ESPN, TNT Set To Telecast NBA In-Season Tournament Knockout Stage

R. Thomas Umstead
·1 min read
Miles McBride #2 of the New York Knicks runs out the clock as Nick Smith Jr. #8 of the Charlotte Hornets defends during the second half of an NBA In-Season Tournament game at Madison Square Garden on November 28, 2023.
Miles McBride #2 of the New York Knicks runs out the clock as Nick Smith Jr. #8 of the Charlotte Hornets defends during the second half of an NBA In-Season Tournament game at Madison Square Garden on November 28, 2023.

The inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament continues tonight (December 4) with a field of eight teams set to play single-elimination games to determine the semi-final and final-round participants to battle for the title later this week in Las Vegas.

TNT tipped off knockout-round tournament coverage Monday night with the Boston Celtics-Indiana Pacers and New Orleans Pelicans-Sacramento Kings games. ESPN on Tuesday airs the New York Knicks-Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns-Los Angeles Lakers games.

The winning teams will faceoff on Thursday (December 7), with ESPN televising the first semi-final game at 5 p.m. (ET) and TNT airing the second game at 9 p.m. (ET). ABC will air the in-season tournament final on December 9.

Teams not qualifying for the quarterfinal round will play games on December 6 and 8. Teams that lose in the quarterfinals will play each other later in the week, according to the league.

The month-long NBA in-season tournament has been a ratings success thus far for the league and networks. ESPN averaged 1.58 million viewers for six Friday tournament games in November, up 24% from the same period last year, according to SportsBusiness Journal. TNT averaged 1.32 million for four tournament games, up 7% from the network’s Tuesday night November average, according to SBJ.