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It was a good weekend for the local teams in the first games of the NBA playoffs. All eight local teams won their respective first matches, and most in relatively easy fashion. On Sunday, only the Pelicans-Thunder nightcap match was played, with top seed Oklahoma City narrowly holding off New Orleans.
Monday brings three more contests, with Game 2 coming up for Cavs-Magic, Knicks-Sixers and Nuggets-Lakers.
Here’s everything you need to know to watch or stream the NBA playoffs.
What is the playoff schedule today?
Here is the remaining game schedule for today and the next few days (all times ET):
Monday April 22
- Magic vs. Cavaliers, 7 p.m. on NBA TV (Cavaliers lead the series 1-0)
- 76ers vs. Knicks, 7:30 p.m. on TNT (Knicks lead series 1-0)
- Lakers vs. Nuggets, 10 p.m. on TNT (Nuggets lead series 1-0)
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)
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 2024 NBA Playoffs, which kicked off today:
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
How to watch the NBA playoffs
The NBA playoffs will be 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.
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.