s most celebrated sports events together with great entertainment. Customers who have access to the BT Sport App should follow a simple discovery+ authentication process and can then download the discovery+ app which will give them access to TNT Sports, Eurosport and original entertainment.
*£29.99 price previously charged for the BT Sport Monthly Pass by the BT and WBD Joint Venture. Pricing for TNT Sports for subscribers who contract via a platform such as BT, EE, Sky or Virgin Media will be determined by the relevant provider.
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