The 2023 NBA playoffs are over and the new season starts in October! Fans won’t want to miss a second of the action. Thankfully, you can watch NBA Playoffs without cable or satellite thanks to a host of new live TV streaming services. Read on to learn all your options.
In a hurry? The playoffs will air on ABC, ESPN, NBA TV, and TNT. You will get those channels and more with these excellent services:
- DIRECTV STREAM: Get a great channel lineup with the best selection of RSNs in the industry. A 5-day free trial is now available for DIRECTV STREAM.
- Sling TV: This low-cost service allows you to select just the channel lineup you want. Save 50% on Sling TV now.
- Hulu + Live TV: This total entertainment streaming service provides a great on-demand selection and all the essential live TV channels.
If you can’t watch your favorite sports because of your location, get ExpressVPN to access the content you deserve.
Table Of Contents
Unblock Your Favorite Movies and Shows With a VPN
If you can’t watch your favorite movies and shows because of your location, a VPN will allow you to get the access you are entitled to, plus extra security and unequalled privacy. Check out our VPN Guide for everything you need to know, including our top pick ExpressVPN.
Other brands worth checking out include Hotspot Shield and CyberGhost.
NBA Playoffs Channels
First things first; if you want to watch the NBA Finals games without cable, you’ll need to know what channels they air on first. Unlike the regular season with blackouts and out-of-market games, the playoffs are broadcast nationwide.
There are three channels that the NBA playoff games will air on, and they are ABC, ESPN, TNT, and some minor early coverage on NBA TV. The schedule looks like this:
- NBA Play-In: April 11th – 14th
- NBA Playoffs First Round: April 15th – 30th
- NBA Playoffs Semifinals: May 1st – 29th
- NBA Finals: June 1st – 18th
Keep in mind is that all the games airing on ABC will mostly likely also be airing on ESPN3. In general, ESPN3 airs all ABC Sports events. And ESPN3 aired the NBA finals last year.
This is important because Sling TV does not offer ABC but does offer ESPN3 (it is the only service that offers it within its own app and channel guide).
Watching NBA Playoffs Without Cable
Your best bet for watching the NBA playoffs is with a streaming service. But you can watch a lot of games absolutely free if you want.
Antenna
The cheapest way to get ABC is through a simple over-the-air (OTA) antenna. Far more advanced than their rabbit-eared ancestors, OTA antennas can give you all of the broadcast channels you know and love (ABC included, plus NBC, CBS, and Fox) in 1080i HD picture for free (minus the cost of the antenna, of course). Our favorite OTA antenna brand is Mohu, but feel free to shop around.
See our Indoor HD Antenna Guide for all the information on choosing and setting up an antenna.
Streaming
The major streaming services allow you to watch most of the NBA Playoffs and Finals. And most of them allow you to watch every game from the Play-in through the Finals.
- Sling TV: For just $40.00/mo, Sling Orange provides ESPN, ESPN3 (ABC Sports), and TNT. You can get NBA TV with the Sports Extra add-on for $11/mo more. The base plan comes with 50 hours of cloud DVR. (Sling TV review) (NBA Playoffs Guide)
- DIRECTV STREAM: The Choice plan ($99.99/mo) gives you ABC, ESPN, TV, and NBA TV. But probably more important, it provides subscribers in just about every area with their local RSNs, which are the only way to watch all the regular season games of your local team(s). All plans come with unlimited cloud DVR and streaming on unlimited devices at the same time. (DIRECTV STREAM review)
- Hulu + Live TV: Adds 85+ live TV channels to the Hulu Bundle of on-demand library, ESPN+, and Disney+. It includes ABC, ESPN, and TNT. It does not, however, offer NBA TV. The plan comes with unlimited hours of cloud DVR and streaming on up to two devices at once. (Hulu + Live TV review)
- FuboTV: This is a great streaming service for sports fans with over 130 channels. But it lacks TNT so it probably isn’t the best channel if basketball is the focus of your viewing. For $74.99/mo, you also get 1000 hours of cloud DVR storage and streaming on up to 10 devices at home and two away. (FuboTV review)
- Vidgo: For $69.99/mo, you get 100+ channels that are especially good for ESPN-related channels. It also doesn’t offer TNT, however. And it doesn’t provide a DVR. But it does allow you to stream on up to 3 devices at once. (Vidgo review)
- YouTube TV: A solid streaming service similar in many ways to Hulu + Live TV. It is slightly less expensive ($72.99/mo) and does offer NBA TV but lacks ESPN+ and Disney+.
Superpower Your Live TV Streaming With a VPN
You can’t beat a VPN for privacy, security, and access. We have used them for years as an important part of our streaming toolkit and we recommend ExpressVPN. Other brands worth checking out include Hotspot Shield and CyberGhost.
| i | See our VPN Buyer’s Guide for complete information on how to choose the best VPN for your needs. |
Devices to Live Stream NBA Finals
All the streaming TV providers discussed above have apps that run on the most popular streaming devices in use today.
