Group Play in the NBA In-Season Tournament is in the full swing of things. Nov. 24 will be the sixth of seven tournament nights, so the standings are becoming more clear. Many teams will be playing their final Group Stage game on Friday. With that said, this article will explain everything you need to know about the games on Nov. 24, with Group Play nearing its end.
Nov. 24 In-Season Tournament schedule
Boston Celtics @ Orlando Magic, 2:30 p.m. ET – NBA TV
Phoenix Suns @ Memphis Grizzlies, 5 p.m. ET – NBA TV
Miami Heat @ New York Knicks, 7:30 p.m. ET – ESPN
Chicago Bulls @ Toronto Raptors, 7:30 p.m. ET
Detroit Pistons @ Indiana Pacers, 8 p.m. ET
Denver Nuggets @ Houston Rockets, 8 p.m. ET
Washington Wizards @ Milwaukee Bucks, 8 p.m. ET
Sacramento Kings @ Minnesota Timberwolves, 8 p.m. ET
San Antonio Spurs @ Golden State Warriors, 10 p.m. ET – ESPN
New Orleans Pelicans @ Los Angeles Clippers, 10:30 p.m. ET
How to watch the In-Season Tournament
Nov. 24 features a massive slate of games, and therefore, four games will be nationally televised. Two games will be on NBA TV. Those games are the Celtics vs. Magic and Suns vs. Grizzlies games. There are also going to be two games on ESPN, the Heat vs. Knicks and Spurs vs. Warriors games. Those games can be streamed on fuboTV. You can watch the other games on local broadcasts or with NBA League Pass.
*Watch NBA In-Season Tournament games live with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
In-Season Tournament standings
Eastern Conference Group A:
Indiana Pacers: 3-0
Cleveland Cavaliers: 2-1
Philadelphia 76ers: 2-2
Atlanta Hawks: 1-2
Detroit Pistons: 0-3
Eastern Conference Group B:
Milwaukee Bucks: 2-0
Miami Heat: 2-0
New York Knicks: 1-1
Charlotte Hornets: 1-2
Washington Wizards: 0-3
Eastern Conference Group C:
Boston Celtics: 2-0
Brooklyn Nets: 2-1
Orlando Magic: 2-1
Chicago Bulls: 0-2
Toronto Raptors: 0-2
Western Conference Group A:
Los Angeles Lakers: 4-0
Phoenix Suns: 2-1
Utah Jazz: 2-2
Portland Trail Blazers: 1-3
Memphis Grizzlies: 0-3
Western Conference Group B:
New Orleans Pelicans: 2-1
Denver Nuggets: 2-1
Houston Rockets: 1-1
Dallas Mavericks: 1-2
Los Angeles Clippers: 1-2
Western Conference Group C:
Sacramento Kings: 2-0
Minnesota Timberwolves: 2-0
Golden State Warriors: 1-1
Oklahoma City Thunder: 1-2
San Antonio Spurs: 0-3
Nationally televised games
In a massive night of NBA basketball, the In-Season Tournament will feature four nationally televised games. The first such game will be tipping off early. The Boston Celtics play the Orlando Magic in a day game. At 11-3, the Celtics are the best team in the NBA. Their three losses were close games as well, with two being in overtime and the third being by only three points. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been stars for a while, and they have gelled perfectly with newcomers Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. The Orlando Magic won't be an easy foe, though. Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero lead the No. 1 defense in the NBA. The team is long and lanky, and they like to get into the paint offensively. They have a higher percentage of their points scored from the free-throw line than any other team.
At 5 p.m. ET, the Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies will also play in a relatively early game. Neither squad has been at full strength all season, and therefore, we haven't seen either team at their best. It has hurt the Grizzlies more, though. With Ja Morant suspended, the team is only 3-10. Desmond Bane has taken his game to new heights, but it hasn't been enough to make up for injuries to Luke Kennard, Xavier Tillman, Marcus Smart, Steven Adams, Brandon Clarke, and Jake LaRavia. The team has some of the best depth in the league, but even they couldn't overcome all of those injuries, and it has led to them already being eliminated from Knockout Rounds contention. The Suns, on the other hand, have yet to see their big three play. Devin Booker and Bradley Beal have both missed significant time, and Beal will be out for weeks to come. Luckily for Phoenix, Kevin Durant has looked incredible. Still, it is a disappointment that we have seen so little of the Suns' core, in the same way we saw so little of the Nets' core when Durant was in Brooklyn with James Harden and Kyrie Irving.
