The NBA rolled out its first-ever in-season tournament in primetime on November 3.

This tournament is a new addition to this 2023-2024 season that will culminate with a championship game in Las Vegas on December 9.

The tournament will consist of group play and the knockout rounds. 

In the group stages, all 30 teams have been drawn in groups of five within their conference. Each team will play every team in their group once. The six group winners plus the best two second-place teams, will advance to the knockout stages. 

The In-season tournament games, all except for the championship, will count towards the regular season record.

The tournament was the source of the primetime double-header and set the tone for the new competition.

In the first half of the doubleheader, the Milwaukee Bucks were up against the New York Knicks at home. The game saw three lead changes and three ties during the night, with the stars on both teams shining brightly in Milwaukee. 

It was a night that saw Jalen Brunson score a season-high 45 points, just three shy of his all-time best career night of 48 points. The guard would carry the Knicks on his back all night while the rest of the team struggled to assist with the offense, as no one else on the team even made it to 20 points on the night. Meanwhile, the Bucks had a balance of contributions on both ends of the floor. Leading the scoring was off-season acquisition Damian Lillard with a 30-point night. He was assisted by star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had 22 points and 8 rebounds.

Defensively, the Bucks were a menace all night, led by Center Brook Lopez who had an impressive 8 blocks for the night. The Bucks also shot 51.3% from beyond the arc and made 71% of their free throws. 
The Bucks went on to win 110-105.

The second half of the doubleheader saw defending champions Denver Nuggets facing off at home against the Dallas Mavericks. 

With the teams relatively even across most statistics, it was the battle of the rebounds that won the game for the Champs. They would out-rebound the visiting Mavericks 51-34, including 19 on the offensive glass, which gave them second-chance possessions. Luka Dončić would lead the Mavericks with a double-double of 34 points and 10 rebounds in a losing effort. Finals MVP Nikola Jokić would have a double-double of his own, with 33 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Nuggets to an eleven-point victory, ending 125-114. 

The In-season tournament will continue every Tuesday and Friday until the championship is concluded.