The NBA announced on Aug. 15 its schedule for the group stage of the inaugural in-season tournament, which will see the winning team earn the NBA Cup and its players $500,000 each.
The tournament -- whose final will be on Dec. 9 in Las Vegas -- will see each NBA team play a four-game group stage in November, with the group winners advancing to the knockout rounds.
The tourney will be a proving ground for the league's newest star, as Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs have more nationally televised games (three) than any other team during this month's four-game group stage.
So what, exactly, is the NBA Cup? How will the tournament work? Why is it happening? What is the NBA hoping to get out of it?
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Tuesday | Projections | FAQ | Full Schedule
Wolves beat Warriors in fiesty match; Sixers' tourney hopes dinged
The Minnesota Timberwolves hung on to beat the Golden State Warriors 104-101 in a clash that saw three ejections within the first two minutes of Tuesday's in-season tournament game.
With the game still scoreless, Warriors guard Klay Thompson and Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels got into a shoving match that resulted in Thompson's jersey being ripped. Warriors forward Draymond Green was also ejected after putting Minnesota's Rudy Gobert in a headlock.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 33 points and 11 rebounds for the Wolves' seventh straight victory, who also improved to 2-0 in the West Group C standings. Golden State are 1-1 in the tourney and played without leading scorer Stephen Curry, who sat out with a knee injury.
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers' chances of advancing to the quarterfinals of the tournament took a hit after losing to the Indiana Pacers 132-126.
The Pacers, who avenge their loss to Philly on Sunday night, also snapped the Sixers' eight-game winning streak behind strong performances from Tyrese Haliburton (35 points and 15 assists) and Obi Toppin (27 points).
Indiana, having already beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in its first East Group A game, are now in the drivers' seat to advance quarterfinals with a win over the Atlanta Hawks on Nov. 21.
The 76ers next play at Atlanta on Friday before wrapping up the group stage on Nov. 21 by hosting the Cavs. They will need to win both of those games to remain in contention to top the group, or at least the wild card spot that goes to the top second-place finisher across the three groups in each conference.
The Hawks won their first in-season tournament game by beating the Detroit Pistons 126-120 despite missing Trae Young, who was away from the team due to the birth of his child. Dejounte Murray's 32 points and nine assists was more than enough to hand the Pistons a second loss in as many games in group play.
The Miami Heat improved to 2-0 in East Group B with a 111-105 victory over the Charlotte Hornets for their sixth win in a row overall. Jimmy Butler had 32 points and five assists with Bam Adebayo contributing 21 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals to continue his hot start to the season. The Heat's two remaining games are against the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks.
In East Group C, the Brooklyn Nets improved to 2-1 with a 124-104 win over the Orlando Magic behind 29 points and 9 assists from Spencer Dinwiddie. Coupled with the margin of victory, the win gives Brooklyn a shot at winning the group or clinching the wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with a win against the Toronto Raptors on Nov. 28.
Out West, the Oklahoma City Thunder kept their very faint hopes of advancing out of Group C alive with a 123-87 rout of the San Antonio Spurs in the first regular season meeting between star rookies Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama. It was a game to forget for both of them, however; Holmgren had seven points for OKC on 3-for-10 shooting, while Wenbanyama went 4-for-15 and had more turnovers (five) than made field goals for the Spurs.
Elsewhere in the West, the Los Angeles Lakers improved to 2-0 in Group A with a 134-107 win over the Memphis Grizzlies behind 24 points and five assists from D'Angelo Russell. They were joined atop Group A by the Utah Jazz, who also improved to 2-0 with a 115-99 win over the Portland Trail Blazers after a 30-point game from Jordan Clarkson. Utah plays Phoenix Friday, while the Lakers play in Portland.
The Denver Nuggets also improved to 2-0 in West Group B as it handed the LA Clippers a sixth straight loss since James Harden was acquired, winning 111-108 behind 32 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists from Nikola Jokic. Paul George had 35 points in 40 minutes for the Clippers, who benched Russell Westbrook down the stretch but gave up a 15-5 run late to lose the game to drop to 0-2.
The New Orleans Pelicans, meanwhile, won 131-110 at home against the Dallas Mavericks to improve to 1-1 in group play. Brandon Ingram had 25 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Pelicans, who snapped a five-game losing streak.
Tuesday's games
Pacers 132, 76ers 126
Hawks 126, Pistons 120
Heat 111, Hornets 105
Nets, 124, Magic 104
Pelicans 131, Mavericks 110
Thunder 123, Spurs 87
Nuggets 111, Clippers 108
Timberwolves 104, Warriors 101
Lakers 134, Grizzlies 107
NBA in-season tournament standings
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Projections
ESPN Analytics projects which teams will make it to the knockout phase of the NBA's inaugural in-season tournament.
EAST A
Pacers: 52.6% to make knockout phase, 38.5% to win group
76ers: 42.6%, 28.0%
Hawks: 33.6%, 26.4%
Cavaliers: 11.3%, 6.4%
Pistons: 0.8%, 0.7%
EAST B
Bucks: 61.2%, 52.0%
Heat: 46.2%, 34.4%
Knicks: 16.8%, 9.4%
Hornets: 7.0%, 4.0%
Wizards: 0.1%, 0.1%
EAST C
Celtics: 86.6%, 80.8%
Nets: 18.2%, 4.5%
Raptors: 10.5%, 6.0%
Magic: 10.0%, 6.6%
Bulls: 2.6%, 2.1%
WEST A
Lakers: 58.9%, 53.7%
Jazz: 38.4%, 32.5%
Suns: 12.9%, 7.0%
Trail Blazers: 8.1%, 6.5%
Grizzlies: 0.3%, 0.2%
WEST B
Nuggets: 61.7%, 52.0%
Mavericks: 25.7%, 14.6%
Rockets: 19.7%, 16.3%
Clippers: 16.7%, 13.7%
Pelicans: 4.7%, 3.6%
WEST C
Timberwolves: 61.8%, 45.9%
Warriors: 58.8%, 38.3%
Kings: 31.8%, 15.7%
Thunder: 0.3%, 0.1%
Spurs: 0.2%, 0.1%
FAQ
Why is this happening?
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has wanted to implement it for years, for a variety of reasons. Much like the play-in games, though, it took a long time for him to convince everyone involved to give it a shot.
The first hope, obviously, is that it generates revenue. The NBA believes the in-season tournament can become a significant moneymaking franchise over time because of the ability to sell its television rights -- as it did with the WNBA's version of the event.
The other hope is to draw more eyeballs to the league. The stretch of time the tournament is set within -- from the start of November through the first week of December -- might be the most irrelevant part of the NBA schedule.
It's after the initial rush of the season starting, and alongside the college football and NFL regular seasons. If this tournament can bring more attention to the sport during its least relevant time of the year, it will be seen as a victory.
What is the format?
Silver has long been fascinated with European soccer, and the basis for the NBA's in-season tournament lies in the cup tournaments across Europe. In those leagues, there is a regular-season championship, determined by the team with the most points over the full year, and then a separate tournament (or, in some leagues, multiple tournaments) that runs concurrently with the league season.
Unlike European soccer tournaments, though, which all are played outside of the league schedule, the NBA Cup is built into the NBA's regular-season schedule. The 30 teams were split up into six five-team groups.
The four group stage games will be played on seven November dates: four Fridays (Nov. 3, 10, 17 and 24) and three Tuesdays (Nov. 14, 21 and 28).
The quarterfinals will be played Dec. 4 and 5 at the higher-seeded team, and the semifinals and championship game will be Dec. 7 and 9 in Las Vegas.
How will this impact the regular-season schedule and standings?
Typically, the NBA sends out a full 82-game schedule in mid-August. This year, though, the league only sent 80 games, with a gap in the schedule from Dec. 3-10. Each team's final two regular-season games will be determined by how the in-season tournament plays out.
The 22 teams that fail to qualify for the knockout rounds of the in-season tournament will have their final two games scheduled -- one at home and one on the road -- on Dec. 6 and 8 against other teams eliminated in the group stage.
The East teams that lose in the quarterfinals and the West teams that lose in the quarterfinals will play each other on Dec. 7. The teams that lose in the semifinals in Las Vegas will have played their full allotment of 82 games, while the teams that reach the championship game will actually wind up playing 83 games -- with the championship game not counting toward the regular-season standings.
Why does the NBA Cup include regular-season games?
Before its launch, one of the biggest questions surrounding the in-season tournament was why any team would be incentivized to compete in it. By making it part of the regular-season schedule, and making every game count toward the regular season -- very important from a playoff tiebreaker standpoint -- the NBA created a situation in which it is in teams' interest to win these games.
If this had been set up like the cup tournaments in European soccer, there would've been nothing stopping NBA teams from opting out literally or figuratively, sitting all of their top players and getting extra rest time. Under this system, though, they'll have every incentive to play and win.
