Kings advance to quarterfinals of NBA In-Season Tournament to play Pelicans

After falling behind by 24 points on Tuesday night, the Sacramento Kings mounted an incredible comeback to deliver a 124-123 win over the Golden State Warriors in an instant classic at Golden 1 Center. With the win, the Kings clinched Group C of the NBA In-Season Tournament Group Play portion.

Next up in the tournament, the Kings face the New Orleans Pelicans in a single-game elimination game at 7 p.m. PST on Monday, Dec. 4 at the Golden 1 Center. Going forward, all games in the NBA’s In-Season Tournament are single-elimination. If the Kings advance, they’ll play the winner of the Lakers and Suns matchup in Las Vegas.

Everyone loves a bracket…

The NBA In-Season Tournament moves on to the Knockout Rounds!

Quarterfinals: Dec. 4 & 5
Semifinals: Dec. 7
Championship: Dec. 9 pic.twitter.com/7yoDMwe9Xe

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) November 29, 2023

What happened last time the Kings and Pelicans met?

It wasn’t long ago that Sacramento and New Orleans faced off. During the Kings’ recent six-game road trip, the two teams faced off twice in New Orleans, with the Pelicans taking both games.

While one of those games was a blow-out loss, the Kings made game two a contest, coming up short in the final minutes. However, the NBA’s last two-minute report showed a missed call on Zion Williamson that could have benefited the Kings.

Do the NBA In-Season Tournament games impact the regular season?

All tournament games except the championship count toward regular-season standings.

When the NBA released its 2023-24 regular season schedule in August, only 80 games were announced for all teams. A standard regular season schedule consists of 82 games. And this is where the tournament comes into play.

Each team’s final two regular-season games will be determined by their result from the tournament.

“Each of the 22 teams that do not advance to the Quarterfinals of the In-Season Tournament will be assigned two regular-season
games (one home game and one away game) that will be played on Wednesday, Dec. 6 and Friday, Dec. 8,” reads the NBA’s press release about the tournament. “The losing teams in the Quarterfinals in each conference will play each other in a regular-season game on Dec. 8.”

What does the tournament winner get?

The winning team wins the NBA Cup. There will also be an In-Season Tournament MVP and all-tournament team. Players in the championship, semifinals and quarterfinals will also receive a monetary prize.

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