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NBA Starting 5, Oct. 22: Vegas, anyone? In-Season Tournament explained

Find out everything you need to know about the inaugural In-Season Tournament before it tips off on Nov. 3.

NBA.com Staff

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LINEUP: IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT EDITION 🏀

A view of the Sphere displaying Summer League visuals on its exterior, the largest LED screen on Earth, prior to the 2023 Las Vegas Summer League. | NBAE via Getty Images

  1. In-Season Tournament, Explained ✅
  2. What does it mean for my team? ➡️
  3. How do we win? 🏆
  4. Section ‘Fore’: Final tee times ⛳️
  5. 30 Teams, 30 Stats: Eastern Conf 📊

1. WHAT IS THE IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT? ✅

The inaugural In-Season Tournament will hold knockout rounds in Las Vegas. | NBAE

Glad you asked. 

Not only is the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament set for a whole year of firsts …

  • First-ever NBA Cup given to the champ
  • First-ever championship weekend, held in Las Vegas on Dec. 7-9
  • First-ever In-Season Tournament MVP

… it’s also just 12 days away.

So if you’re still asking: What is this thing? And how does it work? 

Yeah, I was about to ask 

Great. We’re here to help. (So is this page.)

  • It’s a new, annual 30-team tournament, tipping off this year
  • It starts on Nov. 3, then culminates with a championship on Dec. 9 in Las Vegas
  • It consists of 2 stages: Group Play and Knockout Rounds
  • Every game except the championship counts as a regular season game

OK, thanks. But I’d rather have Richard Jefferson tell me this.

2. HOW CAN MY TEAM WIN? ➡️

It starts in Group Play, which tips off Nov. 3.

The 30 teams have been broken into 6 different groups.

OK got it … which group is my team in?

  •       West Group A: Grizzlies, Suns, Lakers, Jazz, Trail Blazers
  •       West Group B: Nuggets, Clippers, Pelicans, Mavericks, Rockets
  •       West Group C: Kings, Warriors, Timberwolves, Thunder, Spurs
  •       East Group A: 76ers, Cavaliers, Hawks, Pacers, Pistons
  •       East Group B: Bucks, Knicks, Heat, Wizards, Hornets
  •       East Group C: Celtics, Nets, Raptors, Bulls, Magic

How does Group Play work?

  • In Group Play, each team plays the other 4 teams in their group once, as part of the regular season schedule.
  • Games will be played every Tuesday and Friday in November — called Tournament Nights — with the exception of Election Day on Nov. 7.

OK well … what happens if teams finish with the same record?

There are a few ways to settle ties:

  • Head-to-head record in the Group Stage
  • Point differential in the Group Stage
  • Total points scored in the Group Stage
  • Regular season record from the 2022-23 NBA regular season, and …
  • Random drawing (in the unlikely scenario that two or more teams are still tied following the previous tiebreakers).

3. HOW DO WE MOVE ON? 🏆

OK. Your team just finished with your group’s best standing in Group Play games

After Group Play, 8 of the 30 teams will move on to Knockout Rounds.

  • Each Group winner advances (3 West, 3 East)
  • 1 Wild Card from each conference with the best record without winning a Group

Once the Knockout Rounds begin, it is an 8-team single-elimination tournament. 

The Quarterfinals will be played on Dec. 4-5 at the home arenas of the higher-seeded teams.

The 4 winners of the Quarterfinals head to Las Vegas for the Semifinals (Dec. 7) and Championship (Dec. 9), which will be played at T-Mobile Arena

SECTION ‘FORE’: FINAL TEE TIMES OF SUMMER ⛳

Stephen Curry. Also very good at golf. | Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images

With opening night 2 days away, the schedule’s about to get a lot busier.

So if you’re sneaking in 18 holes, 9 holes, maybe just a few dry swings this weekend, you’re not alone. Golf’s been sweeping the NBA, with a really big summer behind us.

5. 30 STATS FOR 30 TEAMS: EASTERN CONFERENCE EDITION 📊

The Miami Heat led the league in Clutch Wins last year. This guy had something to do with it. | Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Every team has an identity. But what’s the one stat that helps to define them?

