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With a couple of NBA In-Season Tournament Group Play games in the rearview mirror, fans now have a decent understanding of what the NBA In-Season Tournament looks like and what to expect from Group Play games. The action is ramping up, and Group Play games will take place twice this week.
The first set of Group Play games for the week is on Nov. 14. Below, we will explain everything you need to know before the games tip off.
Tuesday, Nov. 14 In-Season Tournament schedule
Miami Heat @ Charlotte Hornets, 7 p.m. ET
Atlanta Hawks @ Detroit Pistons, 7 p.m. ET
Indiana Pacers @ Philadelphia 76ers, 7 p.m. ET
Orlando Magic @ Brooklyn Nets, 7:30 p.m. ET
San Antonio Spurs @ Oklahoma City Thunder, 7:30 p.m. ET
Dallas Mavericks @ New Orleans Pelicans, 8 p.m. ET
Portland Trail Blazers @ Utah Jazz, 9 p.m. ET
Los Angeles Clippers @ Denver Nuggets, 10 p.m. ET
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Golden State Warriors, 10 p.m. ET
Memphis Grizzlies @ Los Angeles Lakers, 10:30 p.m. ET
How to watch the In-Season Tournament
There is a grand total of 10 games on Nov. 14. Two of them will be nationally televised. The Spurs vs. Thunder game at 7:30 p.m. ET and the Clippers vs. Nuggets game at 10 p.m. ET will both be on TNT. The other eight games can be viewed using NBA League Pass.
In-Season Tournament standings
Eastern Conference Group A
Philadelphia 76ers: 1-0
Indiana Pacers: 1-0
Atlanta Hawks: 0-0
Cleveland Cavaliers: 0-1
Detroit Pistons: 0-1
Eastern Conference Group B
Charolette Hornets: 1-0
Miami Heat: 1-0
Milwaukee Bucks: 1-0
New York Knicks: 0-1
Washington Wizards: 0-2
Eastern Conference Group C
Boston Celtics: 1-0
Brooklyn Nets: 1-0
Orlando Magic: 0-0
Toronto Raptors: 0-0
Chicago Bulls: 0-1
Western Conference Group A
Utah Jazz: 1-0
Los Angeles Lakers: 1-0
Portland Trail Blazers: 1-0
Phoenix Suns: 0-1
Memphis Grizzlies: 0-2
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Western Conference Group B
Denver Nuggets: 1-0
Houston Rockets: 1-0
Dallas Mavericks: 1-1
New Orleans Pelicans: 0-1
Los Angeles Clippers: 0-1
Western Conference Group C
Minnesota Timberwolves: 1-0
Sacramento Kings: 1-0
Golden State Warriors: 1-0
San Antonio Spurs: 0-1
Oklahoma City Thunder: 0-2
Eastern Conference games
Three Eastern Conference games will take place at 7 p.m. ET during the Nov. 14 Group Play games. One such game is the Miami Heat vs. the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets are only 3-6, but they surprisingly lead the Eastern Conference Group B In-Season Tournament standings. They will have to claw their way back to get into postseason contention, but it is very possible they make a surprise In-Season Tournament run. It will be tough to beat the Heat in this game, though. The Heat got off to a slow start, but they are one of the hottest teams in the NBA now. Miami has won five straight games and has reminded people why they are NBA Finals contenders year in and year out.
The Atlanta Hawks and Detroit Pistons also play at 7 p.m. ET. The Hawks superstar, Trae Young, is questionable for the game because of personal reasons. His daughter was just born, and his absence would be big news for the Pistons. Detroit has been arguably the worst team in the NBA so far. At 2-9, they have the worst record in the league. The on-court product has been bad, but this can also be attributed to injuries. Monte Morris, Jalen Duren, Isaiah Livers, Bojan Bogdanovich, and Joe Harris are all listed as out for this game. The Pistons already struggle to shoot the ball, and Bogdanovich and Harris are two of their best shooters.
Also at 7 p.m. ET is the Indiana Pacers vs. Philadelphia 76ers game. Despite the drama that surrounded James Harden, the Sixers have won eight straight and cruised to the best record in the NBA. Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris have stepped up their games and proved that they are better without the distractions of their former point guard. Joel Embiid is having another MVP-caliber season, but Maxey, in particular, has improved drastically. He is scoring 28.6 points per game. The Pacers have also emerged in the Eastern Conference. After a busy offseason, they have gone from the rebuilding stage to Eastern Conference contenders.
The Orlando Magic and Brooklyn Nets are the only Eastern Conference teams to play at 7:30 p.m. ET. Jacque Vaughn let Cam Thomas loose, and it paid off. The score-first guard is averaging 26.9 points per game. Unfortunately, he is out with an ankle injury. The Magic are another young, deep team climbing up the ranks in the Eastern Conference, but they are another team that has already had injury concerns. The Magic have struggled with injuries for years now, and Markelle Fultz and Wendell Carter Jr. – two injury-prone starters – are once again hurt.
Western Conference games
The New Orleans Pelicans will play a pivotal game not only for the In-Season Tournament but for the trajectory of their team against the Dallas Mavericks. Zion Williamson's recent comments during the Pelicans struggles suggested he might not be super happy with his role and the direction of the team. It will be tough to get back on track against the Mavericks. Not only are the Pelicans bitten by the injury bug, but Dallas is tied for the best record in the Western Conference. There were questions about how a Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving pairing could work, but Dereck Lively and Grant Williams have been Godsends for the team, as their defensive abilities have let the offensive superstars thrive.
The Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz will play each other in a battle to avoid the bottom of the Western Conference standings. Both teams only have three wins on the season, and both teams might be destined for a full-blown rebuild.
One of the most anticipated games of the night will be between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors. Everyone knows about the Warriors. They are the same team that has won four championships behind the shooting prowess of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. The Timberwolves, though, are an emerging team in the league. They struggled to make the Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert pairing work last year, but the team this year looks more like what Tim Connelly envisioned. Alongside Gobert are Anthony Edwards, Mike Conley, Jaden McDaniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Kyle Anderson. That core makes one of the best defensive teams in the league, and Anthony Edwards is proving he is one of the best overall players in the league.
The Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Lakers will play the final game of the night. The Grizzlies finished in second place in the Western Conference regular season standings last year, but without Ja Morant, the team has struggled. They are only 2-8. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are both questionable for the game, though. The Lakers have been cognizant about monitoring their two superstar's health by ensuring they don't overexert themselves early in the regular season.
Western Conference nationally televised games
The San Antonio Spurs have the most nationally televised In-Season Tournament games thanks to the presence of rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama. The rookie from France has already opened eyes in his young NBA career. Their matchup against the Thunder is intriguing. Oklahoma City's plans are starting to come to fruition, as their roster is one of the most exciting in the league. It has led to more wins overall, but not in the In-Season Tournament. They are already 0-2 in Group Play, so they can't afford another loss.
The other game on TNT is the Los Angeles Clippers vs. Denver Nuggets game. These two have had a history since their playoff matchup in the bubble, and that always adds another dynamic to their games. The Clippers haven't figured out how to make it work with James Harden. In fact, they are 0-4 in the games he has played in. Still, on paper, a team that features Harden, Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George can do a lot of damage. It remains to be seen if something “on paper” can translate to “on court” production. The Nuggets won't be an easy team to end their losing streak against, either. Jamal Murray is hurt, but that hasn't mattered thanks to the brilliance of Nikola Jokic. He is the MVP favorite and is averaging 29.8 points, 13.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists en route to an 8-2 record.
