Six spots open as NBA In-Season Tournament wraps group play tonight

Six of the eight spots in the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament are available as the league heads into the final night of group play Tuesday.

Only Indiana and the Los Angeles Lakers have qualified by virtue of going 4-0 in group play and finishing first in their group. The four remaining group winners and two wildcards (one from each conference) will also qualify for the quarterfinals.

There are eight games on Tuesday including Milwaukee-Miami (7:30 p.m. ET) and Golden State Sacramento (10 p.m. ET) on TNT – and all four of those teams have a chance to qualify for the knockout round.

Let’s take a look at what’s at stake in Tuesday’s games:

Who plays in Tuesday’s In-Season Tournament games?

Charlotte at New York, 7:30 p.m. ET

Milwaukee at Miami, 7:30 p.m. ET

Atlanta at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m. ET

Toronto at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m. ET

Chicago at Boston, 7:30 p.m. ET

Oklahoma City at Minnesota, 8 p.m. ET

Houston at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. ET

Golden State at Sacramento, 10 p.m. ET

Who can get in to the In-Season Tournament quarterfinals and how?

In the East:

Milwaukee can win East Group B with a victory, and the Bucks can also qualify as a wildcard.

Miami can win East Group B with a victory and New York loss or a victory and wins in a tiebreaker over Milwaukee and New York.

New York can win East Group B with a victory, a Milwaukee loss and if it wins the tiebreaker over Milwaukee and Miami.

Charlotte has an outside chance as the wildcard but it requires a bunch of losses by other teams plus winning the tiebreaker.

Orlando can clinch East Group C with a Brooklyn loss or a Boston victory and Orlando wins the tiebreaker over Brooklyn and Boston. The Magic can also get in with a wildcard with losses by Boston, Cleveland, New York and Miami or Orlando finishes second in group play and wins the tiebreaker against any second-place team from other groups with a 3-1 record.

Brooklyn can clinch East Group C with a victory and a Boston loss or a victory and the Nets win the tiebreaker over Boston and Orlando.

The Celtics, Heat, Nets, Atlanta, Cleveland or Philadelphia can also clinch the wildcard under a variety of scenarios.

The Pacers have clinched East Group A.

In the West:

New Orleans can clinch West Group B with a Houston loss.

Houston wins West Group B with a victory.

Sacramento wins West Group C with a victory or a Minnesota victory and the Kings win the tiebreaker over Minnesota and Golden State.

Minnesota clinches West Group C with a victory plus a Sacramento loss plus the Timberwolves winning the tiebreaker over Sacramento and Golden State.

Golden State clinches West Group C with a victory and a Minnesota loss or a victory and the Warriors win the tiebreaker over Sacramento and Minnesota.

Phoenix can earn a wildcard with a Minnesota loss or Phoenix wins the tiebreaker over any second-place team from another group that finishes 3-1.

Minnesota gets a wildcard with a victory, finishes second in group play and wins the tiebreaker over any second-place team from another group with a 3-1 record.

The Warriors secure a wildcard with a victory, finishes second in the group and wins the tiebreaker over any second-place team from another group with a 3-1 record.

The Lakers have clinched West Group A.

What are the tiebreakers?

Per the NBA, here are the tiebreakers in sequential order:

1. Head-to-head record in group play (if both teams are in the same group)

2. Point differential in group play

3. Total points scored in group play

4. Record from the 2022-23 NBA regular season

5. Random drawing (in the unlikely scenario that two or more teams are still tied after the previous tiebreakers)

Who has been eliminated from the quarterfinals?

Detroit, Washington, Toronto, Chicago, Utah, Portland, Memphis, Denver, Dallas, Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City and San Antonio.

When are the In-Season Tournament quarterfinals?

Two quarterfinal games are Dec. 4 on TNT, and the other two are Dec. 5 on TNT. Those games will be played in team markets.

When are the In-Season Tournament semifinals?

The semifinals are Dec. 7 in Las Vegas – one game is on ESPN at 5 p.m. ET and the other is on TNT at 9 p.m. ET.

When is the In-Season Tournament final?

The final is Dec. 9 in Las Vegas (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC), and the winner will receive the NBA Cup.

Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt