You can watch the NBA Playoffs live without cable with one of these streaming services: fuboTV, Hulu with Live TV or Sling TV. In this article, we’ll help you decide which option is best for you. Let’s get started!
Before we continue, we want to highlight a particularly relevant stream for news, sports, and entertainment. Sling TV is one of the best options for streaming with a rich catalogue of 50+ live channels and 50k+ on-demand movies and episodes. Try Sling TV today.
Watch the NBA Playoffs with fuboTV
fuboTV is notable because it’s one of the few streaming services that offers live 4K streams. This unique, sports-centric startup has all the playoff games that air on TNT and NBA TV, so you can watch about half the games from the first and second round and every Eastern Conference Finals game. However, you will miss a few games if you go with fuboTV because ESPN and ABC are not available.
fuboTV Pricing and Packages
fuboTV’s main subscription is the cheapest one– fubo Standard. You get roughly 90 channels, half of which are sports channels. In addition to the main subscription, you can also get several different channel add-on packs. Check out the fuboTV website or the link below for more details.
Learn more about fuboTV’s subscription plans here.
| Pro 7-day free trial $69.99/ month | 138 channels 10 simultaneous streams 1,000 hours of DVR space | TRY FREE |
| Elite 7-day free trial $79.99/ month | 202 channels 54 more channels with fubo Extra 12 more channels with fubo News Plus 10 simultaneous streams 1,000 hours of DVR space | TRY FREE |
| Latino Monthly $8 off for the first month $33/ month | 45 channels 2 simultaneous streams 250 hours of DVR space | SIGN UP |
| Ultimate 7-day free trial $99.99/ month | 240 channels 54 more channels with fubo Extra 12 more channels with fubo News Plus Showtime Live and On Demand Sports Plus with NFL Redzone 10 simultaneous streams 1,000 hours of DVR space | TRY FREE |
fuboTV Channels
fuboTV just introduced live 4K broadcasts, but more comprehensive 4K support is on the way. NBCSN and FS1 are the only two channels that currently carry 4K broadcasts. You can watch the NBA playoffs on TNT and NBA TV, but you’ll miss out when ESPN or ABC is the broadcaster. Compared to other streaming services, fuboTV has great local channel coverage. In other words, chances are high that you’ll be able to watch your local CBS, FOX and NBC stations through fuboTV. fuboTV’s new fubo Sports Network partially compensates for the lack of ESPN because it provides sports news updates from all the major athletic events.
You can see a full channel list here.
fuboTV Supported Devices
fuboTV has better-than-average app support. All the major cord-cutter devices have fuboTV apps. The only missing part of the equation is game consoles. fuboTV doesn’t have apps for PlayStation or Xbox.
You can learn more about fuboTV’s supported devices here.
fuboTV Simultaneous Streams
You can stream to up to two screens at the same time through one fuboTV account by default. However, if you get a paid upgrade you can add on a third stream.
You can learn more about fuboTV simultaneous streams here.
fuboTV DVR
fuboTV’s cloud DVR holds 30 hours of recordings unless you get another upgrade, which gives you 500 hours of recording time.
You can learn more about the fuboTV DVR here.
fuboTV On-Demand Library
fuboTV is primarily a live TV service. With that being said, there is a significant amount of on-demand content to enjoy as well. The 72-hour rewind feature lets you watch recently aired TV show episodes.
Watch the NBA Playoffs on Hulu with Live TV
Hulu with Live TV is yet another internet-based TV service that’s competing to help you say goodbye to your local cable provider. It carries all three channels that air the NBA playoff games, but not NBA TV.
Hulu with Live TV Pricing and Packages
The main Hulu with Live TV subscription is more expensive than it used to be, but still priced competitively.
| Hulu + Live TV No Hassle TV $69.99/ month | 75+ Live TV Channels 2 simultaneous streams Unlimited DVR Disney+ and ESPN+ Included | SIGN UP |
| Hulu + Live TV No Ads $79.99/ month | 75+ Live TV Channels 2 simultaneous streams Unlimited DVR Disney+ and ESPN+ Included | SIGN UP |
For more information about Hulu with Live TV’s plans, click here.
Hulu with Live TV Channels
Hulu with Live TV’s base subscription includes TNT, ESPN and ABC. Unfortunately, NBA TV is not on the menu.
Click here to see the full list of Hulu with Live TV channels.
Hulu with Live TV Supported Devices
Hulu with Live TV has great app support:
- Living room devices: Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast and Roku.
- Smart TVs and Blu-ray players: Certain Samsung and LG televisions as well as some devices based on Amazon Fire TV or Roku.
- Mobile devices and tablets: Android and iOS.
- Game consoles: Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox 360.
- Desktop browsers: Most browsers.
Click here to learn more about devices that work with Hulu with Live TV.
Hulu with Live TV Simultaneous Streams
Hulu with Live TV is one of the few streaming services that has an unlimited option for account sharing. For an extra fee, you can stream to an unlimited number of devices with the Unlimited Streams feature add-on.
Click here to learn more about Hulu with Live TV’s simultaneous streams.