Samsung smart TVs are supported by all services except for Vidgo. Other than DIRECTV STREAM and Vidgo, they all support smart TVs from LG and Vizio. Android TV-based TVs are supported by all except for DIRECTV STREAM.
TV stick devices that turn ordinary TVs into streaming TV (Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku) are supported by all services. That’s also true of mobile devices running Android and iOS. And you can use them (and some web browsers) to cast to your TV with Chromecast.
All the services except Vidgo and DIRECTV STREAM support the Xbox One gaming console. Hulu and YouTube support the PlayStation. And Hulu also supports the Nintendo Switch.
You can also watch via a web browser on most devices, which you can connect to your TV. See our streaming service reviews for details.
2023-24 NBA Playoff Schedule
The NBA will release the 2023 game schedule during the summer. We will have all the details then.
Want to know more about watching the NBA? See our complete NBA Viewers Guide for everything you need to know.
Wrapping Up
You can stream every game of the 2023 NBA playoffs and finals. Don’t miss a game!
Sling TV is our top choice for the NBA finals. Save 50% on your first month of Sling TV.
FAQs
What is the NBA Play-In Tournament?
After the regular season, the 7th through 10th best teams in each conference compete to get the last two playoff spots. It is similar to the First Four during March Madness, but way more complicated! The 7th and 8th teams play and the winner goes to the playoffs. The loser plays the winner of the 9th and 10th team game, and the winner of that goes to the playoffs.
Confused? It’s actually simpler than it sounds. The 7th and 8th teams need to win one of two games to make the playoffs. The 9th and 10th teams need to win two of two games.
- Team 8 at Team 7
- Winner: go to playoffs
- Loser: go to Step 3
- Team 10 at Team 9
- Winner: go to Step 3
- Loser: see you next season
- Step 2 Winner at Step 1 Loser
- Winner: go to playoffs
- Loser: see you next season.
What were the 2023 NBA playoff teams?
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
- Boston Celtics
- Philadelphia 76ers
- New York Knicks
- Brooklyn Nets
- Toronto Raptors
Central Division
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Chicago Bulls
Southeast Division
- Miami Heat
- Atlanta Hawks
Western Conference
Northwest Division
- Denver Nuggets
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- Oklahoma City Thunder
Pacific Division
- Sacramento Kings
- Phoenix Suns
- LA Clippers
- Golden State Warriors
- Los Angeles Lakers
Southwest Division
- Memphis Grizzlies
- New Orleans Pelicans
What were the 2023 NBA playoff results?
Play-In Round Results
West
- New Orleans Pelicans (0-1)
- Oklahoma City Thunder (1-1)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (1-1)
- Los Angeles Lakers (1-0)
East
- Toronto Raptors (0-1)
- Chicago Bulls (1-1)
- Miami Heat (1-1)
- Atlanta Hawks (1-0)
Playoff Results
First Round
- Miami Heat (4) vs Milwaukee Bucks (1)
- Atlanta Hawks (2) vs Boston Celtics (4)
- New Jersey Nets (0) vs Philadelphia 76ers (4)
- New York Knicks (4) vs Cleveland Cavaliers (1)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (1) vs Denver Nuggets (4)
- Los Angeles Lakers (4) vs Memphis Grizzlies (2)
- Golden State Warriors (4) vs Sacramento Kings (3)
- Los Angeles Clippers (1) vs Phoenix Suns (4)
Second Round
- Miami Heat (4) vs New York Knicks (2)
- Philadelphia 76ers (3) vs Boston Celtics (4)
- Phoenix Suns (2) vs Denver Nuggets (4)
- Los Angeles Lakers (4) vs Golden State Warriors (2)
Conference Finals
- Miami Heat (4) vs Boston Celtics (3)
- Los Angeles Lakers (0) vs Denver Nuggets (4)
2023 NBA Playoffs Finals results
- Thu Jun 1 : Game 1 — Nuggets (104) vs Heat (93) (ABC)
- Sun Jun 4 : Game 2 — Heat (111) vs Nuggets (108) (ABC)
- Wed Jun 7 : Game 3 — Nuggets (109) vs Heat (94) (ABC)
- Fri Jun 9 : Game 4 — Nuggets (108) vs Heat (95) (ABC)
- Mon Jun 12 : Game 5 — Heat (89) vs Nuggets (94) (ABC)
Thu Jun 15 : Game 6 — Nuggets vs Heat (ABC)Sun Jun 18 : Game 7 — Heat vs. Nuggets (ABC)
Can I watch the NBA Playoffs with the NBA League Pass?
No. The NBA League Pass is a great way to get as many non-local games as possible (local games will be televised on your local station), but it doesn’t stream any nationally televised games on ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV — and that includes the playoffs.
How can I watch championships and tournaments in other sports?
Don’t worry, no matter what your favorite sport is, we’ve got you covered! If you’re into college hoops, we’ve got March Madness on Sling TV: Men’s guide, Men’s schedule, Women’s final. Browse through our other guides for all the biggest contests:
How can I watch individual NBA teams without cable?
We’ve written guides for all the teams. Take your pick:
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