NBA Starting 5, Nov. 28: 16 teams out for 6 spots — tonight
We’ve never had a night quite like the one on the way tonight.
✅ 16 teams
✅ Out for 6 Knockout Round spots
✅ 12 of them active tonight
✅ Across 8 games
Every minute matters.
Here’s what you need to know.
The Lineup
- Tonight In 60 Seconds ⏰
- What’s At Stake: East
- What’s At Stake: West
- What Else To Know?
- Monday’s Must-See
Bucks-Heat, 7:30 ET, TNT
Warriors-Kings, 10 ET, TNT
6 More Tournament Games in App
Group Play Clinching Scenarios
1. TONIGHT IN 60 SECONDS ⏰
Deep breath.
Ok, maybe two.
Ready? Let’s go.
- 6 spots up for grabs: Eight total teams will advance from In-Season Tournament Group Play to the single-elimination Knockout Rounds: 6 Group winners, 2 Wild Cards
- The Lakers and Pacers already won their groups, leaving six spots still to fill
- 16 teams still in contention: 12 of those teams are in action tonight: the Bucks, Cavs, Celtics, Hawks, Heat, Hornets, Kings, Knicks, Nets, Timberwolves, Rockets & Warriors
- 4 awaiting their fate: The 76ers, Magic, Pelicans and West Wild Card-leading Suns are done with Group Play, but all have a shot to make it
- Win And You’re In: The Bucks, Kings and Rockets control their destinies. If they win, they’re in
- Five, live: Each of the five Eastern Conference games has Knockout implications. And they’re all tipping off at 7:30 ET, with Heat-Bucks on TNT. Go deeper in Section 2
- Trio out West: The final 3 games, loaded up with different Western Conference scenarios, start at 8 ET and finish with Warriors-Kings at 10 ET on TNT. Head to Section 3 for these
- How to watch in the U.S.: Two games on TNT & TNT OT, free in the NBA App. Nike Air Time brings you a special alternate broadcast of Bulls-Celtics when you connect your NBA ID & Nike memberships – and a free preview of League Pass
- NBA CrunchTime presented by Caesar’s Sportsbook will take you to the closing minutes of games starting at 9 ET
- Outside the U.S.: NBA League Pass has you covered. Check your local listings
2. WHAT’S AT STAKE IN THE EAST?
Five games could simultaneously settle the fate of the Eastern Conference, somewhere between about 9 and 10 ET tonight.
Hornets-Knicks, 7:30 ET
East B | CHA 1-2, NYK 2-1
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- Hornets clinch Wild Card: With a win, losses by 4 other teams and tiebreakers
- Knicks clinch Group: With a win & Bucks loss, then tiebreakers over Bucks & Heat
- Knicks clinch Wild Card: In three potential ways
Bucks-Heat, 7:30 ET
East B | MIL 3-0, MIA 2-1
TNT & TNT OT In App
- Bucks clinch Group: With a win … OR a Knicks win + Bucks taking tiebreaker over Knicks & Heat
- Bucks clinch Wild Card: In two potential ways
- Heat clinch Group: With a win & Knicks loss … OR a win & tiebreaker over the Bucks & Knicks
- Heat clinch Wild Card: In three potential ways
Hawks-Cavs, 7:30 ET
East A | ATL 1-2, CLE 2-1
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- Hawks clinch Wild Card: With a win, losses by 4 other teams and tiebreakers
- Cavs clinch Wild Card: In two potential ways
Bulls-Celtics, 7:30 ET
East C | CHI 0-3, BOS 2-1
NBA App (Nike Air Time)
- Celtics clinch Group: With a win, Nets win & tiebreaker over Magic & Nets … OR a win & tiebreaker over the Nets & Magic
- Celtics clinch Wild Card: In three potential ways
- Bulls have already been eliminated
Raptors-Nets, 7:30 ET
East C | TOR 1-2, BKN 2-1
NBA League Pass (Free Preview)
- Nets clinch Group: With a win & Celtics loss … OR a win & tiebreaker over the Celtics & Magic
- Nets clinch Wild Card: In two potential ways
- Raptors have already been eliminated
3. WHAT TO KNOW OUT WEST
In the West, things could come down to the final minute in the last game of the night.
