In-season tournament seems possible in 2023
The NBA is planning for the inaugural version of its in-season tournament — should it become reality — to begin early next season, according to a memo sent to teams Wednesday.
If the tournament is approved, 80 regular-season games for each team would be announced in August, with two more games set to be scheduled depending on which eight teams make the tournament’s knockout stage. Those games would be added in-season to the schedule.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has pushed for the past several years for the in-season event to be added. Talks have gone on about it since at least 2016, and in 2019 the league even created a proposal in which teams would play eight divisional games in the group stage, followed by quarterfinals for the top eight clubs and then semifinals and finals at a neutral site in December.
That evidently remains the footprint. Teams, in Wednesday’s memo, were told to plan for tournament quarterfinal games in early December 2023 — again, the caveat being that the event has yet to be approved.
“It’s something that I remain excited about,” Silver said in September. “I think it continues to be an opportunity within the current footprint of our season to create
some more meaningful games, games of consequence, during an otherwise long regular season. ... I think fans might really ultimately enjoy another competition during the season, some sort of cup competition. Certainly not rising to the level of the Larry O’Brien Trophy, yet something else significant to play for.”
Wednesday’s games
Cavaliers 113, 76ers 85:
Caris LeVert scored 22 points off the bench, Darius Garland had 21 points and nine assist and Cleveland improved to 9-1 at home. Donovan Mitchell added 18 points and six assists for Cleveland, which led by a season-high 33 points in the fourth quarter. 76ers center Joel Embiid led Philadelphia with 19 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
Celtics 134, Heat 121:
Jayson Tatum had eight 3pointers and scored a season-high 49 points as Boston won at home. Tatum enjoyed his third 40-point game of the season and is a big reason the Celtics lead the NBA in scoring at 121.3 points a game.
Hawks 125, Magic 108:
Trae Young had 30 points and 14 assists and Atlanta snapped a three-game losing streak with a win in Orlando, Fla. Franz Wagner had 22 points and six rebounds for Orlando, which lost its sixth uin a row.
Nets 113, Wizards 107:
Kevin Durant followed a season-high 45 points Monday with a 39-point game against Washington, helping the Nets win their third in a row. Kyrie Irving added 27 points for the Nets, who have won five in a row at home.
Bucks 109, Knicks 103:
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 37 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists, but it took a 3pointer from Grayson Allen with 30 seconds to play to swing the game Milwaukee’s way in New York. R.J. Barrett led the Knicks with 26 points.
Pelicans 126, Raptors 108: Zion Williamson had 33 points and Trey Murphy added 26 as New Orleans rolled at home, shooting 52.3% for the night.