What happens to teams eliminated from NBA In-Season Tournament? Schedule for teams out of Knockout Round

Gilbert McGregor

What happens to teams eliminated from NBA In-Season Tournament? Schedule for teams out of Knockout Round image

The field for the Semifinals of the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament (IST) is set, meaning four teams are left to vie for the first-ever NBA Cup. And with four teams advancing, 26 teams have officially been eliminated from NBA Cup contention.

Ahead of the 2023-24 season, the schedule of all 30 NBA teams featured 80 games instead of the customary 82, a scheduling wrinkle instituted with the IST in mind. 

For the four teams that advanced to the Semifinals, their first game in Las Vegas will count as a regular-season game to bring their total to 82. Here's what happens with the teams that have been eliminated.

MORE: Complete bracket for the NBA In-Season Tournament

What happens to teams eliminated from NBA In-Season Tournament?

The four teams that are eliminated in the Quarterfinals have had another regular-season game added to their schedule.

For the 22 teams that failed to advance to the Knockout Rounds, the NBA has scheduled two additional games — one home and one away — to bring their regular-season total to 82. Below is the full schedule for teams that have been eliminated from the first-ever In-Season Tournament.

Wednesday, Dec. 6 NBA schedule

Game Time (ET) TV channel
Magic at Cavaliers 7 p.m.
Grizzlies at Pistons 7 p.m.
76ers at Wizards 7 p.m.
Heat at Raptors 7:30 p.m.
Nets at Hawks 7:30 p.m.
Spurs at Timberwolves 7:30 p.m. ESPN
Hornets at Bulls 8 p.m.
Thunder at Rockets 8 p.m.
Jazz at Mavericks 8:30 p.m.
Trail Blazers at Warriors 10 p.m.
Nuggets at Clippers 10 p.m. ESPN

Friday, Dec. 8 NBA schedule

Game Time (ET) TV channel
Raptors at Hornets 7 p.m.
Pistons at Magic 7 p.m.
Hawks at 76ers 7 p.m.
Knicks at Celtics 7:30 p.m.
Wizards at Nets 7:30 p.m.
Cavaliers at Heat 8 p.m.
Timberwolves at Grizzlies 8 p.m.
Warriors at Thunder 8 p.m.
Bulls at Spurs 8:30 p.m.
Rockets at Nuggets 9 p.m.
Kings at Suns 9 p.m.
Clippers at Jazz 10 p.m. ESPN
Mavericks at Trail Blazers 10 p.m.

2023 NBA In-Season Tournament schedule

The Knockout Round for the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament begins with the Semifinals on Dec. 4 and 5, with higher-seeded teams hosting games. The four teams that advance to the Semifinals will move on to Las Vegas, where the final three games will be played at T-Mobile Arena.

WATCH: WATCH THE IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT WITH SLING TV

Quarterfinals

(Played at the home arena of the higher-seeded team.)

Date Result
Monday, Dec. 4 Pacers 122, Celtics 112
Monday, Dec. 4 Pelicans 127, Kings 117
Tuesday, Dec. 5 Bucks 146, Knicks 122
Tuesday, Dec. 5 Lakers 106, Suns 103

Semifinals

(Played at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.)

Date Matchup Time (ET) TV channel
Thursday, Dec. 7 Pacers vs. Bucks 5 p.m. ESPN
Thursday, Dec. 7 Pelicans vs. Lakers 9 p.m. TNT

Championship

(Played at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.)

Date Matchup Time (ET) TV channel
Saturday, Dec. 9 TBD 8:30 p.m. ABC

Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.