Details for four games from 2023-24 Heat schedule released, with full schedule unveiled Thursday

While the NBA’s full 2023-24 regular-season schedule will be released Thursday, the league did announce four games on the Miami Heat’s schedule for this upcoming season on Tuesday afternoon.

The NBA revealed details for the four group play games each team will have on their schedule for the league’s inaugural in-season tournament. All 30 teams were randomly drawn into groups of five within their conference based on records from last regular season.

The Heat’s five-team group for the NBA’s new in-season tournament includes the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets. Every team in the league will play one game against each opponent in their group with two coming at home and two coming on the road, and those games will take place every Tuesday and Friday in November and will count toward the regular-season standings.

The Heat’s four group play games, which will also count as regular-season games, that were announced Tuesday are: on Nov. 3 vs. Wizards at Kaseya Center in Miami at 8 p.m., on Nov. 14 vs. Hornets at Spectrum Center in Charlotte at 7 p.m., on Nov. 24 vs. Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York at 7:30 p.m., and on Nov. 28 vs. Bucks at Kaseya Center in Miami at 7:30 p.m.

Bally Sports Sun will air three of the Heat’s four group play games — vs. Wizards, at Hornets and vs. Knicks. The Heat’s matchup against the Knicks in New York will also be broadcast on ESPN, but the Heat’s matchup against the Bucks in Miami will be aired exclusively on TNT.

What are the rules behind the NBA’s new in-season tournament?

The winner of each of the six groups and two wild cards (the team from each conference with the best record in group play that finished second in its group) — a total of eight teams — will advance to the knockout single-elimination rounds.

Despite the new wrinkle of the in-season tourney, every team will continue to play 82 regular-season games.

That’s because every game in the NBA’s in-season tournament will count toward regular-season stats and standings, except the championship game.

The 22 teams not advancing to the quarterfinals will play two regular-season games on Dec. 6 and 8 to fill the missing two games in their standard 82-game schedules.

The four teams that lose in the quarterfinals will each play a regular-season game on Dec. 8 to fill the missing game in their 82-game schedules.

For the four teams that win in the quarterfinals, their 82nd game will come in the semifinals.

And the two teams that advance to the championship game will play an extra game (83rd game) for the in-season tournament title that won’t count toward the regular season.

The quarterfinals will be played in NBA team markets on Dec. 4 and 5. These games will be hosted by the two teams with the best record in group play games from each conference, as the team with the best record in group play from each conference will host the wild card team in their respective conference.

The semifinals and championship game of the event will be played at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 7 and Dec. 9.

Since two games for each team during the week of Dec. 4 will remain up in the air until the group stage of the in-season tournament plays out, only 80 of the 82 regular-season games for each team will be announced when the full schedule is released.

What’s at stake in the in-season tournament? The new NBA cup and bonus money for the quarterfinalists, semifinalists, runner-up and champion.

Each player on the four teams that loses in the quarterfinals will get $50,000, each player on the two teams that lose in the semifinals will get $100,000, each player on the team that loses in the championship will get $200,000 and each player on the team that’s crowned champion of the tourney will get $500,000.

At the end of the in-season tournament, the NBA will name the most valuable player of the event and the all-tournament team. Selection will be based on the players’ performance in both group play and the knockout rounds.

Tentative details for other games from the Heat’s schedule have already started to trickle out, but they’re not official until the NBA announces them on Thursday.

According to sources, the Heat is expected to open the regular season on Oct. 25 before taking on the Celtics in Boston on Oct. 27 in a game aired on ESPN.

The Heat is also set to host the Philadelphia 76ers at Kaseya Center on Christmas Day at 8 p.m. in a game broadcast on ESPN. It marks the first time the Heat has played on Christmas since 2020.

Whether the Heat acquires All-Star guard Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers or not, Miami’s game in Portland next season will be on national television. According to the tentative schedule that has been circulated around the league, the Heat’s one road game against the Trail Blazers this upcoming regular season will be aired on TNT on Feb. 27.

In addition, the Heat is expected to play the Nuggets in Denver in an NBA Finals rematch on Feb. 29, according to The Athletic.