Hulu with Live TV DVR
Like most TV replacement services, Hulu with Live TV comes with a free cloud DVR. You can’t fast forward through commercials when you watch your recordings, though– unless you get the Enhanced Cloud DVR upgrade. Without the upgrade, you can record up to 50 hours of TV. With it, you can record 200 hours.
Click here to learn more about Hulu with Live TV’s DVR.
Hulu with Live TV On-Demand Library
Unlike fuboTV, Sling TV and PlayStation Vue, Hulu with Live TV started out as an on-demand video service. Its on-demand library is large and diverse compared to what the other cable alternatives offer.
Watch the NBA Playoffs on Sling TV
Streaming TV pioneer Sling TV is another good option for catching the NBA playoffs because it has TNT, ESPN and NBA TV. Sling TV used to carry ABC, but not anymore. That’s not much of a problem if you have a TV antenna, though.
Sling TV Pricing and Packages
After you sign up for Sling TV, the first thing you’ll do is pick one or both base plans. Sling Blue and Sling Orange are your options and they both cost the same price. If you get them both, you can get a discount. From there you can expand your channel lineup by purchasing channel add-on packs.
| Sling Orange Great Value $40.00/ month | 30+ channels ESPN New subscriber special 1 simultaneous stream | Try Sling |
| Sling Blue Great Value$40.00/ month | 40+ channels Fox, NBC, CNN, MSNBC New subscriber special 3 simultaneous streams | Try Sling |
| Sling Orange + Blue Best Value $55.00/ month | 45+ channels ESPN New subscriber special 4* simultaneous streams | Try Sling |
To learn more about Sling TV pricing, check here.
Sling TV Channels
TNT comes with both base plans. ESPN only comes with Sling Orange. You have to get the Sports Extra channel add-on pack to get NBA TV. Other add-ons that are available include the Hollywood Extra and Kids Extra. Starz, Showtime, CuriosityStream and Hallmark Movies Now are a few of the a la carte channels that Sling TV offers.
To learn more about Sling TV channels, check here.
Sling TV Supported Devices
Like fuboTV and PlayStation Vue, Sling TV has a very competitive device lineup:
- TV streaming media players: Apple TV (4th gen and up), Amazon Fire TV (all versions), Chromecast, Roku (LT and up), AirTV.
- Smart TVs: LG TV (Web OS 3.0, 3.5, and 4.0, as well as select 2016-2018 models), Samsung TV (2016 through 2018 models), Android TV (4.4 and up), Roku TV, Mi TV.
- Mobile devices and tablets: Android (4.4 and up), iOS (11 and up), Amazon Fire (tablets).
- Game consoles: Xbox One.
- Desktop browsers: Chrome on Mac and Windows recommended.
Check here for more info on Sling TV’s supported devices.
Sling TV Simultaneous Streams
Sling TV’s simultaneous stream restrictions are one of its main drawbacks. You can only stream Sling Orange channels to one device at a time. The limit for Sling Blue channels is three simultaneous screens.
To learn more about Sling TV’s simultaneous streams, click here.
Sling TV DVR
Just a few months ago, Sling TV’s DVR feature was very poor compared to the competition. A new upgrade brought it up to par, relatively speaking. Now you get ten free hours of recording time, which you can use to record all but four channels. In the past, you couldn’t record any Sling Orange channels and you had to pay an extra monthly fee to use the DVR at all.
To learn more about Sling TV’s DVR, check here.
Sling TV On-Demand Library
Sling TV has a sizable on-demand library, but most of the titles are TV show episodes. Some movies are available as well, though.
How to Watch the NBA Playoffs on Amazon Fire TV
You can watch the NBA Playoffs on Amazon Fire TV with one of these streaming services: fuboTV, Hulu with Live TV or Sling TV. Simply go to the Amazon Fire TV app store and click whatever live TV service appeals to you the most– or try them all.
How to Watch the NBA Playoffs on Roku
You can watch the NBA Playoffs on Amazon Fire TV with one of these streaming services: fuboTV, Hulu with Live TV or Sling TV. The process of installing a Roku app is the same as installing a smartphone app. Just look up the app you want to try and complete the sign-up process to get going.
How to Watch the NBA Playoffs on Apple TV
You can watch the NBA Playoffs on Amazon Fire TV with one of these streaming services: fuboTV, Hulu with Live TV or Sling TV. Apple’s app store has them all, so try them out for yourself and compare.
NBA League Pass
The NBA’s official streaming service– NBA League Pass– is a great way to watch regular season games, but it’s not so great for watching the NBA Playoffs live. You can watch replays of all the games, though. A full season subscription costs $200, but you can also pay monthly for $29/month. The NBA stops selling subscriptions to it after the regular season ends and resumes selling them in the fall.
TNT Overtime
TNT Overtime– a streaming service from TNT– is a free way to watch the playoffs. However, it’s really meant to compliment the regular broadcast. The alternate camera angles add some interesting ways to see what you don’t ordinarily see unless you actually go and see the game live and in person. There’s a backboard camera, individual player cameras, and cameras that focus on various parts of the court. You can even watch multiple angles at the same time. No setup is required and you can view the streams directly from the NBA website.
Alex Munkachy is a freelance writer, game developer and hobby robotics enthusiast. You can find his blog about robotics news and reviews at robotfanatics.com.