Thunder-Wolves, 8 ET
West C | OKC 1-2, MIN 2-1
NBA League Pass (Free Preview)
- Wolves clinch Group: With a win, Kings loss & tiebreaker over Kings & Warriors
- Wolves clinch Wild Card: With a win, second-place finish and the tiebreaker over any other 3-1 team in second place
- Thunder have already been eliminated
Rockets-Mavs, 8:30 ET
West B | HOU 2-1, DAL 1-2
NBA League Pass (Free Preview)
- Rockets clinch Group: With a win
- Mavs have already been eliminated
Warriors-Kings, 10 ET
West C | GSW 2-1, SAC 3-0
TNT & TNT OT In App
- Warriors clinch Group: With a win & Wolves loss … OR a win and tiebreaker over Kings & Wolves
- Warriors clinch Wild Card: With a win, second-place finish and tiebreaker over any other 3-1 team in second place
- Kings clinch Group: With a win … OR a Wolves win & Kings tiebreaker over the Wolves & Warriors
Feeling good? Put your knowledge to the test. Play Tuesday Night Tournament Trivia.
Join Live Tonight: We’ll be on the ground across the league, with live coverage all. night. long. in the NBA App and @NBA on social
Let’s have some fun.
4. WHAT ELSE SHOULD I KNOW?
The Suns lead the West wild card race right now. Will that still be the case when the night ends?
Tonight features…
- Dozens of potential clinching scenarios, happening in real-time
- Three Groups where three different teams still have a shot at clinching the group: East B, East C, West C
What else?
- 11 teams can win Groups: The Bucks, Celtics, Heat, Knicks, Magic, Nets, Rockets, Pelicans, Timberwolves, Kings and Warriors can all clinch by finishing atop their groups
- 5 are Wild Card only: The Cavaliers, Hornets, Hawks, 76ers and Suns can’t win their Groups, but they can still secure one of the Wild Card bids in each conference
- Three teams can win their group, but are not in play for the Wild Card: Rockets, Pelicans, Kings.
- No seeds locked in (yet): The Lakers and Pacers have clinched home court advantage in the Quarterfinals, but no seeds have been finalized
- When does Knockout Play start? On Dec. 7 and 9. It finishes with the semifinals and championship in Las Vegas on Nov. 7 and 9, with the winners taking home the inaugural NBA Cup
- Need a tiebreakers refresher? Head-to-head record in Group Play counts as the primary tiebreaker, followed by point differential, then 3 more. Tap for what to know
5. MUST-SEE FROM MONDAY’S 5 GAMES
⚒️ Nuggets 113, Clippers 104
Recap | DEN 12-6, LAC 7-9
- What happened: With Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon out, it was the Reggie Jackson and DeAndre Jordan show in L.A. as the two former Clippers put in vintage performances to lead Denver to the win
- Jackson (35 pts, 13 ast) had the third 30/10 game of his career and first since 2015
- Jordan (21 pts, 13 reb, 5 ast) had the first 20/10/5 game of his career and first 20/10 game since 2019
- Denver’s depth: Michael Malone discussed the “special” night
- Must-see: Jackson and Jordan brought back the Lob City vibes, connecting on the lob five different times
Sixers 138, Lakers 94
Recap | PHI 12-5, LAL 10-8
- What happened: Joel Embiid posted his sixth career triple-double (30 pts, 11 reb, 11 ast), Tyrese Maxey added 31 while making five of Philly’s season-high 22 3s as the Sixers ran past the Lakers
- Must-see: Here’s two minutes of Embiid dominance and Maxey talking about his workout relationship with LeBron, who passed Kareem for the most minutes played ever (regular season and playoffs combined)
Jazz 114, Pelicans 112
Recap | UTA 6-11, NOP 9-9
- What happened: Rookie Keyonte George led seven Jazz players in double figures with 19 points as Utah held off New Orleans. Watch the final 3:10
- Must-see: Choose your tomahawk dunk: Zion off the loose ball recovery or George over Dyson Daniels
Blazers 114, Pacers 110
Recap | POR 5-12, IND 9-7
- What happened: Jerami Grant scored a game-high 34 points, Malcolm Brogdon added 24, including the game-sealing bucket in the closing seconds
- Must-see: Ayton promised a young fan his shoes pregame and delivered after his double-double
Wizards 126, Pistons 107
Recap | WAS 3-14, DET 2-15
- What happened: The Wizards snapped their nine-game losing streak behind a massive game from Kyle Kuzma, who had 32 points, 12 boards and eight assists
- Must-see: Killian Hayes with the chasedown block
