How to Watch The NBA Playoffs Live For Free to See The First Round Matchups

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Calling all basketball fans, the NBA postseason is here, and it’s looking like another action-packed playoffs. If you’re getting your jerseys and brackets out, you’re probably also wondering how to watch the NBA playoffs live for free. There are plenty of channels and streaming options, which we’ve laid out for you so you can catch every single tip-off, buzzer-beater, and comeback in the postseason.

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Each year, the National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs determine the league champion. The elimination tournament features a four-rounds, best-of-seven format. Six teams from each of the two conferences automatically earn spots in the NBA playoffs, while the final two playoff seeds are decided in a play-in tournament. After the first round comes the conference semifinals and then the conference finals. The two winning teams from the conference finals will go head to head in the NBA Finals starting on June 6.

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The NBA playoffs first started in 1946 and since then, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics have won the most championship titles, with 17 each. In the 2023 NBA Finals, however, the Denver Nuggets hoisted the trophy. All three teams have qualified for the 2024 NBA playoffs, so perhaps fans might see Lebron James, Jayson Tatum, or Nikola Jokić bring another win home for their respective team.

For all you hoops fans, you’re not going to want to miss any of the action. Keep reading to learn how to watch the NBA playoffs live for free to see which teams get closer and closer to the NBA Finals.

NBA Playoffs Bracket 2024

See above for the NBA playoffs bracket for 2024. In the first round of the playoffs for the Eastern Conference, you’ve got the Celtics vs. TBD (determined in the play-in tournament), the Cavaliers vs. the Magic, the Bucks vs. the Pacers, and the Knicks vs. the 76ers. In the first round of the playoffs for the Western Conference, you’ve got the Thunder vs. TBD (determined in the play-in tournament), the Clippers vs. the Mavericks, the Timberwolves vs. the Sun, and the Nuggets vs. the Lakers.

When do the NBA playoffs start?

The 2024 NBA playoffs start 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.

How to watch the NBA playoffs live for free

The NBA playoffs 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 NBA Playoffs: DirecTV Stream’s Free Trial

• Best Free Trial Pick to Watch the NBA Playoffs: Fubo’s Free Trial

• Best Budget Pick to Watch the NBA Playoffs: Sling TV

• Best Pick to Watch NBA Playoffs Playbacks: NBA TV

• Best Upgrade Pick to Watch the NBA Playoffs: Hulu+ With Live TV

Best Overall Pick to Watch the NBA Playoffs: DirecTV Stream’s Free Trial

Watch the NBA Playoffs With DirecTV Stream

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Direct TV is our best overall pick to watch the NBA playoffs 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 NBA Playoffs: Fubo’s Free Trial

Watch the NBA Playoffs 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 NBA Playoffs: Sling TV

Watch the NBA Playoffs 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 NBA Playoffs Playbacks: NBA TV

Watch the NBA Playoffs 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 NBA Playoffs: Hulu+ Live TV

Watch the NBA Playoffs 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

2024 NBA Playoffs Game Schedule

Below, find out when each series starts for the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs. The first round could end as late as May 5, 2024, if any of the series go to seven games.

• East 1st Round – Game 1, series starts Saturday, April 20, 2024: Magic vs. Cavaliers @ 1 p.m. ET on ESPN

• West 1st Round – Game 1, series starts Saturday, April 20, 2024: Suns vs. Timberwolves @ 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN

• East 1st Round – Game 1, series starts Saturday, April 20, 2024: 76ers vs. Knicks @ 6 p.m. ET on ESPN

• West 1st Round – Game 1, series starts Saturday, April 20, 2024: Lakers vs. Nuggets @ 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC

• East 1st Round – Game 1, series starts Sunday, April 21, 2024: TBD vs. Celtics @ 1 p.m. ET on ABC

• West 1st Round – Game 1, series starts Sunday, April 21, 2024: Mavericks vs. Clippers @ 3:30 p.m. on ABC

• East 1st Round – Game 1, series starts Sunday, April 21, 2024: Pacers vs. Bucks @ 7 p.m. ET on TNT

• West 1st Round – Game 1, series starts Sunday, April 21, 2024: TBD vs. Thunder @ 9:30 p.m. ET on TNT

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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