INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers cruised into the next stage of the NBA's first In-Season Tournament.
So what happens next?
By virtue of their 4-0 record against their opponents in "East Group A," Indiana will host a quarterfinal game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, which means one more look at the team's special bright blue court.
The Pacers will face the Boston Celtics, currently the best team in the Eastern Conference standings, on Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast nationally on TNT.
The winner of that matchup will face either Milwaukee or the New York Knicks. The Bucks earned the top seed in the east after finishing 4-0, but having a larger point differential than the Pacers by seven points. The Knicks made it into the quarterfinals as the wild card in the East.
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The winner of each of the six groups — three in both the Eastern and Western conferences — plus two wild card teams will make up the quarterfinal bracket in the single-elimination "Knockout Round."
The quarterfinal rounds will be divided by conference, with the top team in each conference hosting the wild card team from their respective conference.
The winners of those games will advance to the semifinals in Las Vegas on Dec. 7. The semifinal winners will square off Dec. 9 for the first NBA In-Season Tournament championship and the NBA Cup trophy.
The knockout rounds are about more than just pride. The further a team advances, the greater share of the In-Season Tournament prize pool it will collect. Each player on the winning team will collect $500,000.
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Each game of the tournament has also counted toward the regular season standings, giving the Pacers a four-game boost toward qualifying for the traditional playoffs in the spring. The quarterfinal and semifinal games also count toward the regular season standings. The teams that lose in the quarterfinals will play a game on Dec. 8, while teams that were eliminated in group play will play both Dec. 6 and Dec. 8.
Tip-off times for the quarterfinal games will be announced after the matchups are set.
Haliburton leading MVP race
In addition to the team trophy and prize money, a Most Valuable Player and All-Tournament Team will be announced.
With one night of group play remaining, NBA.com ranks Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton at the top of its tournament MVP rankings, edging out Lakers star LeBron James.
Haliburton averaged 28.5 points per game in group play, dishing out an average of 13.5 assists and grabbing four rebounds per game.
His opening round highlight reel was punctuated by a team-record 26 points in the third quarter of a record-setting 157-152 win over Atlanta. Haliburton finished with 37 points in the win.
(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)
Editor's Note: This story has been corrected to reflect the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds are based on conference.