Why You Can Trust CNET How to watch Celtics vs. 76ers, Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers NBA games tonight without cable
Opening week of the 2019-2020 NBA season continues tonight and you can watch it all live, no cable TV required.
Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers tip off the 2019-2020 NBA season against the Denver Nuggets tonight.
The 2019-2020 NBA season's opening week continues Wednesday night as 11 games follow the opening night tip-offs of the Pelicans, Raptors, Lakers and Clippers last night. The defending champ Raptors needed overtime to outlast the up-and-coming Pelicans -- even without star rookie Zion Williamson, who is out for six to eight weeks after knee surgery -- while former Raptor and Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers to take round one of the "battle of LA."
Tonight brings a full slate of games starting at 7 p.m. ET. Among the highlights: Eastern Conference heavyweights the Celtics and 76ers match up in Philly and the Nuggets and Trail Blazers meet again after last year's seven-game Western Conference semifinals slugfest.
Both the games will be on ESPN tonight. The Celtics and 76ers are up first and set to tip-off at 7:30 p.m. ET followed by the Nuggets at Trail Blazers (7:30 p.m. PT, 10:30 p.m. ET.)
There are plenty of other storylines to follow with familiar faces in new places. Are there enough shots to go around in Houston with James Harden and Russell Westbrook sharing the same backcourt? Can Stephen Curry keep the Golden State Warriors rolling without Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson? In the East, can Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks or Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers get to the Finals?
We'll find out the answers to these questions over the course of the season. Here's what you need to know to watch all of the NBA action this year.
NBA live on TV
You can watch nationally televised games on ESPN, TNT, ABC and NBA TV.
Your local team's game are broadcast on a regional sports network, either a Fox Sports or NBC Sports RSN in most cases (there are a handful of independent RSNs). You'll need a pay TV subscription to tune into your regional Fox Sports or NBC Sports network.
NBA live streaming without cable
You've got two options for streaming NBA games live:
- Subscribe to a live TV streaming service that carries the channels for the national broadcasts and your team's RSN.
- Buy an NBA League Pass subscription.
The former is better if you are a fan of the local team, while the latter only works if you follow an out-of-market team.
Depending on where you live, one of the major live TV streaming services could carry the local RSN that broadcasts your local team's games. Not every service carries every RSN or local network such as ABC, however, and some teams aren't available on any live TV streaming service, so check each one using the links below to make sure it carries the network you want in your area.
- AT&T TV Now
- FuboTV
- Hulu with Live TV (click "View channels in your area")
- PlayStation Vue (choose your location)
- Sling TV Blue
- YouTube TV
Other stuff to know about live TV streaming services:
- You'll need a solid internet connection.
- You can watch any of them on TV as long as your smart TV has the service's app. You can also watch on your TV using a media streamer, such as a Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV or Chromecast.
- You can also watch on iPhones, Android phones, tablets and computer browsers.
- You can sign up and cancel anytime, no contract required.
- All of them offer free trial periods, so you can sign up to watch a game and then cancel.
If you live in your favorite team's TV market, see below for your streaming options. I've also included information for ESPN, TNT, ABC and NBA TV for live national broadcasts.
Note that CNET may get a share of revenue from the sale of products featured on this page.
YouTube TV costs $50 a month and includes everything an NBA fan needs: ESPN, TNT, ABC and NBA TV along with local Fox Sports or NBC Sports RSNs.
PlayStation Vue's basic $50-a-month Access plan includes ESPN, TNT and ABC. The $55-a-month Core plan adds NBA TV and local Fox Sports or NBC Sports RSNs.
Sling TV's $25-a-month Sling Orange package includes ESPN and TNT but not any RSN. Sling TV's $25-a-month Sling Blue package includes regional NBC Sports RSNs but only for the Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards. Sling TV does not carry any Fox Sports RSNs. Neither of Sling TV's plans includes ABC. Sling TV's Orange and Blue package costs $40 a month. The $10-a-month Sports Extra add-on includes NBA TV.
Hulu with Live TV costs $45 a month and includes ESPN, TNT and ABC along with regional Fox or NBC Sports RSNs. It does not offer NBA TV.
AT&T TV Now's $50-a-month Plus package includes ESPN, TNT and ABC, but you'll need to spring for the $70-a-month Max package to also receive a regional Fox or NBC Sports RSN. Neither plan features NBA TV. AT&T TV Now is raising its prices next month, and its new base price will be $65 for the Plus package and $80 for Max.
FuboTV costs $55 a month and includes TNT, NBA TV and Fox Sports and NBC Sports RSNs, but it features neither ESPN nor ABC.
NBA League Pass
With NBA League Pass, your local team's games are blacked out along with nationally televised games. You can watch all out-of-market games (unless they're on ESPN, TNT or another national broadcast) for $250 for the season (or $40 a month) with no commercials or $200 for the season (or $29 a month) with commercial breaks. You can sign up to watch only your favorite out-of-market team's games for $120 for the season (or $18 a month). Or you can get just NBA TV for the channel's coverage of the league and the live games it shows for $60 a year or $7 a month. NBA League Pass is supported on a number of devices.