Suns release schedule for inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament

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The NBA announced the schedule for the 2023 In-Season Tournament that will pit the Phoenix Suns against the Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers through the month of November.

The team with the best record after group play will advance to the knockout rounds along with the five other group winners and two wild card teams (the two teams with the best records that didn’t win groups). Those eight teams will advance to knockout play, which will be single-elimination games until a champion is crowned in Las Vegas on Dec. 9 at T-Mobile Arena.

The Suns will be featured on ESPN for the first two games — against the Lakers and Jazz – of the four-game slate before a local broadcast and an NBA TV-aired game to close out group play.

Phoenix Suns In-Season Tournament schedule

Friday, Nov. 10 vs. Lakers –  8 p.m. (ESPN)

Friday, Nov. 17 at Jazz – 8 p.m. (ESPN)

Tuesday, Nov. 21 vs. Blazers – 7 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 24  at Grizzlies – 3 p.m. (NBA TV)

Knockout rounds

Quarterfinals: Dec. 4-5

Semifinals: Dec. 7

Championship: Dec. 9

The teams that do not qualify for the knockout rounds will play two regular season games on Dec. 6  and 8. The four quarterfinal losers will play a single regular-season game Dec. 8.

NBA In-Season Tournament format

Teams are divided into six intra-conference groups consisting of five teams. Teams will play each other once.

All 67 games in the NBA In-Season Tournament will count toward regular-season records except for the championship game. Those two teams will play 83 games.

In order to make some extra money from the In-Season Tournament, teams will have to make the quarterfinals. Players on the winning team will make an additional $500,000 per player while players on the runner-up will make $200,000 per player. Meanwhile, teams that lose in the semifinals will make an additional $100,000 per player and the players knocked out in the quarters will make $50,000 per player.

The other groups

The Suns will play in West Group A. Here are the other groups in the West:

Group A

• Phoenix Suns
• Los Angeles Lakers
• Memphis Grizzlies
• Utah Jazz
• Portland Trail Blazers

Group B

• Denver Nuggets
• Los Angeles Clippers
• New Orleans Pelicans
• Dallas Mavericks
• Houston Rockets

Group C

• Sacramento Kings
• Golden State Warriors
• Minnesota Timberwolves
• Oklahoma City Thunder
• San Antonio Spurs

Here are the Eastern Conference groups:

Group A

• Philadelphia 76ers
• Cleveland Cavaliers
• Atlanta Hawks
• Indiana Pacers
• Detroit Pistons

Group B

• Milwaukee Bucks
• New York Knicks
• Miami Heat
• Washington Wizards
• Charlotte Hornets

Group C

• Boston Celtics
• Brooklyn Nets
• Toronto Raptors
• Chicago Bulls
• Orlando Magic

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