We dug into last season’s numbers to find that key stat for each team that could also be telling for the upcoming season. We began with the West in yesterday’s Starting 5, now it’s time for the East.

  • 🅰️Atlanta Hawks: Ranked 1st in points per game on pull-up jumpers with 27.5, led by Trae Young (9.5, 9th in NBA) and Dejounte Murray (8.5, 13th). However, the Hawks averaged 27.9 ppg on pull-ups before Quin Snyder took over as coach in late February, and 26.4 ppg after. Will that trend continue in Snyder’s 1st full season?
  • 🍀Boston Celtics: Had the most efficient transition defense in the NBA, allowing 1.06 points per possession. Boston lost 2021-22 DPOY Marcus Smart, but the addition of 5-time All-Defensive guard Jrue Holiday should keep their defense in the top tier
  • 🌃Brooklyn Nets: Held opponents to the 4th-lowest effective FG% in the NBA at 53.0%. That mark went from 52.5% (3rd) before the trade deadline to tied for 10th (54.0%) after the trade deadline. Which will be true in 2023-24?

With a healthy LaMelo, how high can the Hornets climb? | Matt Kelley/Getty Images

  • 🐝Charlotte Hornets: After ranking 6th in 3-point percentage in 2021-22 (36.5%), the Hornets dropped to 29th in 2022-23 (33%) as they were hit hard by injuries, including LaMelo Ball (37.6% on 10.6 3PA per game) only playing 36 games. Can better health get Charlotte back to the top 10?
  • ⚔️Cleveland Cavaliers: Allowed 0.91 points per possession defending post ups, tied for the 3rd lowest in the NBA. Anchored by Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, the Cavs finished with the league’s best defensive rating (109.9)
  • 🚘Detroit Pistons: Ranked 4th in the NBA in free throws made (19.8) and 2nd in free throws attempted (25.7), however, they only shot 77.1% of those attempts (21st). Improvements at the FT line and on 2-point shots (51.6%, 30th) will be needed in 2023-24

The ball moved quickly in Indy last year, thanks in large part to Tyrese Haliburton. | NBAE via Getty Images

  • 🏁Indiana Pacers: Had the 2nd-lowest average touch time in the NBA, averaging just 2.83 seconds per touch. The Pacers led all Eastern Conference teams in assists (27 per game), ranking 6th in the league overall
  • 🔥Miami Heat: Had the most clutch wins of any team with 32 of their 44 wins coming in games within 5 points in the final 5 minutes. Jimmy Butler ranked 3rd in clutch scoring with 151 points on 50.5% shooting
  • 🦌Milwaukee Bucks: Won 77.1% of their clutch games; no other team won at least 65% of their clutch games. The Bucks also ranked 4th in wins by 10+ points (30), showing they can win close and win big
  • 🗽New York Knicks: Tied for 3rd in offensive rating with 117 points scored per 100 possessions, their first top-5 finish in off rating since 2012-13 (3rd, 109.8). The Knicks offense was 8.1 points per 100 possessions better with Jalen Brunson on the court (119.2) than off the court (111.1)

Fresh off a FIBA World Cup title, what does Franz Wagner have in store for Year 3? | NBAE via Getty Images

  • 🔮Orlando Magic: Ranked 10th in drives (48.3 per game) and 6th in field goals made on drives (11.7), scoring on 63% of their drives. Franz Wagner (7.2 ppg) led 4 Magic players with over 5 ppg on drives
  • 🔔Philadelphia 76ers: Recorded the highest plus-minus in the clutch, outscoring opponents by 75 points in clutch time. Joel Embiid (+99) and Tyrese Maxey (+88) ranked 1st and 3rd, respectively, among all players
  • 🦕Toronto Raptors: Had the lowest turnover rate in the NBA last season, turning the ball over on just 11.8% of possessions. It was the 3rd-lowest turnover rate posted in the play-by-play era (since 1996-97)
  • 🧙Washington Wizards: With an opponent free throw rate of 0.244, the Wizards allowed the 4th-fewest free throw attempts per field goal attempt. Washington limited its fouls while still ranking 5th in rim protection, holding opponents to 63.1% shooting

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