First in-season tourney planned for next season

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 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 tourney.

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.

Cavaliers 113, 76ers 85: Caris LeVert scored 22 points off the bench, Darius Garland had 21 points and nine assists and host Cleveland routed Philadelphia.

Hawks 125, Magic 108: Trae Young had 30 points and 14 assists and visiting Atlanta snapped a three-game losing streak. Franz Wagner had 22 points and six rebounds for Orlando, which has lost six straight games. Paolo Banchero added 20 points and five assists.

Celtics 134, Heat 121: Jayson Tatum had eight 3-pointers and scored a season-high 49 points, and host Boston held off hotshooting

Miami. It was the AllStar's third 40-point game this season as he continues to pace the league's top-rated offense.

Bucks 109, Knicks 103: Giannis Antetokounmpo had 37 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists, then Grayson Allen made the tie-breaking 3-pointer with 30 seconds left after his MVP teammate fouled out to lead visiting Milwaukee over New York.

Nets 113, Wizards 107: Kevin Durant scored 39 points and host Brooklyn beat Washington for its third straight victory. Kyrie Irving added 27 points.

T’wolves 109, Grizzlies 101: Anthony Edwards had 29 points, five steals and three blocks to lead host Minnesota over Memphis in the first game of an extended absence for injured KarlAnthony Towns (calf strain). Jaylen Nowell had 24 points for the Timberwolves, who forced a season-high 27 turnovers. Thunder 119, Spurs 111: Rookie Jalen Williams, who played at Santa Clara, scored a seasonhigh 27 points and host Oklahoma City overcame a 20-point second-half deficit to hand San Antonio its ninth straight loss. Pelicans 126, Raptors 108: Zion Williamson had 33 points, four steals and two blocks, and Trey Murphy added six 3-pointers and 26 points as host New Orleans beat Toronto.