The NBA postseason has begun. Sunday’s eventful regular season finale closed out an 82-game marathon. On Tuesday night, TNT has a double-header, with the Hawks and Heat kicking things off in a battle for the Eastern Conference’s seventh seed and a showdown with the Boston Celtics. The second game of the night will have the fighting Timberwolves heading to Los Angeles to take on LeBron James and the Lakers, with the winner of this contest becoming the Western Conference’s seventh seed and heading to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies.
The Timberwolves will be without center Rudy Gobert, who was suspended after punching a teammate during Sunday’s game against the Pelicans, as well as Jaden McDaniels, who is out for the season after punching a wall during the same contest.
Needless to say, the NBA playoffs should be exciting. Here’s everything you need to know about watching and streaming the NBA postseason with or without cable.
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers will host the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference’s play-in game on Tuesday night.
Harry How/Getty Images
What is the schedule for the play-in games?
The play-in game schedule is as follows (all times ET):
Tuesday, April 11:
- Atlanta Hawks vs. Miami Heat, 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT; the winner becomes the Eastern Conference’s seventh seed and plays the Boston Celtics
- Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 10 p.m. ET on TNT; the winner becomes the Western Conference’s seventh seed and plays the Memphis Grizzlies
Wednesday, April 12:
- Chicago Bulls vs. Toronto Raptors, 7 p.m. ET on ESPN; the winner plays the loser of the Hawks/Heat game to become the East’s eighth seed and take on the Milwaukee Bucks
- Oklahoma City Thunder vs. New Orleans Pelicans, 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN; the winner plays the loser of the Lakers/Timberwolves game to become the West’s eighth seed and take on the Denver Nuggets
Friday, April 14:
- Eastern Conference eighth-seed game, time TBD but it will air on TNT
- Western Conference eighth-seed game, time TBD but it will air on ESPN
When do the NBA Playoffs start?
The NBA playoffs start on Saturday, April 15.
The NBA Finals will begin on Thursday, June 1. Game seven of the Finals, if necessary, will take place on Sunday, June 18.
What does the NBA playoff bracket look like?
What channels will broadcast playoff games?
The play-in games will air on TNT and ESPN. The NBA playoffs will air on TNT, ESPN, ABC and NBA TV.
This year TNT will have the Eastern Conference Finals, while ESPN will take the lead on the Western Conference Finals. The NBA Finals will air on ABC.
Best options for streaming the NBA playoffs
As all the games will be shown nationally, most of the major streaming TV services offer all the networks you’ll need for watching the NBA playoffs. That said, it can be a bit complicated.
Sling TV’s Orange plan includes ESPN and TNT. NBA TV is available as part of the Sports Extra add-on, which costs $11 a month. ABC, however, is only available in eight markets (Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Fresno, Houston and Raleigh) and requires the Orange and Blue combo plan if you want ESPN too. That combo plan costs $65 per month in all of those cities except Fresno, Houston and Raleigh, where it costs $60.
Hulu Plus Live TV costs $70 a month and ESPN, ABC and TNT, but not NBA TV. Click the “View all channels in your area” link at the bottom of its welcome page to see which local networks are available where you live.
YouTube TV costs $73 a month and offers all the main basketball channels for the NBA playoffs, including NBA TV. Plug in your ZIP code on its welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area.
DirecTV Stream is expensive. It’s the priciest of the five major live TV streaming services. Its cheapest, $65-a-month Entertainment package includes ESPN, ABC, and TNT. You’ll need to move up to the $85-a-month Choice plan to get NBA TV. You can use its channel lookup tool to see which local channels and RSNs are available in your area.
It is worth noting that DirecTV has an additional $15 “advanced receiver service” fee that automatically applies and is extra from the sticker price, which makes the Entertainment package $80 per month and the Choice option $100 per month.
Each live TV streaming service offers a free trial, allows you to cancel anytime and requires a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide.
NBA Play-In and Playoffs 2023: How to Watch, Stream Tuesday’s Games Without Cable – CNET
Source: Media Star Philippines
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