The final day of group play in the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament is here. Tuesday, November 28, is the date, and 16 teams will play out their group play schedules. Mathematically, just two teams are through to the next round: the Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Lakers. A third, the Phoenix Suns, look like they're in prime position to snag a Wild Card spot. This leaves 15 other teams fighting to advance and keep their chances at winning the NBA In-Season Tournament alive. Here's everything you need to know about where things stand ahead of Tuesday night's slate of games and how things stand before the bracket gets set.
Nov. 28 NBA In-Season Tournament schedule
Chicago Bulls @ Boston Celtics, 7:30 p.m ET
Toronto Raptors @ Brooklyn Nets, 7:30 p.m. ET
Atlanta Hawks @ Cleveland Cavaliers, 7:30 p.m. ET
Milwaukee Bucks @ Miami Heat, 7:30 p.m. ET — TNT
Charlotte Hornets @ New York Knicks, 7:30 p.m. ET
Oklahoma City Thunder @ Minnesota Timberwolves, 8 p.m. ET
Houston Rockets @ Dallas Mavericks, 8:30 p.m. ET
Golden State Warriors @ Sacramento Kings, 10 p.m. ET — TNT
How to watch the NBA In-Season Tournament
There are two games being broadcast nationally on TNT as a part of Nov. 28's schedule of games. The Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat square off in the early slot in a game with seismic implications for Eastern Conference Group B standings. The Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings will play the game that maybe has the most permutations for how the standings will end up in the late slot. If you cannot get access to TNT, you can also stream the national games on fuboTV for no additional cost to your subscription. 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)*
NBA In-Season Tournament standings
Eastern Conference Group A
- a — Indiana Pacers: 4-0
- Cleveland Cavaliers: 2-1
- Philadelphia 76ers: 2-2
- Atlanta Hawks: 1-2
- e — Detroit Pistons: 0-4
Eastern Conference Group B
- Milwaukee Bucks: 3-0
- New York Knicks: 2-1
- Miami Heat: 2-1
- Charlotte Hornets: 1-2
- e — Washington Wizards: 0-4
Eastern Conference Group C
- Orlando Magic: 3-1
- Boston Celtics: 2-1
- Brooklyn Nets: 2-1
- e — Toronto Raptors: 1-2
- e — Chicago Bulls: 0-3
Western Conference Group A
- a — Los Angeles Lakers: 4-0
- Phoenix Suns: 3-1
- e — Utah Jazz: 2-2
- e — Portland Trail Blazers: 1-3
- e — Memphis Grizzlies: 0-4
Western Conference Group B
- New Orleans Pelicans: 3-1
- Houston Rockets: 2-1
- e — Denver Nuggets: 2-2
- e — Dallas Mavericks: 1-2
- e — Los Angeles Clippers: 1-3
Western Conference Group C
- Sacramento Kings: 3-0
- Minnesota Timberwolves: 2-1
- Golden State Warriors: 2-1
- e — Oklahoma City Thunder: 1-2
- e — San Antonio Spurs: 0-4
Nationally televised games
Bucks vs. Heat
In the first nationally televised game between the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat, the two best teams of the past couple of years in the East go head-to-head with their NBA In-Season Tournament lives on the line.
If the Bucks win, it's simple. The Heat, barring some wild tiebreakers, will be eliminated, and the Bucks will win Eastern Conference Group B. If the Heat win, they'll own the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Bucks. And if the Knicks lose, they'll win Group B. If the Knicks also win, then three teams will be 3-1, and the group winner will come down to a point differential tiebreaker. The second-place team will be in the best spot in the East to take the Wild Card spot, and one 3-1 team will be eliminated.
This could very well be the game of the night, as the Bucks have seemingly turned a corner with their new roster, including Damian Lillard. The Bucks are suddenly 12 and have won 7-of-10. The Heat are still in the middle of the Eastern Conference and are looking to hit their stride. A win here and advancing could help springboard their season, though Jimmy Butler is unfortunately out for this one with an injury.
Warriors vs. Kings
In the second game between the Warriors and Kings, there are equally high stakes on the line. The Kings are 3-0 and advance with a win. The Warriors can tie the Kings at 3-1 with a win and would advance with a Timberwolves loss.
The Warriors and Kings will play for the third time already in this young season, off the back of their playoff matchup last year, and each game has delivered. While the Warriors have gotten the better of the Kings both times they've played this season, that was before their recent slide in form.
Draymond Green will return to the court after serving his five-game suspension for choking Rudy Gobert. Green has been a known instigator against the Kings in past matchups. The Kings are their two losses against the Warriors away from being the best team in the West. They need to prove to themselves they can take out this team.
Eastern Conference storylines
In Group A in the Eastern Conference, things are pretty simple. The Indiana Pacers have already locked up the group at 4-0 and don't even play on Tuesday night. The Cavaliers, 76ers, and Hawks are all still alive in Group A but need an increasingly complicated series of events to go right for them to advance through the Wild Card. With a Cavs win over the Hawks, they'll sit at 3-1 and in a good position to advance. The 76ers, along with every other two-loss team, need to hope for some convoluted tiebreakers to advance, starting with a Hawks win over the Cavs.
In Group B, the Heat and Bucks take center stage on TNT. As already mentioned, the Bucks, Heat, and Knicks can all come out of Group B, depending on the different situations that play out in their games. The Hornets are still alive in Group B as well but need to make it out on a huge tiebreaker situation with all the other two-loss teams. They will need to blow out the Kicks to have a shot.
In the Eastern Conference's Group C, the Orlando Magic, on the back of an impressive win over the Celtics last Friday, finished group play at 3-1. The Celtics and Nets both remain alive in Group C at 2-1, and they are both playing the two eliminated teams in their group, the Bulls and Raptors. If they do both win, then a three-way tie between the Magic, Celtics, and Nets will be decided on point differential and one 3-1 team will be eliminated. If the Nets win and the Celtics lose, the Nets will win Group C. And if the Celtics win and Nets lose, then the Magic win the group. The Celtics can only win the group via tiebreak.
Western Conference storylines
Across the Western Conference, the NBA In-Season Tournament picture is much less complicated than it is in the East. Things are wrapped up in Group A in the West. None of the teams in that group are playing, and the Lakers have advanced to 4-0. The 3-1 Phoenix Suns, at a +34 point differential across the tournament, barring some truly wild results, have essentially locked up the Western Conference's Wild Card slot as well.
In Group B, only the New Orleans Pelicans and Houston Rockets are alive in the group. And, because of the Suns' point differential being so good, they're both going to have to try to win their group to advance. The Pelicans are 3-1 and will be spectators on Tuesday night as they wait to see their fate. The Rockets travel across the state of Texas to face off against the eliminated Mavericks. At 2-1, the Rockets own the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Pelicans and will advance with a win. They eliminated the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets on Friday as well, so they're surely feeling confident ahead of their final group play game.
Group C takes center stage nationally when the Kings host the Warriors on TNT. As mentioned, the Kings can make things very simple with a win over the Warriors to eliminate them, the Timberwolves, and finish a 4-0 group olay stage. A Warriors win starts to complicate things. If the Timberwolves fail to beat the Thunder, then the Warriors would advance by virtue of their tiebreak win over the Kings. Should the Timberwolves also win, then it's three-way tiebreaker time.
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