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Quick Answer: Our favorite live TV streaming service for watching NBA games is DirecTV Stream. Get a five-day free trial here.
The NBA is back Tuesday, Oct. 24, tipping off with five days of doubleheaders. But, if you’ve cut the cord since last season, you’ll want to make sure you’re ready to stream every NBA game ahead of the new season. Below, we’ve put together a brief guide on the best ways to watch basketball without cable, including tips on how to stream games for free.
How to Watch NBA Games Online Without Cable
NBA games air on ESPN, ABC, TNT, or NBA TV, depending on the night of the week. For comprehensive NBA coverage, you’ll want to get a streaming service that includes all of these channels. Additionally, consider NBA League Pass for out-of-market games. Here’s a further breakdown of all these options:
Editor’s Pick: DirecTV Stream
Most Affordable: Sling
Also Consider: fuboTV
For Out-of-Market Games: NBA League Pass
1. Stream NBA Games on DirecTV Stream
We think the best live TV streaming service for watching basketball is DirecTV Stream. With DirecTV Stream’s Choice package, you get access to ESPN, ABC, TNT, and NBA TV, letting you watch almost every NBA game live (although you might experience blackouts like you would with cable). Even better: DirecTV Stream starts with a five-day free trial, and you get unlimited cloud DVR storage to record games. After the free trial, the Choice package is priced at $99.99 a month ($89.99 for your first three months with a deal that DTV Stream is currently running).
2. Stream NBA Games on Sling
A more affordable live TV streamer is Sling. We recommend NBA fans get Sling Orange + Blue (starts at $55 a month) for ESPN, ABC, and TV streams, as well as Sling’s Sports Extra add-on ($11 a month) for NBA TV. All together this package and the add-on will start at $66 a month. However, right now Sling is running a deal that slashes 50% off your first month of Orange + Blue, bringing your first bill down to just $38.50.
3. Stream NBA Games on fuboTV
Another great live TV streaming service for sports is fuboTV, although the major caveat here is that fuboTV does not carry TNT, as of writing. But fuboTV’s Elite plan, which costs $84.99 a month after a free trial, does deliver over 230 channels (far more than either of the above options) — including ESPN, ABC, and NBA TV. This package also comes with 1000 hours of DVR storage for recording games.
4. Stream Out-of-Market NBA Games on NBA League Pass
One way to watch out-of-market NBA games is to grab a subscription to NBA League Pass, which lets subscribers watch up to 40 out-of-market games a week. League Pass starts at $14.99 a month, or you can pay $99.99 for the whole season. Both options start with a seven-day free trial.
Stream NBA Games for Free
Want to watch basketball games for free? Be sure to take advantage of the free trials from DirecTV Stream, fuboTV, and NBA League Pass. Together, all of these free trials will get you a couple weeks of free (and legal) NBA streams.
NBA Schedule: Opening Week
The 2023-24 NBA season kicks off on Tuesday, Oct. 24 with a doubleheader slate. We’ll get an NBA All-Star Weekend from Feb. 16 through 18 of 2024, and the regular season will end on April 14.
Here’s the TV schedule for opening week NBA games:
Tuesday, Oct. 24 (Opening Night)
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets — 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT
Phoenix Suns vs. Golden State Warriors — 10 p.m. ET on TNT
Wednesday, Oct. 25
Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks — 7 p.m. ET on ESPN
Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio Spurs — 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
Thursday, Oct. 26
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Milwaukee Bucks — 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT
Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Lakers — 10 p.m. ET on TNT
Friday, Oct. 27
Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics — 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
Golden STate Warriors vs. Sacramento Kings — 10 p.m. ET on ESPN
Saturday, Oct. 28
New York Knicks vs. New Orleans Pelicans — 7 p.m. ET on NBA TV
Utah Jazz vs. Phoenix Suns — 10 p.m. ET on NBA TV
How to Get Tickets to NBA Games
What’s better than live-streaming basketball games online? Seeing them in person, of course. To buy NBA tickets for the 2023-24 season, head to Ticketmaster.com.