The in-season tournament will also be back in the 2024/25 NBA season. A tournament that runs parallel to the regular season. The first results are clear.
by Mike Bootshagen
The in-season tournament is entering its second season for the NBA. For the tournament, the teams will be drawn into groups of five. Opponents are teams from your own conference, but not necessarily from your own division.
Each team plays two home and two away games. The six group winners and the best team in each conference that does not win their group advance to the knockout rounds.
The games, with the exception of the final, count as part of the regular season.
The first results are clear. ran summarizes the night for you.
The most important thing in brief
Charlotte Hornets 89:114 Orlando Magic
Basketball world champion Franz Wagner led the Orlando Magic to their sixth win this season in the North American professional league NBA thanks to his season-best performance of 32 points.
The Berliner also contributed eight rebounds and five assists in the 114:89 win against the Charlotte Hornets. His older brother Moritz was the Magic’s second-best scorer with 18 points (five rebounds, one assist).
“There is still a lot that I can improve on, but I think we have found a great rhythm,” said Franz Wagner (23). German rookie Tristan da Silva also impressed for Orlando with five points and six rebounds.
After their third win in a row, the team from Florida now has a record of six wins and six losses each and is now in third place in the Eastern Conference, dominated by the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers (12-0) ahead of champions Boston Celtics (9th). :3) is mentioned.
In addition to Charlotte, Orlando’s opponents are the Brooklyn Nets with national team captain Dennis Schröder, the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Atlanta Hawks 117:116 Boston Celtics
Onyeka Okungwu is the man of the evening. With 6.1 seconds on the clock, he tipped a ball into the basket to give the Atlanta Hawks the win. Jaylen Brown tried again as the clock expired for the Boston Celtics, but in vain.
One point separated both teams with the final score of 117:116, an important victory for Atlanta, who played without superstar Trae Young and had previously been waiting for a win for two games. Dyson Daniels excelled with 28 points. A career best for him.
Despite missing the buzzer beater, Brown was the best Celtics player. 37 points were also a top value of his season so far. Derrick White with 31 points is also impressive. The Celtics are now 9-3 and await the Brooklyn Nets next. The Hawks (5-7) now host the Washington Wizards.
Miami Heat 121:123 Detroit Pistons
What a crime thriller! Only in overtime did the Detroit Pistons bring the Miami Heat to their knees. The guests are defeated 121:123.
And the game was decided by an illegal timeout. Tyler Herro gave Miami a 121-119 lead with 1.8 seconds on the clock. But then Miami wanted a timeout even though they didn’t have one anymore. Malik Beasley brilliantly sank the resulting foul throws as well as a free throw.
Like Cunningham, he was there with 21 points for Detroit. Herro alone put up 40 points for the Heat, 20 in the fourth quarter and overtime alone.
Bitter: Pistons player Tim Hardaway Jr. had to use a wheelchair after a collision in the third quarter. Opponent Jalen Duren’s knee hit him in the head while he was lying on the ground. Hardaway was bleeding and had a long medical break before he left the court in a wheelchair.
Miami now has a record of 4-6, Detroit 5.7.
New York Knicks 111:99 Philadelphia 76ers
It was the season debut for Joel Embiid, but it went wrong.
The New York Knicks beat the Philadelphia 76ers 111:99 despite the return of their superstar.
OG Anunoby was the party crasher with 24 points. Embiid scored 13 points and was no immediate help throughout the game. Now they are 2-8, while the Knicks move to 5-5.
Toronto Raptors 85:99 Milwaukee Bucks
In the duel of the currently weakest NBA teams, the Toronto Raptors lose 85:99 against the Milwaukee Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo led his team with 23 points on the scoreboard.
Bobby Portis was the Raptors’ top player with 17 points. A sentence that sums up a lot. The Raptors are still waiting for their first road win of the season (0-7) and their third win ever, as they have been winless in seven games in a row (2-10). The Bucks improve to 3-8.
Phoenix Suns 120:112 Utah Jazz
Devin Booker and Bradley Beal didn’t let anything go wrong. The duo gave the Phoenix Suns a 120-112 victory over the Utah Jazz. Booker contributed with 31 points and Beal with 24 points.
John Collins was alone on the Jazz side with his 29 points and ten rebounds. The team is still waiting for its first home win (0-5) and is now 2-8. Miserable. The Suns march on at 9-2.
Minnesota Timberwolves 108:122 Portland Trail Blazers
The Minnesota Timberwolves lose 108:122 to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Robert Williams, who recently returned from his knee injury, delivered 19 points, nine rebounds and three assists. On the Timberwolves side, Naz Reid scored 28 points and guard Anthony Edwards scored 26 points, but that wasn’t enough.
Minnesota still has a positive record at 6-5, while the Blazers are still far away from that at 4-8.
Dallas Mavericks 117:120 Golden State Warriors
What a match! The Dallas Mavericks lost to the Golden State Warriors 117:120.
There was a clear winner in the Splash Brothers duel. From 2011 to 2024, i.e. for 13 years, guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson played for the Warriors and ensured a spectacular era. Now they were separated and Thompson arrived at the Chase Center in San Francisco as a Maverick.
Curry didn’t want to leave any question as to which Splash Brother was in charge here. He conjured up 37 points in the hall, the last 12 points of the Warriors game all came from him! Thompson scored 22 points in his emotional return and even gave his new team a 110:105 lead with a three-pointer before Curry went crazy.
The ailing Luka Doncic led Dallas with 31 points, eight rebounds and six assists, but had no chance against Curry’s Warriors.
That makes the Mavericks 5-6 and the Warriors 9-2.
