Last week, we got our first look at the NBA In-Season Tournament. It was the first chance for fans to get a feel for what the pace of the games would look like, but more importantly, it was the first chance for the fans to see the new In-Season Tournament courts. The bright, bold courts were polarizing, as some fans loved the new look, and others thought it was overboard.
The first slate of games proved that intensity is clearly turned up a notch during In-Season Tournament games. It is a nice change of pace from normal regular season games, and fans are already looking forward to the next set of games for the tournament. Luckily, that is right around the corner. The second set of Group Play games is on Friday, Nov. 10. Below is everything that you need to know about who is playing and how you can watch the games.
Friday, Nov. 10 NBA In-Season Tournament schedule
Charlotte Hornets vs. Washington Wizards, 7 p.m. ET
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Detroit Pistons, 7 p.m. ET
Brooklyn Nets vs. Boston Celtics, 7:30 p.m. ET
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Houston Rockets, 8 p.m. ET
Utah Jazz vs. Memphis Grizzlies, 8 p.m. ET
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. San Antonio Spurs, 8 p.m. ET
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Dallas Mavericks, 8:30 p.m. ET
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Sacramento Kings, 10 p.m. Et
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns, 10 p.m. ET
How to watch the In-Season Tournament games
Two of the nine games will be on national television on Friday night. The Brooklyn Nets vs. Boston Celtics game and the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns games are both on ESPN. The rest of the games will be broadcast by local providers.
The nationally televised games can be streamed on fuboTV. NBA League Pass is another option for watching NBA games.
*Watch the NBA In-Season Tournament live with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Eastern Conference storylines
Two games of Eastern Conference action at 7 p.m. ET will kick off the night. One such matchup will be the Charlotte Hornets vs. Washington Wizards.
The two teams have both struggled early. The Hornets are 2-4, and the Wizards are 1-5. The teams have a great chance to get back on track this week, though. The squads will play each other on Wednesday, Nov. 8, in Charlotte before rematching on Friday at the Wizards home court.
Neither team has played with a lot of structure thus far. Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma have kind of been doing whatever they want in Washington this season, and the Hornets have had all sorts of drama over the last few seasons. Winning cures everything, though, and either team has a great opportunity to collect back-to-back wins against a poor opponent this week.
The other early night game on Friday is between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Detroit Pistons. Like the Hornets and Wizards, the Pistons are also at the bottom of the standings in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons are young, and they are getting better every week. Their three-point shooting has actually been better than anyone would have thought. Rookie Ausar Thompson has struggled in that area, but he has been fantastic everywhere else, and the team is shooting 39.1% from deep overall.
Facing the 76ers will be a tough challenge, though. Despite the drama involving James Harden, who was traded last week, the Sixers have dashed into the second-best record in the conference early in the season. Many fans thought Nikola Jokic was snubbed from the MVP award that was given to Joel Embiid last season, but the 76ers' center displayed the caliber of player he is in his last game. Embiid had 48 points and 11 rebounds against the Wizards.
The Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics game will be one of the nationally televised In-Season Tournament games. The Celtics made a number of moves in the offseason to get over the hump, and it has seemed to pay off so far. The Celtics were the last unbeaten team in the NBA, and they didn't lose their first game until Nov. 6. Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis have fit in seamlessly with the holdovers from last year's roster. It is fair to say that the team is scarier on both offense and defense now.
The Nets have been cooking something up as well this season. So far, it has been the Cam Thomas show. Brooklyn may have found a star. The guard is averaging 28.7 points per game and most recently had 45 points. Mikal Bridges made waves when moving to Brooklyn last year, and Thomas hasn't found a shot he hasn't liked so far this year.
Western Conference early games storylines
There are six games on Friday between Western Conference foes, three of which will tipoff at 8 p.m. ET. The New Orleans Pelicans and Houston Rockets are two of the most exciting young teams and will face each other in the In-Season Tournament.
The Pelicans' biggest enemy over the last few seasons has been the injury bug. The team finally got Zion Williamson back, and he has been dominant to start the 2023 season. In fact, he is one of three Pelicans players averaging over 20 points per game. These numbers are inflated, though, because Brandon Ingram has already missed time. On top of that, C.J. McCollum is now out with a collapsed lung. It is early in the season, but it isn't a great sign to see that the Pelicans are once again struggling with injuries.
The Rockets, on the other hand, have been surprisingly good this season. They have been impressive on both ends of the floor, and their starting lineup has been one of the best in basketball.
Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks are a big reason for the starting lineup improvement. The two veterans were given hefty contracts this summer, and they have come in and done exactly what the team has needed from them. This is especially the case for Brooks. His antics and shot selection got him ran out of Memphis, but he has limited his boneheaded plays and brought in a defensive pedigree that has helped the young players around him.
The Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies will also play each other in a battle to get out of last place in the West. The two teams have struggled early, which is somewhat surprising for both squads.
The Grizzlies are without Ja Morant because of suspension and Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke because of injury, but they were still the second-best team in the Western Conference last year. The Jazz were a team that started their rebuild last year, but they were also surprisingly good. Both teams have been bad so far, though, so a win in the In-Season Tournament will be huge for righting the ship for either franchise.
Basketball is a sport for big people, and that will be evident in the Minnesota Timberwolves vs. San Antonio Spurs game.
The Timberwolves twin tower lineup featuring Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert struggled last season before Towns went down to injury. It has looked much better this year, though, and the team is 4-2 and just beat the Celtics. They will get their first look at Spurs' rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama. The 7-foot-4, first-overall pick has been on a tear to start his NBA career, and it'll be interesting to see how he matches up with the Timberwolves.
Western Conference later games storylines
The Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks play the lone 8:30 p.m. ET game of the night. The Mavericks' only loss of the season came in their first In-Season Tournament game when they took on the defending champion Denver Nuggets. Besides that game, Dallas has impressed early. Dereck Lively has been a big reason why. The rookie is starting on the team and has already become one of the best play-finishers in the league.
The Clippers recently traded for James Harden. They lost his only game with the team so far, and it will take time for the unit to gel together, but on paper, the Clippers have the making of a great team. Fans will be intrigued to see how they look in the In-Season Tournament with their new guard.
The Oklahoma City Thunder and Sacramento Kings also have a game of interest in the In-Season Tournament.
The Kings surprisingly ended last season as the number three seed in the Western Conference, but they have gotten out to a slow start this year. The Thunder, on the other hand, are quickly becoming must-watch-TV. They have a young core and play an entertaining brand of basketball, and the results are finally starting to show in the win column.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns play the last nationally televised game of the night. LeBron James is always must-watch-TV, but his co-star, Anthony Davis, once again is struggling with injuries. Davis was dealing with hip/groin pain in the Lakers' last game, which caused him to exit the game early. The good news is that he is expected back soon and should be good to go in the In-Season Tournament game.
The Suns have also had injury woes early. The league has yet to see the new big three of Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker, as the latter two have missed the majority of the season so far. Beal is expected to return soon, and it is possible he is ready to go by Friday's game.
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