Sling TV
Offers ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV for $70 per month
The home teams took care of business last night, with the Cavaliers, Knicks and Nuggets all winning to lead 2-0 in their respective series. The Knicks needed a wild finish that started with a lucky bounce on a 3-pointer by Jalen Brunson followed by a steal, scramble and go-ahead 3-pointer by Donte DiVincenzo in the final seconds. Madison Square Garden erupted and the Knicks left the court with a 104-101 victory over the 76ers.
By the nightcap, the Nuggets trailed the Lakers for most of the evening as LeBron James looked magnificent on both ends of the court. LeBron’s efforts weren’t enough, however, as the Nuggets rallied from a 20-point deficit in the second half and won the game 101-99 thanks to a Jamal Murray buzzer-beater.
Tuesday brings three more contests, with Game 2 coming up for Suns-Timberwolves, Pacers-Bucks and Mavs-Clippers.
Here’s everything you need to know to watch or stream the NBA playoffs.
Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves will try to go 2-0 tonight in their first round series against the Phoenix Suns.
How to watch the NBA playoffs
The NBA playoffs are broadcast on four channels: ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV. You can watch the games with a cable subscription or live TV streaming service.
Three of the top five services offer all four channels. Hulu with Live TV does not have NBA TV, which will only broadcast a handful of playoff games. Fubo doesn’t have TNT, which airs much of the NBA playoffs, making Fubo a poor choice for hoops fans. You can also watch TNT broadcasts of playoff games with Max.
What is the playoff schedule today?
Here is the schedule of games for today and the next few days (all times ET):
Tuesday April 23
- Suns vs. Timberwolves, 7:30 p.m. on TNT (Timberwolves lead series 1-0)
- Pacers vs Bucks, 8:30 p.m. on NBA TV (Bucks lead series 1-0)
- Mavericks vs. Clippers, 10 p.m. on TNT (Clippers leads series 1-0)
Wednesday April 24
- Heat vs. Celtics, 7 p.m. on TNT (Celtics lead series 1-0)
- Pelicans vs. Thunder, 9:30 p.m. on TNT (Thunder leads series 1-0)
Thursday April 25
- Cavaliers vs Magic, 7 p.m. on NBA TV (Cavaliers lead series 2-0)
- Knicks vs. 76ers, 7:30 p.m. on TNT (Knicks lead series 2-0)
- Nuggets vs. Lakers, 10 p.m. on TNT (Nuggets lead series 2-0)
Friday April 26
- Bucks vs. Pacers, 5:30 p.m. on ESPN (Bucks lead series 1-0)
- Clippers vs. Mavericks, 8 p.m. on ESPN (Clippers leads the series 1-0)
- Timberwolves vs. Suns, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN (Timberwolves lead series 1-0)
What does the NBA playoff picture look like?
The Boston Celtics won first place in the East and the Oklahoma City Thunder edged out the defending champion Denver Nuggets for first place in the West. Here’s what the matchups look like for the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs:
Eastern Conference
- No. 1 Boston Celtics vs. No. 8 Miami Heat
- No. 2 New York Knicks vs. No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers
- No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 6 Indiana Pacers
- No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Orlando Magic
Western Conference
- No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 8 New Orleans Pelicans
- No. 2 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers
- No. 3 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 6 Phoenix Suns
- Los Angeles Clippers No. 4 vs. Dallas Mavericks No. 5
YouTube TV costs $73 per month and includes the four channels needed to watch every NBA playoff game. Plug your zip code into its home page to see what local networks are available in your area.
Read our YouTube TV review.
DirecTV Stream’s $109 per month Choice plan includes ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV. You can use its channel finder tool to see if ABC is available where you live. If you want to skip the handful of games on NBA TV, you can get the other three channels with DirecTV Stream’s $80 per month basic entertainment package.
Read our DirecTV Stream review.
Hulu Plus Live TV costs $77 per month and includes ABC, ESPN and TNT. It’s the only service that doesn’t offer NBA TV, even as part of an add-on package. Click the “Show channels in your area” link on its home page to see which local channels are offered in your zip code.
Read our Hulu Plus Live TV review.
The ad-supported plan for Max costs $10 per month and will stream TNT broadcasts of NBA playoff games. With just Max, you’ll miss games on ESPN, ABC, and NBA TV.
Live sports on Max will soon require the $10 per month B/R Sports add-on, but you won’t need to shell out for it yet. Warner Bros. Discovery is currently delaying billing customers for the add-on and including it in the standard subscription.
Read our Max review.
All of the live TV streaming services above offer free trials, let you cancel at any time, and require a strong internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our guide to live TV streaming services.
