How does the NBA In-Season Tournament work rules in 2023?

The Knockout Round of the NBA's the first In-Season Tournament has begun, which means eight teams will compete for the NBA Cup over the course of six days. But how did we end up here?

With the NBA's In-Season Tournament being so new, there have been a lot of moving elements involving all 30 NBA clubs — many of which were still in contention for the NBA Cup until the last day of Group Play, which took center stage on Tuesdays and Fridays during the month of November. Now that the Knockout Round has begun, here's how the NBA's In-Season Tournament works.

NBA In-Season Tournament Format?

The NBA In-Season Tournament is divided into two parts: group play and knockout round.

Group Play

The Group Play stage included all 30 NBA teams, with six overall groups (three each conference) consisting of five teams. Teams were divided into groups at random.
In the Group Play stage, each team played four games to determine seeding and which teams would proceed to the Knockout Round. Each Group Play game, which took place on Tuesdays and Fridays during November, contributed to the team's regular-season record.  The group winners advanced to the Knockout Round, where they would be joined by two "wildcard" clubs (one from each conference).

The wildcard teams are the teams that placed second in their respective groups and had the greatest winning percentage.

Seeding and tiebreakers

With teams only playing four games in the Group Play round, a variety of tiebreakers were used if two teams ended with identical records.  If a group has a two-way tie, the winner is chosen by head-to-head record.

Point difference is used when there is a three-way tie inside a certain group. The club with the highest point difference over four games wins the group.

Knockout Round

Teams who proceed to the Knockout Round in each conference are seeded 1 through 4 based on their performance during the Group Play round. Each conference's wildcard is seeded fourth. The Knockout Round Quarterfinals are held in the home cities of the top two seeds in each conference. The No. 1 seed hosts the No. 4 seed, while the No. 2 seed hosts the No. 3 seed.

Unlike the Group Play stage, the Knockout Round is single-elimination, which means that each losing club is knocked out and out of contention for the NBA Cup.

The teams who advance to the Semifinals will travel to Las Vegas, where the Semifinals and Championship game will be held at T-Mobile Arena.

Read also: 2023 in-Season NBA Tournament quarter-final: Schedule, live streaming

What happens if a team is knocked out of the NBA In-Season Tournament?

The 22 clubs who did not advance to the Knockout Rounds will play two regular-season games on tournament off nights that week (December 6 and 8).

The four teams that were eliminated in the Quarterfinals will play a regular-season game on December 8. Teams that are eliminated in the Semifinals will resume their regular season schedule.

Prize money for the NBA In-Season Tournament?

According to the Collective Bargaining Agreement, players will earn prize money dependent on how far their teams advance in the In-Season Tournament. Each participant on one of the eight teams who made it to the quarterfinals will win at least $50,000.

1. Win the championship: $500,000 per player
2. ach the championship game: $200,000 per playerRe
3. Reaching the semifinal game: costs $100,000 each player.
4. Reaching the quarterfinals: $50,000 per player

Players will also be eligible for the In-Season Tournament MVP award as well as selection to the All-Tournament Team. Each coaching staff is also compensated. The head coaches are paid the same as the players, while assistant coaches earn an additional portion of the pool money equivalent to 75% of the head coach's total income.

NBA In-Season Tournament 2023 schedule

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

Championship 

Also read: 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament bracket: predictions, Odds, picks?