Heat to begin NBA’s in-season tournament. A refresher on how it all works. Also, Butler still out

The Miami Heat’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons this week will carry a little extra meaning.

That’s because the Heat’s game against the Pistons on Tuesday at Little Caesars Arena (7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network — Sun) marks the first of four group-play games as part of the NBA’s second-annual in-season tournament, now known as the Emirates NBA Cup.

“I think it’s definitely a different energy that you feel, knowing that those games, I guess, mean a little more in a different way,” Heat second-year forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. said. “It’s a fun thing that the NBA is doing. We take the approach of if they’re going to put it in, might as well try to win it. So that’s the approach we’re going to take, so looking forward to it.”

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The Heat (4-5) — coming off Sunday’s dramatic 95-94 road win against the Minnesota Timberwolves — is hoping for a better result in this year’s in-season tournament after not advancing past the group stage of the NBA’s inaugural tourney last season.

“I warmed up to it last year,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of the event. “I think it is fun for the league. When you watched the four teams compete in Vegas, it left you wanting to be there the next year.”

How does the in-season tournament work? Here’s a refresher:

Each of the NBA’s 30 teams will play four group-play games — one game against each opponent in their randomly drawn five-team group from within their conference. Two of those games will be played at home and the other two on the road. Those games around the league will take place across four Tuesdays (Nov. 12, 19 and 26 and Dec. 3) and three Fridays (Nov. 15, 22 and 29).

For this season’s tournament, the Heat’s five-team group includes the Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors and Pistons.

After Tuesday’s matchup against the Pistons in Detroit, the Heat’s other three group-play games are Friday against the Pacers in Indianapolis, Nov. 26 against the Bucks in Miami and Nov. 29 against the Raptors in Miami. Group-play games will count as regular-season games.

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) will advance to the knockout quarterfinal round.

If two or more teams are tied within a group, the tie among the teams will be broken according to the following tiebreakers (in sequential order): head-to-head record in group play, point differential in group play, total points scored in group play, regular-season record from last regular season and random drawing. Overtime scoring will not count towards the point differential and total points tiebreakers.

If two or more teams are tied for the wild card in a conference, the tie among the teams will be broken following the same tiebreaker protocol, with the exception of the head-to-head record in group play. Ties within groups will be broken before the calculation of wild card tiebreakers.

“You still have to manage the season,” Spoelstra said when asked if he would coach a game differently because of the in-season tournament tiebreakers. “We’re going to go for a win every single night. So it should line up, your competitive spirits, tiebreakers and all of it. It really is about stacking up as many wins as you can. And then if you’re fortunate enough to be able to compete for that, you just go for it.”

The knockout rounds will consist of single-elimination games for the eight teams that advance from group play, starting with the quarterfinals on Dec. 10 and 11 played in NBA markets. Those games will be hosted by the two teams with the best record in group-play games from each conference, with the team holding the best record in group play from each conference hosting the wild card team in their respective conference.

The four teams that win quarterfinal games advance to the neutral-site semifinals on Dec. 14 and then two teams will play in the championship game on Dec. 17. The semifinals and championship game of the in-season tournament will be played at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with the Los Angeles Lakers winning last season’s inaugural NBA Cup.

What’s at stake? The NBA Cup and bonus money for the quarterfinalists, semifinalists, runner-up and champion.

Last season, the players on the championship team got $500,000 each, players on the team that lost in the championship got $200,000 each, players on the team that lost in the semifinals got $100,000 each, and the players on the team that lost in the quarterfinals got $50,000 each. This season, the cash prizes are expected to be slightly higher because of negotiated raises as part of the latest collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and National Basketball Players Association.

“It’s something to play for and everybody on the team gets the same prize,” Heat guard Tyler Herro said of the cash reward. “So I think it is a motivation for all the guys that want to compete for something and compete for their teammates, especially early on.”

The 22 teams not advancing to the quarterfinals will play two regular-season games (one home game and one road game) on Dec. 12 or Dec. 13 and Dec. 15 or Dec. 16 to fill the missing two games in their standard 82-game schedules. The four teams that lose in the quarterfinals will play a regular-season game against an opponent still to be determined on Dec. 12, 13, 15 or 16 to complete its 82-game schedule.

Every game in the NBA’s in-season tournament will count toward regular-season stats and standings, except the championship game in Las Vegas on Dec. 17. The two teams that advance to the championship game will play 83 games during the regular season, which is why the in-season tournament final does not count toward the regular season.

Because of the uncertainty surrounding which teams will advance past the group stage, each team currently only has 80 of its 82 regular-season currently scheduled — 76 non-in-season tournament regular-season games and four in-season tournament group-play games. The remaining two regular-season games will be at some point from Dec. 9-16 based on how each team fares during group play.

In order to make in-season tournament games feel different than other regular-season games, there will be special “fully painted” courts for tournament games. The Heat’s court, which will be used for any group-play and quarterfinal games played at Kaseya Center, is painted a goldish yellow from edge to edge with an image of the NBA Cup at center court.

“I think it brings a different feel to them,” Herro said of the special courts. “It also shows that it is something different, it’s not the same meaning as a regular-season game.”

BUTLER STILL OUT

Heat star Jimmy Butler will miss his second straight game when the Heat takes on the Pistons in Detroit on Tuesday. Butler sprained his right ankle early in Friday’s road loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Butler has remained on the road with the Heat instead of returning to Miami, leaving open the possibility for a return before the end of the team’s current trip. After Tuesday’s matchup against the Pistons, the Heat closes its six-game trip with back-to-back games against the Indiana Pacers on Friday and Sunday.

“Right now, he’s just focused on treatment and doing whatever he has to do to get back out there,” Spoelstra said Sunday when asked about Butler’s status. “We don’t have a timeline right now, but he’s with us.”

The only other Heat players on the injury report for Tuesday’s game are Josh Christopher and Keshad Johnson, who are in the G League as part of their two-way contracts.