NBA in-season tournament complete schedule: dates and times of all the games

Back in August, the NBA released the complete game schedule and national television matchups for Group Play of the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament. With seven tournament nights in total, the group stage will continue throughout the month of November being played every Tuesday and Friday night, with the exception of November 7th, which is Election Day.

What is the NBA In-Season Tournament?

In a first-of-its-kind type of move, the NBA has created what is being called the In-Season Tournament. Played during the regular season, the tournament will feature a number of teams separated into six groups - 3 in the West and 3 in the East - consisting of five teams each. After group play has concluded, six group winners and two “wild cards” will advance, i.e., the team from each conference with the best record in Group Play games that finished second in its group. The eight teams - four per conference - that advance will then head into the second stage of the tournament which is to say, the Knockout Rounds.

At this stage each team will face single-elimination games for the Quarterfinals (December 4th & 5th), Semifinals (December 7th), and Championship Game (December 9th). If you’re wondering, the Quarterfinals will be played in NBA team markets, while the Semifinals and Championship Game will be played at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It’s worth mentioning that the 22 teams that fail to make the Quarterfinals will be assigned two regular season games (one home and one away) that will be played on December 6th and 8th. As for the teams that lose in the Quarterfinals, they will play each other - within their conference - on December 8th as well. If this isn’t clear enough then you can always check out our detailed breakdown of how it all works here.

The schedule for the NBA In-Season Tournament

Here’s a look at the groups and full schedule for the NBA’s In-Season Tournament as it runs from Group Play to Quarterfinals, to Semifinals, and of course the Championship Game:

East Group A: 76ers, Cavaliers, Hawks, Pacers, Pistons

East Group B: Bucks, Knicks, Heat, Wizards, Hornets

East Group C: Celtics, Nets, Raptors, Bulls, Magic

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

The Knockout Rounds of the NBA In-Season Tournament

Last but not least, we’ve got the business end of the In-Season Tournament with the knockout rounds. With the NBA having released the schedule, you can take a look below: