The NBA In-Season Tournament kicks off for the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night when they take on the Phoenix Suns on the road.
The In-Season Tournament is something the league came up with this year to drum up more interest in the regular season. It follows a similar format as the World Cup where teams are split up into groups and can advance to the knockout stages based on how they fare in those first group stage games.
All of the details of the tournament can be viewed here, but the semifinals and finals of the tournament will be played in Las Vegas in early December.
If the Lakers want to be involved in that then they likely will need to take care of business against the Suns on Friday. They are in Group A of the Western Conference, which includes the Suns, Memphis Grizzlies, Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz.
Western Conference Group B consists of the Denver Nuggets, L.A. Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets while Western Conference Group C includes the Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.
On the Eastern Conference side, Group A has the Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons. Group B has the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets. Finally, Group C has the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls and Orlando Magic.
Some teams have already played their first games as the tournament kicked off on Friday, Nov. 3 with group play games taking place every Tuesday and Friday in November.
Before games started though, Lakers guard Austin Reaves made his picks for the group stages:
Austin Reaves makes his picks for the NBA In-Season Tournament group stages 🗣️
Tournament games continue tonight starting at 7pm/et on ESPN & the NBA App 👀 pic.twitter.com/j9QOz5IE4p
— NBA (@NBA) November 10, 2023
Whichever team has the best record in each group will advantage to the next round while there also will be one wild card in each conference based on record and point differential.
To no surprise, Reaves is picking the Lakers to come out of Group A in the West. The Suns are likely their biggest competition so Friday night’s game will be essential if the Lakers want to make that happen.
Reaves also has the Nuggets, Kings and Warriors advancing in the West with the Cavaliers, Bucks, Celtics and Heat making it through in the East.
LeBron James excited for intensity of In-Season Tournament
Another person who seems excited for the NBA’s In-Season Tournament is LeBron James. As someone who is in his 21st season, James is excited for the added intensity that will come with the tournament compared to normal regular season games in November and December.
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