How to Watch NBA Games Without Cable

To watch the NBA without cable, cover three places: ABC and NBC (free with an HD antenna, or Peacock for NBC), ESPN (the ESPN app or a live TV service like YouTube TV, Fubo or DirecTV Stream) and Prime Video. Your local team's games usually air on a regional sports network instead, which you can stream on DirecTV Stream, Fubo or the network's or team's app if you live in its market.

Where NBA games air

NBA games fall into two groups. National games are shown everywhere. Local games are shown only in each team's home market, on that team's regional channel.

National games air on these channels:

Most nights also have a long list of local games. Those air on regional sports networks whose names change from city to city, which is why "what channel is the game on" is a harder question in the NBA than in the NFL. The NBA TV schedule answers it for every game: each game page lists the national channel if there is one, the local channel for both teams and where to stream them.

Free over the air: ABC and NBC

An HD antenna picks up your local ABC and NBC stations at no monthly cost. That covers every NBA game those two networks carry, including the big weekend and holiday matchups. Reception depends on your distance from the broadcast towers, so check which stations reach your address before buying one.

An antenna does nothing for ESPN, Prime Video, Peacock-only games or your team's regional channel. For those you need one of the options below.

Streaming services for national games

A live TV streaming service gives you the national channels in one app:

• YouTube TV carries ABC, ESPN, NBC and NBA TV.
• DirecTV Stream carries ABC, ESPN, NBC and NBA TV, and it carries many regional sports networks too.
• Fubo carries ABC, ESPN and NBC, plus many regional sports networks.
• Hulu + Live TV carries ABC, ESPN and NBC.
• Sling TV is the lower-cost option. Depending on the package and your market it carries ESPN, NBC and NBA TV, but not ABC, so pair it with an antenna.

You can also skip the live TV service and stack single apps:

• The ESPN app with an ESPN plan streams ESPN and ABC games.
• Peacock streams NBC games and the games that stream only on Peacock.
• Prime Video streams its own national games, included with Amazon Prime.

Lineups differ by plan and ZIP code. Check current pricing and confirm your channels on each service's site before you sign up.

Watching your local team

Your local team's games that are not on a national channel air on a regional sports network. You have three ways to stream it:

1. DirecTV Stream, which carries many regional sports networks.
2. Fubo, which also carries many regional networks, depending on your ZIP code.
3. The network's or team's own app, which streams the regional channel if you live in the team's market.

Coverage depends on your exact location, so enter your ZIP code on the service's site to see whether your team's channel is included. Each team page shows the channel for every upcoming game, for example the Lakers, Celtics, Knicks and Warriors.

NBA League Pass for out-of-market fans

If your team plays in another city, NBA League Pass is the main way to watch. It streams out-of-market games, so a Celtics fan in Phoenix can follow every Boston game that is not on a national channel.

The catch is blackouts. League Pass blacks out your local team's games in your area, because those games are on your regional channel. If you live in the same market as your team, League Pass is the wrong tool; use one of the regional options above.

Find the channel for any NBA game

The fastest answer for a single game is its game page on the NBA schedule. It shows the national channel, the local channel for both teams, the tip-off time in every US time zone and links to the services that carry it. Pages update on their own when a broadcast changes, which happens often in the NBA as national games get added during the season.

The cheapest setup for how you watch

• Big national games only: an antenna for ABC and NBC, plus Prime Video and the ESPN app. Add Peacock for its exclusive games.
• Your local team: DirecTV Stream or Fubo if either carries your team's regional network, or the team's or network's app.
• A team in another city: NBA League Pass, plus the national setup for games League Pass does not show.
• Everything on one bill: DirecTV Stream with Prime Video and Peacock on the side.

Football fans can reuse most of this setup. See how to watch the NFL without cable, or browse all streaming guides.