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With the 2023-2024 season in the books, the NBA moves into the post-season play-in tournament to determine which four teams will make it into the NBA Playoffs — which start on April 20.
The play-in features superstars like LeBron James, Steph Curry, Zion Williamson, De’Aaron Fox, Jimmy Butler, Joel Embiid, Trae Young and DeMar DeRozan battling each other for the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in the NBA Western and Eastern Conferences, respectively.
At a glance: Watch 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament online
How to Watch 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament: Date, Time
On April 16, the first game of an NBA Western Conference doubleheader sees the LA Lakers facing off against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana starting at 4:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. ET.
The second game features the Golden State Warriors taking on the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California with a start time of 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET. Both games are broadcast on TNT.
On April 17, there’s a doubleheader of NBA Eastern Conference games. The first one has the Miami Heat battling the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania starting at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET.
The second game features the Atlanta Hawks going up against the Chicago Bulls at United Center in Chicago, Illinois with a start time of 6:30 p.m. PT/9:30 p.m. ET. Both games air on ESPN.
You can watch these games through any live TV streaming service that carries TNT and ESPN, including DirecTV Stream, Hulu + Live TV, Sling and others. You can also sign up for a five-day free trial from DirecTV Stream to watch it for free. All web-based services are accessible on your smartphone, tablet, laptop or smart TV.
Keep reading to find out how to watch the NBA Play-In Tournament games with and without a cable subscription, including more details on how to watch games for free. In addition, you can find where to buy last-minute tickets if you want to attend.
How to Stream 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament Without Cable: Stream Online Free
While the NBA Play-In Tournament games are broadcasting on TV on TNT and ESPN, games can also be streamed on web-based streaming cable services, some of which even offer free trials. If you act fast and sign up now, you can watch all of these games online for free. Learn more about how to stream the games below.
DirecTV Stream
Watch the NBA Play-In Tournament games on TNT and ESPN with DirecTV Stream. Both networks are offered on all of the cable alternative’s packages, and the service includes more than 75 other channels — such as NBC, Fox, AMC, Bravo, CNBC and Disney Channel.
Pricing starts at $69.99 for the entry-level Entertainment package. In addition, other plans offer between 105 and 150 channels with prices ranging from $84.99 to $159.99 per month. New subscribers can receive a Visa rewards card worth up to $100 for a limited time. Learn more about the offer here.
Hulu + Live TV
You can also livestream the NBA Play-In Tournament games online without cable with a Hulu + Live TV subscription. It includes access to more than 95 live channels — like TNT and ESPN — starting at $76.99 monthly with ads. The service also comes with Hulu’s entire streaming library, Disney+ and ESPN+ at no additional cost.
With a subscription, Hulu + Live TV users can watch originals from Hulu, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm (Star Wars, Indiana Jones), The Muppets Studio and Pixar. Subscribers can also watch ESPN+ for original sports programming and live sports from Formula One, NHL, MLB and other sports leagues. It includes unlimited cloud DVR, too.
Sling
Sling is one of the cheapest options for new live TV streaming subscribers who want to watch the NBA games online with TNT and ESPN.
Sling Orange ($20 for the first month, $40 monthly after) also features Bravo, The Disney Channel, ESPN2, ESPN3, FreeForm, FX, AMC, BBC America, USA Network and much more.
Meanwhile, the Sling Blue plan is $22.50 for the first month ($45 monthly after) and includes over 40 local and national broadcast channels, such as ABC, Fox, NBC, Bravo and FS1. The Sling Orange + Blue plan is only $30 for the first month ($60 per month afterward) and includes TNT and ESPN as part of its offerings.
Max
Max (formerly known as HBO Max) has the B/R Sports hub as part of its streaming service for a limited time. The hub has access to NBA Play-In Tournament games with TNT starting at $9.99 per month.
In addition to the NBA, Max’s B/R Sports includes NHL on TNT, U.S. Soccer, MotoGP and other sports leagues. The service also has hit movies like Barbie, Blue Beetle, Avatar: The Way of Water, and others, as well as award-winning series, such as Succession, Barry, The White Lotus and more.
Max is also available as an add-on channel on Prime Video.
Fubo
If you want to watch the NBA Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament games live free on ESPN, go with a subscription to Fubo. Unfortunately, Fubo doesn’t offer TNT for the Western Conference games.
The streaming service starts at $79.99 per month and includes more 170 news, entertainment and sports channels. You can record more than 1,000 hours of programming, while you can also watch on your smartphone, tablet or smart TV, too.
Other Fubo plans include the Elite package with more than 250 channels for $89.99 per month. If you want to watch NBA games for free, the online TV streaming service offers a seven-day free trial for new subscribers.
How to Watch 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament on TV
The NBA Play-In Tournament broadcasts live across TNT and ESPN. You can watch the games on TV through your cable TV provider, on TNTDrama.com and ESPN.com or the TNT and ESPN mobile apps with your cable TV account credentials (including traditional and streaming providers such as DirecTV Stream, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, Verizon, Xfinity and Sling).
Where to Buy 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament Tickets Online
Want to watch games in person? Last-minute tickets are available for the NBA Play-In Tournament at StubHub, Ticket Liquidator, Ticket Network and Ticketmaster, prices depend on the city and seat location. For more info, visit NBATickets.com.
Some of the best deals on tickets are at Vivid Seats, where you can save $20 with code THR2024; or at SeatGeek where you can use promo code HOLLYWOOD10 to save $10 on eligible purchases of $250 and up. Click here for last-minute tickets to NBA Play-In Tournament games.
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