The NBA has introduced a groundbreaking In-Season Tournament in 2023, involving all 30 teams. The tournament, now in hits second edition, aims to offer additional competition, engage fans in new ways, and generate increased interest in the early regular-season schedule.
Having kicked off on November 12 and concluding with the Championship on December 17, the Semifinals and Championship held at a neutral site, T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The participating teams entered Group Play, where were been randomly drawn into groups of five based on their win-loss records from the prior regular season.
Group Play games were played on designated “Coup Nights”. Eight teams advance to the single-elimination Knockout Rounds, culminating in the Championship on December 17.
The champion will be awarded the NBA Cup, accompanied by a prize pool allocated to players based on their team’s progression. The NBA will recognize top performers with awards such as the Most Valuable Player of the In-Season Tournament and the All-Tournament Team.
Does in-season tournament affect standings?
Despite the introduction of the In-Season Tournament, teams will still play an 82-game regular season. All tournament games, except the Championship, will contribute to the regular-season standings.
The tournament’s innovative structure and inclusion of neutral-site games aim to bring a fresh dynamic to the NBA season, offering fans and players a new and exciting competition to follow and enjoy.
“All 67 games across both stages of the In-Season Tournament will count toward the regular-season standings except the Championship,” the NBA official website.
“Each team will continue to play 82 regular-season games in the 2024-25 season, including those games that are part of Group Play and the Knockout Rounds.
“Games played in the first and second rounds of the Knockout Rounds (i.e., Quarterfinals and Semifinals, respectively) will count as Regular Season games for all purposes.
“The Championship will not be counted as a Regular Season game (e.g., such game would not count toward a team’s Regular Season record and a player’s or team’s performance in such game would not count towards Regular Season statistics).”
