The NBA never seems to want to stop reinventing itself. For years, there’s been talk of adding a new competition to the league, primarily aimed at making November and December games more exciting – a period when the initial thrill of the season has faded and the playoffs and trade deadline still feel far off.

Introduced in 2023, the NBA In-Season Tournament—now known as the Emirates NBA Cup—is a single-elimination tournament with a group stage that takes place during November and December.  Designed as a way to heighten the excitement and the stakes of the early portion of the NBA season,

The in-season tournament, known as the NBA Emirates Cup, opens Tuesday night with a pair of high-profile returns in each conference. After the tournament schedule was released in the summer, Klay Thompson's return to the Bay was circled as the slate's marquee matchup.