The inaugural In-Season Tournament continues with single-elimination Knockout Rounds as Bucks, Lakers advance to Semifinals.
The Knockout Rounds are underway as the NBA In-Season Tournament continues. Keep track of the bracket and schedule before a champion is crowned on Saturday, Dec. 9 in Las Vegas.
Knockout Rounds schedule
The Knockout Rounds began on Dec. 4. The Quarterfinals will be played in home markets, while the Semifinals and Championship will be played in Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena.
Quarterfinals
- Tue., Dec. 5: Bucks 146, Knicks 122
Milwaukee surges in 3rd quarter to obliterate the Knicks’ normally stout defense, advancing to the Semifinals behind a 35-point, eight-rebound, 10-assist, three-steal showing from Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks will face the Pacers in Las Vegas at 5 p.m. ET on Thursday. - Tue., Dec. 5: Lakers 106, Suns 103
Kevin Durant’s game-tying shot is wide right as Lakers hang on to eliminate Suns with LeBron James (31 points, 8 rebounds, 11 assists, 5 steals) and Anthony Davis (27 points, 15 rebounds) leading. The Lakers will face the Pelicans in Las Vegas at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday. - Mon., Dec. 4: Pacers 122, Celtics 112: Tyrese Haliburton records his first career triple-double (26 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists) and hits several clutch shots as Indiana wins pulling away to eliminate the Celtics. The Pacers will play the Bucks in Las Vegas.
- Mon., Dec. 4: Pelicans 127, Kings 117: Brandon Ingram (30 points, eight rebounds, six assists) and Herb Jones (23 points, 8-13 FGs) lead the Pelicans to a wire-to-wire victory against the Kings. New Orleans will face the Lakers in Las Vegas.
Semifinals
- Thu., Dec. 7: Pacers vs. Bucks (5 p.m., ESPN)
- Thu., Dec. 7: Pelicans vs. Lakers (9 p.m., TNT)
Championship
- Sat., Dec. 9: TBD vs. TBD (8:30 p.m., ABC)
All times are Eastern Standard Time.
How the Knockout Rounds work
All games are single-elimination. This stage features three rounds in the span of one week: Quarterfinals > Semifinals > Championship.
The last team standing will win the new In-Season Tournament trophy, the NBA Cup.
Games played in the Quarterfinals and Semifinals will count as regular season games. The Championship is the only In-Season Tournament game that will not count towards regular season records and stats.
Want to know more? Go deeper.
Knockout Rounds seeding
Here’s how seeding turned out following team performance in Group Play:
East
Bucks (East #1, Group B winner)
Pacers (East #2, Group A winner)
Celtics (East #3, Group C winner)
Knicks (East #4, Wild Card)
West
Lakers (West #1, Group A winner)
Kings (West #2, Group C winner)
Pelicans (West #3, Group B winner)
Suns (West #4, Wild Card)
Group Play standings
A full breakdown of the standings, including point differential, can be found here.
Group Play results
Every game played on the dates below counted towards the In-Season Tournament’s Group Play stage. Hit each link to see game results from that specific date.
In-Season Tournament stat leaders
Who will make the first-ever All-Tournament Team? Stay up to date on the top performers from the In-Season Tournament here and see who leads Matt Petersen’s latest Tournament MVP Ladder.