How to Watch the Celtics Play in the NBA Playoffs Tonight to See If They Defeat Miami Heat

Maya Gandara
·8 min read

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Calling all hoops fans—the 2024 NBA Playoffs continues tonight. The top-seeded Boston Celtics will face eighth-seeded Miami Heat in game 5 of the best-of-7 Eastern Conference first round series; Boston leads 3-1. Will Miami finally be able to turn things around?

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Most bets are still on the Celtics; the favored team scored an easy victory in game 1, winning 114-94 against Heat. The Celtics also came out on top against Miami in Monday’s game 4 of the series, ending with a score of 102-88. Boston has been predicted to win 78 games this year and has come out on top more than 62 times, so odds are largely in their favor for the duration of playoffs.

The 2024 NBA playoffs started on Saturday, April 20 and the NBA Finals start on Thursday, June 6. The NBA playoffs will air on ABC, TNT, ESPN, and NBA TV. If you’re wondering how to get access to those channels to watch tonight’s Celtics game, keep reading to find out how to see the action live for free online.

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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 29: Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat dribbles during the third quarter against the Boston Celtics in game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on May 29, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
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When do the Boston Celtics play?

The Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat game will be played on Wednesday, May 1, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT.

How to watch the Boston Celtics game live for free

The Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat game will air on ABC, TNT, ESPN, and NBA TV, which are available to stream on services like DirecTV Stream, Fubo, Sling TV, and Hulu+ With Live TV. DirecTV Stream offers a five-day free trial, and starts at $79.99 per month after the trial ends. Fubo offers a seven-day free trial, and starts at $79.99 per month after the trial ends. While Sling TV and Hulu+ With Live TV don’t have free trials, they are cheaper per month than the other options. Sling TV starts at $20 for your first month and Hulu+ With Live TV starts at $68.99 per month. Hulu+ With Live TV offers plans that include free subscriptions to Disney Plus and ESPN Plus.

Best Overall Pick to Watch the Boston Celtics Game: DirecTV Stream’s Free Trial

Watch the Boston Celtics With DirecTV Stream

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Direct TV is our best overall pick to watch the Boston Celtics for free for its free trial, price, and channel selection. DirecTV Stream offers a five-day free trial. DirecTV offers four plans: Entertainment, which costs $79.99 per month; Choice, which costs $108.99 per month with the first two months at $83.99 per month; Ultimate, which costs $84.99 per month with the first two months at $94.99 per month; and Premiere, which costs $159.99 per month.

As for other differences between the plans, Entertainment includes more than 75 channels, the ability to stream on unlimited devices in your home, unlimited cloud DVR storage, and a special offer on premium channels. Choice, which is the most popular plan, includes more than 105 channels, regional sports networks, and everything included in Entertainment. Ultimate includes more than 140 channels and everything included in Entertainment and Choice. Premiere includes more than 150 channels including premium channels like HBO and Starz and everything included in Entertainment, Choice, and Premiere. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch the NBA playoffs with DirecTV Stream’s free trial.

  1. Visit streamtv.directv.com‘s packages page

  2. Click “Try It Free” for the plan of your choice

  3. Enter your information and payment method

  4. Search for ABC, TNT, ESPN, or NBA TV and start watching the NBA playoffs

Best Free Trial Pick to Watch the Boston Celtics Game: Fubo’s Free Trial

Watch the Boston Celtics With Fubo

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Fubo is our best free trial pick to watch the NBA playoffs live for free. Fubo offers a seven-day free trial (two days longer than DirecTV Stream) and offers offers two plans: Pro, which costs $79.99 per month; and Elite, which costs $89.99 per month.

As for the difference between the plans, Pro includes 180 channels, 1,000 hours of Cloud DVR, and the ability to watch on up to 10 screens at once. Elite includes everything in Pro, as well as a total of 256 channels and 4K resolution. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch the NBA playoffs with Fubo’s free trial.

  1. Visit Fubo.TV

  2. Click “Start Free Trial”

  3. Enter your information and payment method

  4. Search for ABC, TNT, ESPN, or NBA TV and start watching the NBA playoffs

Best Upgrade Pick to Watch the Boston Celtics Game: Sling TV

Watch the Boston Celtics With Sling TV

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Sling TV is our best budget pick to watch the NBA playoffs for its channel selection. Sling TV offers three plans: Sling Orange for $30 for your first month and $40 per month after that; Sling Blue for $35 for your first month and $45 per month after that; and Sling Orange + Blue for $50 for your first month and $60 per month after that.

As for the differences between the plans, Sling Orange, which is most suited toward sports and family channels, includes 32 channels and the ability to stream on one device at a time. Sling Blue, which is most suited toward news and entertainment channels, includes 42 channels and the ability to stream on three devices at a time. Sling Orange + Blue includes all the channels offered on both Sling Orange and Sling Blue, as well as the ability to stream on three devices at a time. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch the NBA playoffs with Sling TV.

  1. Visit Sling.com

  2. Click “Try Us Today”

  3. Create an account

  4. Select your plan

  5. Enter your payment information and check out

  6. Search for ABC, TNT, TBS, ESPN, or ESPN2 and start watching the NBA playoffs

Best Pick to Watch Boston Celtics Playbacks: NBA TV

Watch the Boston Celtics with NBA TV

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NBA TV is our best pick for watching NBA playoffs playbacks, and it’s available to stream on services like DirecTV Stream, Fubo, and Sling. DirecTV Stream offers a five-day free trial, which starts at $79.99 per month after the trial ends. Fubo offers a seven-day free trial, which starts at $74.99 per month after the trial ends. To watch NBA TV, you’ll need the Fubo Extra add-on, which is an additional $7.99 per month. Sling offers three plans—Sling Orange, Sling Blue, and Sling Orange + Blue—starting at $40 per fmonth. Sling Orange includes ESPN and TNT, but to watch NBA TV, fans will need the service’s Sports Extra package. Sports Extra costs $11 per month when added to Sling Orange or Sling Blue or $15 per month if added to Sling Orange + Sling Blue subscription.

Best Upgrade Pick to Watch the Boston Celtics: Hulu+ Live TV

Watch the Boston Celtics With Hulu+ With Live TV

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Hulu+ With Live TV is our best upgrade pick to watch the NBA playoffs based on its channel selection and its free subscriptions to Hulu, Disney Plus, and ESPN Plus. Hulu+ With Live TV offers four plans: a $68.99 per month plan with access to only live TV; a $69.99 per month plan with free subscriptions to Hulu with ads, Disney Plus with ads, and ESPN Plus with ads; a $74.99 per month plan with free subscriptions to Hulu with ads, Disney Plus with no ads, and ESPN Plus with ads; and a $82.99 per month plan with free subscriptions to Hulu with no ads, Disney Plus with no ads, and ESPN Plus with ads. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch the NBA playoffs with Hulu+ Live TV.

  1. Visit Hulu.com/liveTV

  2. Click “Sign Up Now”

  3. Enter your information and payment method

  4. Search for ABC, TNT, ESPN, or NBA TV and start watching the NBA playoffs

Which teams are in the NBA playoffs?

So which teams are in the 2024 NBA playoffs? Six teams from each conference (the Eastern and the Western) automatically qualify for the playoffs based on their regular season winning percentage. Teams that finished seven through 10 from each conference face off in the play-in tournament to determine who secures the final two playoff seeds. The winner of the Eastern Conference and the winner of the Western Conference compete against each other in the NBA Finals starting on June 6. Below, find the 16 teams that qualified for the 2024 NBA playoffs.

Eastern Conference

  • Boston Celtics (64-18)

  • New York Knicks (50-32)

  • Milwaukee Bucks (49-33)

  • Cleveland Cavaliers (48-34)

  • Orlando Magic (47-35)

  • Indiana Pacers (47-35)

  • Philadelphia 76ers (47-35)

  • TBD (the winner of the Miami Heat vs. Chicago Bulls game on Friday, April 19)

Western Conference

  • Oklahoma City Thunder (57-25)

  • Denver Nuggets (57-25)

  • Minnesota Timberwolves (56-26)

  • Los Angeles Clippers (51-31)

  • Dallas Mavericks (50-23)

  • Phoenix Sun (49-33)

  • Los Angeles Lakers (47-35)

  • TBD (the winner of the New Orleans Pelicans vs. Sacramento Kings game on Friday, April 19)

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