The NBA will be adding a new wrinkle for the upcoming season, putting on the first In-Season Tournament in league history. A few days ahead of the official schedule release for the year, the league announced the scheduled games for the group stage.

NBA Announces Group Play Schedule For In-Season Tournament

The NBA has released the In-Season Tournament Schedules for the Western and Eastern Conferences pic.twitter.com/PzeGQ6viUO

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 15, 2023

There are some interesting matchups that will take place between November 3rd and 28th. The teams will play in 6 groups of 5, which were created based on team records from a season ago. The Boston Celtics are currently the favorites to win the tournament as they are the NBA Championship, and they’ll play in a group that also consists of the Nets, Raptors, Bulls, and Magic.

But despite some of the lackluster competition that we could possibly see, there are some games that were a part of the initial release that should be circled on the calendars of NBA fans:

3 Must-Watch Games For The Group Stage

SCHEDULE INCOMING

The NBA In-Season Tournament Schedule will be revealed TODAY at 3:00pm/et on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/5I0Q44QlXz

— NBA (@NBA) August 15, 2023

Los Angeles Lakers @ Phoenix Suns – Friday, November 10th

The Lakers were placed in one of the better groups, given that they finished the regular season with an average record last year. But they’ll play a big game against the Suns early in the season (and early in the tournament), who will have championship aspirations for the coming year.

Aside from all of the big names and firepower that comes with this matchup, one interesting story line will be the potential meeting between LeBron James and Kevin Durant, who haven’t shared the same NBA court since 2018.

Milwaukee Bucks @ Miami Heat – Tuesday, November 28th

One of the most interesting groups of the In-Season Tournament is East Group B, which consists of two of the top Eastern Conference teams from last season. The Bucks finished the year with the best regular season record, but were upset by the Heat in historic fashion in the first round.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and company will be out for some revenge, and Miami will be out to prove that their run to the Finals was not a one-year fluke.

Golden State Warriors @ Sacramento Kings – Tuesday, November 28th

The Kings and Warriors provided us with one of the most entertaining first round series in recent NBA playoff memory. Sacramento was able to push the defending champions to 7 games, where Golden State’s experience and Steph Curry’s dominance reigned supreme.

The Kings were the surprise team of the 2022-23 season and will be looking to make even more noise this coming year, and it will take getting through the Warriors to be able to make their mark.

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