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AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
The 2023-24 NBA regular season is playing out right now. There are more than 1,200 games scheduled between 30 teams. Your only enemy is time. You don't need cable to watch NBA games with all the live TV streaming services and subscriptions like the NBA League Pass at your disposal. Keep reading to learn how to watch NBA games without a cable subscription.
Quick links for watching NBA games
- 2023 NBA Season: Key dates
- Live stream local NBA games
- NBA League Pass: stream every out-of-market game
- Watch NBA anywhere with a VPN
Key dates for the 2023-24 NBA season
The 2023-24 NBA regular season begins on October 18 and runs through April 9, 2023. NBA plans to show ten nationally televised games in the first five days, including two doubleheader matches each for TNT, ESPN, and NBA TV.
Headline matchups include the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets (October 24 at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT), Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics (October 27 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN), and Golden State Warriors vs. Sacramento Kings (October 27 at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN), all rematches from the previous year's playoffs. The 2023 NBA season also features a mid-season tournament for the first time.
Here's a rundown of key dates for the season and postseason.
- October 24— NBA regular season begins
- November 3 — NBA in-season tournament begins
- November 10 — NBA G League season begins
- December 7 — NBA in-season tournament Semifinals in Las Vegas, NV
- December 9 — NBA in-season tournament Finals in Las Vegas, NV
- February 16 to 18— NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, IN
- April 16 to 19 — Play-in tournament for playoff seeding begins
- April 20 — NBA playoffs officially began
- June 6 — NBA Finals began
How to watch NBA games: Live streams
You can watch nationally televised NBA regular season games on ESPN, ABC, TNT, and NBA TV. TNT usually broadcasts games on Tuesday and Thursday nights, while ESPN games are typically scheduled for Wednesdays and Fridays. ABC will show NBA games on select Saturdays and Sundays starting in December.
If you already have a pay-TV provider with access to ESPN, ABC, or TNT, you can live stream each station's NBA content via their respective apps. Just log in with your credentials. Note: ESPN games are not included with an ESPN Plus subscription.
For everything else that isn't showing on broadcast TV, you'll want to know about NBA League Pass. You can purchase a monthly or annual subscription to watch every out-of-market NBA game live, plus the ability to go back and watch condensed replays. NBA League Pass includes NBA TV, which shows some games exclusively via local affiliate broadcasts.
If you don't have a cable or satellite subscription, you can sign up for one of the live TV streaming services featured below. The list of streaming services offering access to all four broadcast sources of NBA games is thin, but we've scoped out your best options.
Sling TV
Sling TV includes ESPN and TNT as part of its Orange plan for $40 a month. Sling doesn't offer ABC, but NBA games airing on that network are typically simulcast on ESPN2 and ESPN3, which are included with Sling. You can also fill the gap by adding NBA TV to your plan through the Sports Extra package for an additional $11 a month, which brings your total to $46 a month.
New Sling subscribers can get their first month of service for 50% off thanks to a limited-time deal, which helps make Sling one of the cheapest options for streaming the NBA.
Youtube TV
YouTube TV offers ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV for $65 a month, providing full access to all of the major broadcast and cable networks that show NBA games. New subscribers can get their first three months for a discounted rate of $53 a month for a limited time.
Hulu + Live TV
You can get ABC, ESPN/ESPN2, and TNT with a $77 monthly Hulu + Live TV subscription. This option doesn't support League Pass and NBA TV add-ons, but this is a great overall option for sports fans, considering it includes Hulu on-demand content, ESPN Plus, and Disney Plus in one package. You'll get more than 90 live channels in total.
Fubo TV
Fubo is the priciest streaming service on this list and lacks TNT. But you'll get ABC and ESPN/ESPN2 on the base Pro package ($74.99 monthly). Fubo Extra, an $8 add-on, includes NBA TV. Fubo Extra is included with the Fubo Elite package, which costs $84.99 and adds dozens more channels. You can also add NBA League Pass for another $14.99, guaranteeing access to all out-of-market games.
Watch out-of-market NBA games with League Pass
TNT, ESPN, ABC, and NBA TV are the national broadcast partners of the NBA, but they only show select games throughout the season. If you want to follow additional games, subscribe to NBA League Pass to stream out-of-market regular season games from the entire league.
League Pass starts at $15 a month or $99 for a full season; for that price, you can stream the NBA TV channel and stream live games every night with commercials. You can step up to NBA League Pass Premium for $20 a month or $130 a year. This plan offers commercial-free viewing and lets you watch on two devices simultaneously.
The price to sign up for NBA League Pass will decrease as the year goes on, but of course, you'll miss out on games early in the season. Games for teams in your local market will be blacked out on NBA League Pass, as will national broadcasts from ESPN, TNT, and ABC.
Watch NBA games anywhere with a VPN
NBA doesn't offer clean streaming solutions in every country to watch all of this season's games. If you live somewhere that doesn't offer NBA League Pass, you should consider signing up for a VPN.
Short for virtual private network, a VPN will allow websites to see your device as though it's connecting from within whichever country you want. That means you could set it to connect through a United States server to access live TV streaming services like Sling or to sign up for NBA League Pass.
Don't have a VPN? The best VPN we've tested and have been using for years for streaming and beefing up our online security is Express VPN, and right now, you can save 49% on the usual price and get three months for free. It's the best investment for sports fans if you know you'll want to watch more international streams for future seasons and events. If you're unsatisfied, there's a hassle-free 30-day money-back guarantee. Want to learn more about the product? Take a look at our ExpressVPN review.