What teams make up the groups?
To create the groups -- which were separated by conferences -- the NBA put all 15 teams in each conference into five pots, separated by their finish in last season's standings. So: Pot 1 included the teams that finished 1-3 in regular-season record, teams 4-6 went into Pot 2, teams 7-9 in Pot 3, teams 10-12 in Pot 4 and teams 13-15 in Pot 5.
As a result, the following groups were drawn:
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 do players get for winning?
The players on the winning team will each get $500,000, while the runners-up will get $200,000. The losing players of the semifinals will each get $100,000, and the losing players of the quarterfinals will each get $50,000.
Will anyone earn individual honors for their play in NBA Cup games?
There will be a Most Valuable Player award for the in-season tournament, as well as an all-tournament team.
Will this have any impact on the playoffs?
Not beyond the games being regular-season games that count in the standings. While there was some debate among league insiders about guaranteeing a playoff berth as a reward for winning the tournament, ultimately that idea -- or any other to further incentivize teams -- was not enacted. The only playoff impact will come from the wins and losses accrued throughout the tournament.
Why is it called the NBA Cup?
Because it's easy enough to change. In the short term, the NBA has said it went with the most basic of titles for both the tournament and its trophy -- the "in-season tournament" and "NBA Cup" -- as a way to introduce the concept to fans. However, using such bland, nondescript names has another clear advantage: When the league looks to sell the naming rights to both, it'll be an easier transition from an unremarkable name than one connected with a specific individual (such as the late David Stern, one possibility that had been floated before the tournament was officially unveiled).
In-season tournament scores and schedule
*All times are ET
Nov. 3
Trail Blazers 115, Grizzlies 113 (OT)
Nov. 10
Tuesday, Nov. 14
Timberwolves 104, Warriors 101
Friday, Nov. 17
Philadelphia vs. Atlanta | East A | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
Sacramento vs. San Antonio | West C | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
Phoenix vs. Utah | West A | 10 p.m. | ESPN
Milwaukee vs. Charlotte | East B | 7 p.m.
New York vs. Washington | East B | 7 p.m.
Detroit vs. Cleveland | East A | 7:30 p.m.
Boston vs. Toronto | East C | 7:30 p.m.
Orlando vs. Chicago | East C | 8 p.m.
Denver vs. New Orleans | West B | 8:30 p.m.
L.A. Lakers vs. Portland | West A | 10 p.m.
Houston vs. LA Clippers | West A | 10:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 21
Cleveland vs. Philadelphia | East A | 7:30 p.m. | TNT
Utah vs. L.A. Lakers | West B | 10 p.m. | TNT
Toronto vs. Orlando | East C | 7 p.m.
Indiana vs. Atlanta | East A | 7:30 p.m.
Portland vs. Phoenix | West A | 9 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 24
Boston vs. Orlando | East C | 2:30 p.m. | NBA TV
Phoenix vs. Memphis | West A | 5 p.m. | NBA TV
Miami vs. New York | East B | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
San Antonio vs. Golden State | West C | 10 p.m. | ESPN
Chicago vs. Toronto | East C | 7:30 p.m.
Detroit vs. Indiana | East A | 8 p.m.
Denver vs. Houston | West B | 8 p.m.
Washington vs. Milwaukee | East B | 8 p.m.
Sacramento vs. Minnesota | West C | 8 p.m.
New Orleans vs. LA Clippers | West A | 10:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 28
Milwaukee vs. Miami | East B | 7:30 p.m. | TNT
Golden State vs. Sacramento | West C | 10 p.m. | TNT
Chicago vs. Boston | East C | 7:30 p.m.
Toronto vs. Brooklyn | East C | 7:30 p.m.
Atlanta vs. Cleveland | East A | 7:30 p.m.
Charlotte vs. New York | East B | 7:30 p.m.
Oklahoma City vs. Minnesota | West C | 7 p.m.
Houston vs. Dallas | West B | 8:30 p.m.
Quarterfinals
Dec. 4 | TBD | 7 or 7:30 p.m. | TNT
Dec. 4 | TBD | 9:30 or 10 p.m. | TNT
Dec. 5 | TBD | 7 or 7:30 p.m. | TNT
Dec. 5 | TBD | 9:30 or 10 p.m. | TNT
Semifinals
Dec. 7 | TBD | 5 p.m. | ESPN
Dec. 7 | TBD | 9 p.m. | TNT
Championship
Dec. 9 | TBD | 8:30 p.m. | ABC