NBA Playoffs 2024: How to Watch Tonight’s Games, Schedule, Matchups, TV Times
After Game 2 slipped through their hands in New York, the Philadelphia 76ers have a chance to get back into their first-round series against the Knicks tonight on their home court. Like the Sixers, the Los Angeles Lakers return home down 0-2 in their series against the defending champion Denver Nuggets, and the Orlando Magic are looking for their first win against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Game 3 of each of these series is on the slate for tonight on TNT and NBA TV.
Here’s everything you need to know to watch or stream tonight’s games and the rest of the NBA playoffs.
LeBron James and the Lakers return to Los Angeles to face the Denver Nuggets tonight in Game 3 of their first-round series.
How to watch the NBA playoffs
The NBA playoffs are being shown across four channels: ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV. You can watch the games with a cable subscription or a live TV streaming service.
Three of the five major services offer all four channels. Hulu with Live TV lacks NBA TV, which will show only a handful of playoff games. Fubo lacks TNT, which shows a big portion of the NBA playoffs, making Fubo a poor choice for hoops fans. You can also watch TNT broadcasts of playoff games with Max.
What is the playoff schedule for today?
Here’s the schedule for today’s games and through the weekend (all times ET):
Thursday, April 25
- Cavaliers vs. Magic, 7 p.m. on NBA TV
- Knicks vs. 76ers, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
- Nuggets vs. Lakers, 10 p.m. on TNT
Friday, April 26
- Bucks vs. Pacers, 5:30 p.m. on ESPN
- Clippers vs. Mavericks, 8 p.m. on ESPN
- Timberwolves vs. Suns, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN
Saturday, April 27
- Cavaliers vs. Magic, 1 p.m. on TNT
- Thunder vs. Pelicans, 3:30 p.m. on TNT
- Celtics vs. Heat, 6 p.m. on TNT
- Nuggets vs. Lakers, 8:30 p.m. on ABC
Sunday, April 28
- Knicks vs. 76ers, 1 p.m. on ABC
- Clippers vs. Mavericks, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
- Bucks vs. Pacers, 7 p.m. on TNT
- Timberwolves vs. Suns, 9:30 p.m. on TNT
What does the NBA playoff bracket look like?
The Boston Celtics earned the top spot in the East, and the Oklahoma City Thunder edged the defending champion Denver Nuggets for the top seed in the West. Here’s what the matchups look like for the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs:
Eastern Conference
- No. 1 Boston Celtics vs. No. 8 Miami Heat (tied 1-1)
- No. 2 New York Knicks vs. No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers (Knicks lead series 2-0)
- No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 6 Indiana Pacers (series tied 1-1)
- No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Orlando Magic (Cavaliers lead series 2-0)
Western Conference
- No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 8 New Orleans Pelicans (Thunder lead series 2-0)
- No. 2 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers (Nuggets lead series 2-0)
- No. 3 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 6 Phoenix Suns (Timberwolves lead series 2-0)
- No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 5 Dallas Mavericks (series tied 1-1)
YouTube TV costs $73 per month and includes all four channels needed to watch every game of the NBA playoffs. Plug in your ZIP code on its welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area.
DirecTV Stream’s $109-per-month Choice plan includes ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV. You can use its channel lookup tool to see if ABC is available where you live. If you’re willing to skip the handful of games on NBA TV, you can get the other three channels with DirecTV Stream’s basic $80-per-month Entertainment package.
Hulu Plus Live TV costs $77 per month and includes ABC, ESPN and TNT. It’s the only service that doesn’t offer NBA TV, even as part of an add-on package. Click the “View channels in your area” link on its welcome page to see which local channels are offered in your ZIP code.
The ad-supported plan for Max costs $10 per month and will show TNT broadcasts of NBA playoff games. With just Max, you’ll miss games on ESPN, ABC and NBA TV.
Live sports on Max will soon require the $10-per-month B/R Sports add-on, but you won’t need to shell out for it just yet. Warner Bros. Discovery is delaying charging customers for the add-on for now and includes it in the standard subscription.
All the live TV streaming services above offer free trials, allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide.