Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

NBA playoffs live stream 2024: Watch every game

The opening round of the 2024 NBA playoffs is in the books, and we’re now down to just eight remaining teams: the Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks.

While the first round was certainly enticing, things are set to only get better from here. As each squad fights for a trip to the conference finals, you aren’t going to want to miss a single second.

Every game will be televised on either ABC, ESPN, TNT or NBA TV. Fortunately, if you don’t have cable or don’t have any of those channels, we’ve compiled several different ways you can watch a live stream of the playoffs, including both some free and cheap options.

The Best Way to Watch the NBA Playoffs Live Stream

The Sling TV logo against a black background.
Sling

It’s simple: Sling TV is the cheapest way to watch a live stream of every single NBA playoff game.

There are some free-trial options and cheap ways to watch specific games (more on all of those options below), but if you flat-out want a cable-free way to watch every single NBA playoff game, and you want to spend the least amount of money to do it, then Sling is the way to go.

The “Sling Orange” channel package includes ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3 (which simulcasts every game on ABC), TNT and 28 other channels, while the “Sports Extra” add-on comes with NBA TV and another 19 channels. That will run you a total of $51 per month, and it will give you everything you need to watch the NBA playoffs. It’s as easy at that.

Is There a Free NBA Playoffs Live Stream?

Fubo TV sign-in screen.
Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends

If, at any point throughout the playoffs, you’re just looking to watch a single game, or a week’s worth of games, there are three different ways you can watch for free.

YouTube TV‘s “Base Plan” includes ABC (live in most markets), ESPN, TNT, NBA TV and 100-plus other channels. It’s only $58 per month for your first three months (which will cover the entirety of the playoffs), and then it goes up to $73 per month after that. However, it comes with a five-day free trial if you’re just looking to watch a couple of games at no cost.

Similarly, DirecTV Stream‘s “Choice” channel package includes ABC (live in most markets), ESPN, TNT, NBA TV and 125-plus other channels. It’s $99 per month for your first three months, but it also comes with a five-day free trial.

Finally, Fubo‘s “Pro” channel package will get you ABC (live in most markets), ESPN and 190-plus other channels, while the “Sports Lite” add-on comes with NBA TV and seven other channels. That’s a total of $90 per month ($80 for “Pro” and $10 for “Sports Lite”), and it doesn’t include TNT, but it does come with a seven-day free trial, so it’s a perfectly fine option if there’s a specific game on ABC, ESPN or NBA TV you want to watch.

Watch the NBA Playoffs Live Stream on Max

Max logo
Max / Max

If you’re just looking for a way to watch the games on TNT, Max is perfect for that. It costs just $10 per month and includes all of those games. Technically, they’re a part of the B/R Sports add-on, which will eventually cost another $10 per month, but it’s currently being offered at no extra cost.

There’s nothing special you need to do to watch, either. Just sign up for Max, and the games will either be right there on the homepage of the website or the app, or they’ll be under the B/R Sports tab at the top.

This is also a nice option if you also want to watch some NHL playoffs, as you’ll also be able to watch any of those games that are televised on TNT or TBS.

How to Watch NBA Playoffs Live Stream from Abroad

NordVPN for Apple TV.
Derek Malcolm / Digital Trends

A virtual private network (VPN) can hide your IP address and connect you to a digital server in the United States (or any available country of your choosing). This, in turn, lets you access location-restricted content from that country even if you’re physically located somewhere else.

As such, if you’re looking to watch the NBA playoffs from abroad, you can combine a VPN along with one of the aforementioned streaming services, and then you’ll be good to go.

Most VPN’s will work for solving this problem, but we would go with NordVPN, which doesn’t limit bandwidth speeds and has over 2,000 servers in the United State to choose from. That makes it one of the best VPN’s for live sports streaming, plus it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it out risk-free.

If you want some other options, you can peruse our lists breaking down the best VPN services or the best VPN deals.

Tim Keeney
Tim is a long-time sports journalist who has written about everything from the NFL to more popular sports such as chess…
How to watch the women’s soccer Olympic finals: USA vs Brazil
UEFA soccer league goal-line technology

Looking to secure gold for the first time in 12 years, the United States women's national soccer team takes on Marta and Brazil in the 2024 Olympic final today at the Parc de Princes. This marks the first time these countries have met in women's soccer in the Olympics since the 2008 final, which the Americans won.

If you live in the United States, the match starts at 11:00 a.m. ET this morning, and will be televised on USA Network. But if you don't have cable and want to watch women's soccer in the Olympics, we've found all the best ways you can watch a live stream of USA vs Brazil online today.
Is there a free USA vs Brazil live stream?

Read more
How to watch Breaking in the Olympics
A photo of the Olympic rings on the Eiffel Tower.

For the first time in Summer Olympics history, breakdancing is an official sport in 2024. The highly-anticipated debut in Paris gets underway with the women's competition on Friday, followed up by the men on Saturday.

In the United States, both events will be televised live on E!, and Peacock will also stream coverage. This opens up a number of different ways you can watch a live stream of breaking at the 2024 Olympics, so here's everything you need to know.
Upcoming Breaking events at the 2024 Summer Olympics

Read more
How to watch USA vs Serbia men’s basketball at the Olympics
Nikola Jokic squares up a free throw on the court.

The best team in the world takes on the reigning NBA MVP in the semifinals of the men's basketball tournament at the 2024 Olympics today, as Team USA battles Nikola Jokic and Serbia. The Americans got the best of Jokic and Co. during group play with a 110-84 drubbing, but with a spot in the gold-medal game on the line, it would be unwise for USA to overlook Serbia, no matter how dominant they've been thus far in Paris.

In the United States, the game (3:00 p.m. ET start time) will be televised on USA Network. However, if you don't have cable and want to watch basketball at the Olympics, we have all the best ways you can watch a live stream of USA vs Serbia and Saturday's gold-medal game for free.
Is there a free USA vs Serbia live stream?

Read more