Sixers will begin the NBA’s first in-season tournament against the Pistons on Nov. 10
The teams will join the Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, and Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference’s Group A. The tourney will culminate in Las Vegas in early December.
The 76ers will open group play in the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament at 7 p.m. Nov. 10 against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena, the league announced Tuesday.
The Sixers and Pistons are part of the Eastern Conference’s Group A along with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, and Atlanta Hawks. All 30 teams were randomly drawn into six groups of five within their conferences based on last season’s records.
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The tourney will tip off Nov. 3 in team markets and culminate in early December in Las Vegas. The semifinals are Dec. 7 and the championship game is Dec. 9.
The two-month tournament will consist of group play and knockout rounds, similar to soccer’s World Cup.
The Sixers’ second East Group A game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Nov. 14 against the Pacers at the Wells Fargo Center. They’ll face Hawks at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17 at State Farm Arena and will conclude group play against the Cavs at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 21 at the Wells Fargo Center.
The winners of the six groups and two wild-card teams will advance to the single-elimination knockout round.
The championship winners will receive $500,000 each. Players on the second-place team will receive $200,000. Players on the losing teams in the semifinals will make $100,000, while quarterfinal losers will make $50,000.
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The Cavaliers are the favorites to finish first in East Group A amid uncertainty surrounding the Sixers because of James Harden’s desire to be traded and refusal to report to training camp.
The Sixers finished last season with the conference’s third-best record (54-28). The Cavs (51-31) are the only other pool team coming off a winning season. The Hawks were 41-41, while the Pacers finished 35-47. The Pistons (17-65) had the league’s worst record.
The 67 combined games through both stages will count in the regular-season standings except for the final. All of the teams still will play 82 regular-season games, which includes the group play and knockout rounds.