The first ESPN game of the night is between the Miami Heat and New York Knicks. The teams are two of the most important teams in the NBA, and fans would love to see them in the Knockout Rounds. The Heat are 9-5 overall and 2-0 in the In-Season Tournament. The Heat have some of the same players producing as usual (Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, etc.), but like normal, they've also got key contributions from players you might not expect. Haywood Highsmith is playing 25 minutes a game, and rookie Jamie Jaquez, a non-lottery pick, is in the rotation. These are just further examples of how real Heat Culture is. The Knicks have won six of their last eight games, and this can be directly correlated to Julius Randle's improved efficiency as of late. His numbers still have a long way to go before they get to where the Knicks need him to be at, but it is good to see he is seemingly exiting his shooting slump.
The final game in the national spotlight will be between two very different teams, but two of the biggest teams in the league; the Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs. The Warriors have won four championships in the Steve Kerr era. Steph Curry is still playing at the same level that he did all of those years, but his teammates around him have regressed. Curry is carrying the load while Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, and the recently acquired Chris Paul have all had moments of struggle. On the other hand, the Spurs have been the talk of the league because of one young player, rookie Victor Wembanyama. The big man hasn't been perfect, and there have been moments of rookie struggles, but Wembanyama has also flashed in a big way. The rookie is averaging 18.6 points and 9.1 rebounds, yet his team is only 3-11. Beating a dynasty like the Warriors on national television could get the team on the right track, though.
Eastern Conference storylines
The Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors are both 0-2 in In-Season Tournament play. Therefore, this is a must-win game. Both teams had optimistic outlooks in the not-so-distant past, but it seems both teams might be on the path to rebuilding sooner rather than later. Zach LaVine and Pascal Siakam are two of the hottest names in trade rumors, as both of their teams have once again disappointed in the early parts of this season.
Two teams that already rebuilt are the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons, although their rebuilds have gone in very different directions. The Pacers have the top offense in the league. Tyrese Haliburton is a star, and their numerous offseason acquisitions, including Obi Toppin and Bruce Brown, have allowed the team to leap to the next level. The Pistons, on the other hand, are the worst team in basketball. They have questionable roster construction because there are few shooters on the team and way too many big men. Because of that, they only have two wins so far. The two teams will play each other at 8 p.m. ET.
The Washington Wizards and Milwaukee Bucks will also play in the In-Season Tournament. This game is also expected to be a blowout. Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo are building chemistry by the day, and with five straight wins, they are the hottest team in basketball. The Wizards are the only team that could give the Pistons a run for their money for the title of worst team in the league. The team also only has two wins, and they have had countless blunders and bone-headed decisions. Most recently, Jordan Poole had some horrible clock mismanagement.
Western Conference storylines
The Denver Nuggets have proven why they are defending champions all season, but one of their few mishaps was against the Houston Rockets. They lost to the Rockets over a week ago, but they will have a chance for revenge in their final In-Season Tournament Group Play game. The Nuggets haven't been as dominant since Jamal Murray got hurt, but Nikola Jokic is good enough he has carried the team to the second seed in the Western Conference. The Rockets have been one of the biggest surprises this season. Alperen Sengun is often compared to Jokic, and he is having a breakout season himself in Houston.
The only team in the West with a better record than the Nuggets is the Minnesota Timberwolves. They were a disappointment last season as Karl-Anthony Towns was hurt and didn't seem like a great fit next to Rudy Gobert. Things have changed this year, though, and the Timberwolves have arguably the best defense in the sport. Their stifling ways on the less glamorous end of the floor will be tough for the Sacramento Kings to deal with. It won't be impossible, though. Domantas Sabonis is a decent matchup against Gobert as he can stretch the floor and pass well, and De'Aaron Fox's speed is hard for anyone to guard.
The final game of the night is between the New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Clippers. The Pelicans have had a weird year with a number of players injured. It led to Zion Williamson being seemingly disappointed in his role. However, the team is playing much better now, and their star forward appears fully bought in. Dyson Daniels and Herb Jones have been starting in the backcourt together as a fearsome defensive pairing. The team will eventually have to reintegrate C.J. McCollum, though. The guard was a full participant in practice on Tuesday after recovering from a lung issue. McCollum's potential return against the Clippers would be massive because of Los Angeles' trajectory. After struggling to adjust to life with James Harden, the Clippers are finally starting to figure it out. They have a start studded cast with Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook, and they have won their last two games after starting out 0-5 with their new guard.
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