BREAKING: New Orleans Pelicans Win Trip To Knockout Round
New Orleans, LA - The New Orleans Pelicans have won their West Group B bracket and will move on to the knockout rounds of the league's inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament. The Pelicans finished with the best record in their bracket thanks to the Mavericks' 119-115 victory over the Houston Rockets. Both the Eastern and Western Conferences are divided into three Groups. The winner in each group, plus a wild card team, moves on to the quarterfinals.
The Quarterfinals begin on December 5, with those games being played locally in the home team's market. The four winners of the knockout round matchup head to Las Vegas to play the semifinal and championship game in the T-Mobile Arena. Each player on the winning team receives $500,000, while the runner-up teams receive $200,000 each.
New Orleans finished with a 3-1 record during tournament play, with wins over the Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, and Los Angeles Clippers. Seeding and matchups in the knockout round will be determined by record and point differential if the teams have a similar record. Though initially criticized, the NBA In-Season Tournament has been a crowd favorite, with each team designing special home courts and jerseys for the inaugural tournament.
