NBA All-Star Break: Scheduling and Events

The NBA’s regular season games will go on hiatus soon for the 2023 NBA All-Star break. Teams will get about a week off but some will get a little more than that, depending on how their scheduling works out. There is a sparse schedule for NBA action on Thursday, February 16th. However, for the most part, NBA teams will be on a break following the action on Wednesday night.

Thursday’s games: February 16th, 2023

Three games are scheduled on Thursday:

• Milwaukee Bucks @ Chicago Bulls: 7:30 PM ET
• Washington Wizards @ Minnesota Timberwolves: 8:00 PM ET
• LA Clippers @ Phoenix Suns: 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT

The All-Star game itself will be played on Sunday with Team Giannis facing Team LeBron. This year, the captains of the teams will pick their teams ahead of the game in the old schoolyard fashion. The start time for this game will be Sunday night at 7:30 PM ET. This season, Salt Lake City will host the event.

Friday and Saturday All-Star game events

Ahead of Sunday’s game, there is a frivolous celebrity game and a Rising Stars game on Friday. Saturday has the bulk of the events, including the three-point contest and the Slam Dunk contest.

Regular season games will start up again on Thursday, February 23rd, 2023. The resumption of regular season games after the All-Star break is usually considered the home stretch of the NBA’s regular season. There’s a nine-game schedule on the 23rd so most teams will be back in action that night.

The All-Star game isn’t significant in the NBA. However, the break itself can be significant. Plenty of hot teams have taken a turn for the worse after the All-Star break in the past. Conversely, there have been ice-cold teams that have improved their results after the break. Any team that is struggling with injuries, whether published or unpublished, will definitely be welcoming the break.