In-Season Tournament schedule released, Suns lead NBA with three nationally-televised group games

The NBA released all the details for this winter’s 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament, the first of it’s kind. The Phoenix Suns find themselves in the West’s group of death, Group A, flanked by the Memphis Grizzlies, LA Lakers, Utah Jazz, and Portland Trail Blazers.

ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV combine to broadcast 16 games nationally, and the Suns come in first place (tied with the San Antonio Fighting Wemby’s) with three national games during group play. Here’s the full slate of national games:

So let’s break down the Suns’ schedule (all times throughout post are AZ time and p.m.).

• Nov. 10 vs Lakers at 8:00 on ESPN
• Nov. 17 @ Jazz at 8:00 on ESPN
• Nov. 21 vs Blazers at 7:00 on Gray Television (Arizona’s Family)
• Nov. 24 @ Grizzlies at 3:00 on NBA TV

If the Suns come out of the four games with the best record in group A (or they’re selected as the West’s Wild Card team), they’ll move onto a single-elimination knockout round with quarterfinals slated for Dec. 4 and 5 (with the losing teams from each conference playing each other on Dec. 8), semifinals following on Dec. 7, and the championship on Sat. Dec. 9.

The semis and championship will be played at neutral site T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, which Suns fans may recognize as the home of the likely-soon-to-be-defunct Pac-12 Tournament.

The press release from the league wanted everyone to be made aware of three playoff rematches happening in group play, including a couple familiar faces:

• Nov. 24 Miami Heat @ NY Knicks at 5:30 on ESPN
• Nov. 28 Milwaukee Bucks @ Miami Heat at 5:30 on TNT
• Nov. 28 Golden State Warriors @ Sacramento Kings at 8:00 on TNT

So whether you’re watching just to keep track of how the Suns are coming together early on in this new era or keeping tabs around the league to who Phoenix might be up against down the stretch of the season, the In-Season Tournament is shaping up to be at the very least a fun experiment.

Plus, our friends over at DraftKings already have odds up for the Tournament, including the Suns listed at +1100 to win the whole thing, fourth-best across the league. They’re the favorites to come out of their group on top as well at +135, ahead of the Lakers at +185 and the Grizzlies at +475.