Basketball
NBA Introducing In-Season Tournament with a Prize Pool of $18 Million
by privatebet.com - 2023/07/09
After years of speculations about a possible in-season tournament, NBA bosses finally decided to officially explore this concept. The long-awaited tournament with a prize pool of about $18 million will debut next season, and it will include 30 teams divided into six groups. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that this concept has been rumbling around the league office for about 15 years and revealed where the inspiration for this tournament came from. “It's not a new concept in sports. For those that follow particularly international soccer, it's a long tradition of having in-season tournaments... So we thought, what a perfect opportunity for a global league like the NBA and it's a perfect fit for our game,” explained Silver. 30 NBA teams were randomly assigned to six five-team groups within their conference based on won-loss records from the 2022-23 regular season. Each team will play four Group Play games against each opponent in its group, with two games at home and two on the road, for a chance to advance to Knockout Rounds. The tournament will kick off on November 3, with games taking place on Tuesday and Friday, while semifinals and finals will be held in Las Vegas on December 7 and December 9. The groups for this tournament have already been chosen, and you can check them out below: West Group A — Memphis Grizzlies, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, and Portland Trail Blazers West Group B — Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans, Dallas Mavericks, and Houston Rockets West Group C — Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, and San Antonio Spurs East Group A — Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers, and Detroit Pistons East Group B — Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, Washington Wizards, and Charlotte Hornets East Group C — Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, and Orlando Magic