The Hawks learned their matchups for the NBA’s new in-season tournament set to launch this season.
The tournament begins Friday, Nov. 3 in each NBA team market and culminates with the playing of the semifinals (Thursday, Dec. 7) and championship (Saturday, Dec. 9) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It includes two stages, group play and the knockout rounds.
In group play, the Hawks will face the Cavaliers, the Pacers, the Pistons and the Sixers in group East A. The Hawks will play one game against each opponent in their group. Two games take place at home at State Farm Arena and two will take place on the road.
The games will take place on what the league has designated as “Tournament Nights,” which will take place every Tuesday and Friday from Nov. 3-28 (with the exception of Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 7, when no games will be played). The only NBA games played on “Tournament Nights” will be group-play games.
The second stage of the tournament includes the knockout rounds.
Eight teams will advance to the knockout rounds. It includes the team with the best standing in group play games in each of the six groups as well as two “wild cards” (the team from each conference with the best record in group-play games that finished second in its group).
The knockout rounds will be single-elimination games in the quarterfinals. They will take place in NBA team markets on Monday, Dec. 4 and Tuesday, Dec. 5. The semifinals and championship will take place played in Las Vegas on Dec. 7 and Dec. 9, respectively.
The knockout teams will compete for a prize pool and the new in-season tournament trophy called the NBA Cup.
Here’s what players can earn:
• Players on winning team of championship: $500,000 each
• Players on losing team of championship: $200,000 each
• Players on losing team of semifinals: $100,000 each
• Players on losing team of quarterfinals: $50,000 each
The 67 games across both stages of the in-season tournament, excluding the championship, will count toward the regular-season standings. Each team will continue to play 82 regular-season games in the 2023-24 season, including those games that are part of group play and the knockout rounds.
The league will announce the MVP of the tournament and the all-tournament team. Selection will be based on the players’ performance in both group play and the knockout Rounds.
About the Author
