NBA releases In-Season Tournament details with Knicks visiting Bucks, Nets facing Bulls in openers
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson looks to pass the ball defended by Milwaukee Bucks guard Jevon Carter in the first half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The NBA released the group-play schedule for its inaugural In-Season tournament Tuesday and both the Knicks and Nets will begin on the same night.
The Knicks, who are in East Group B, will visit the Bucks on Nov. 3 at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN, the first of four group-play games. Their next three group play games will be at the Wizards Nov. 17 (7 p.m.), hosting the Eastern Conference champion Heat Nov. 24 on ESPN (7:30 p.m.) and hosting the Hornets Nov. 28 (7:30 p.m.).
The Knicks-Heat matchup is a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference semifinals, which the Heat won in six games.
The Nets, in East Group C, open group play at the Bulls on Nov. 3 (8 p.m.) and travel to the Celtics on Nov. 10 (7:30 p.m., ESPN). They’ll next host the Magic on Nov. 14 (7:30 p.m.) and the Hornets on Nov. 28 (7:30 p.m.).
Each group-play game will count toward the regular season. The full regular-season schedule will be released Thursday.
All 30 teams were divided into groups of five within their conference. The group-play games will be each Tuesday and Friday from Nov. 3-28 except for Election Day on Nov. 7. The quarterfinals will be on Dec. 4-5 with the semifinals and finals held Dec. 7 and Dec. 9 in Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena.
What to Know Box
The NBA is trying something new this season by debuting an in-season tournament. The format is similar to in-season tournaments for soccer leagues around the world.
— Thirty teams drawn into six groups of five within their conference.
— Each team plays four group-play games.
— All tournament games will count toward regular-season standings except for the championship game on Dec. 9 in Las Vegas.
— Every team will still have a normal 82-game schedule.
— Group-play games will be every Tuesday and Friday from Nov. 3 to Nov. 28, except Election Day.
— Eight teams advance to the knockout round
— Teams that don’t qualify for the knockout rounds will play two regular-season games on Dec. 6 and Dec. 8. The teams that lose in the quarterfinals will play a regular-season game on Dec. 8
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
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