NBA unveils new In-Season Tournament schedule. Who will Sacramento Kings play and when?
The NBA unveiled team-by-team schedules Tuesday for a new In-Season Tournament that will culminate with a championship game in Las Vegas.
The Kings will play four group stage games in West Group C against the Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs. Each team will play two games at home and two on the road with all group stage games played on Tuesdays and Fridays in November.
The Kings will open group play against the Thunder on Nov. 10 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. The Kings will then travel to San Antonio to face the No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs on Nov. 17 in an ESPN game. They will visit the Timberwolves on Nov. 14 before concluding group play at home against the Warriors on Nov. 28 on TNT.
The Kings and Warriors will be considered favorites in Group C following their epic first-round playoff series in April. The Warriors brought in veteran point guard Chris Paul, adding him to a group that features Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver unveiled plans for the In-Season Tournament in July as part of the league’s annual Las Vegas Summer League festivities. Silver announced details for the tournament, including dates, competitive structure, locations, group drawings and the unveiling of the NBA Cup trophy. The tournament will feature a prize pool of about $18 million and a Final Four in Las Vegas with the championship game set for Dec. 9.
A random drawing placed the Kings in West Group C with the Warriors, Timberwolves, Thunder and Spurs. Group stage games will begin Nov. 3 and will be played at home arenas on Tuesdays and Fridays as part of the regular NBA schedule.
Eight teams will advance from group play to the quarterfinals, which will also be played at home arenas. Four teams will then advance to the Final Four in Las Vegas.
All tournament games except for the final will be part of the NBA’s 82-game regular-season schedule. Game and broadcast schedules for group play are expected to be announced in August.
Players on standard NBA contracts will receive $500,000 apiece for the winning team, $200,000 for the runner-up, $100,000 for teams that lose in the semifinals and $50,000 for teams that lose in the quarterfinals.
This story was originally published August 15, 2023 at 12:12 PM.
