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With the NBA Play-In Tournament wrapping up, the start of the 2026 NBA Playoffs tipoffs on Saturday, Apr. 18. The top 16 teams in the basketball league are vying to hoist the highly-coveted Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy at the end of the season.
Want to watch postseason games online? The NBA Playoffs broadcast live across ESPN, ABC and NBC, as well as livestream on Prime Video and Peacock.
If you’re a sports fan, there are plenty of affordable streaming options that offer NBA coverage live and on demand. Read on for details on how to watch and stream the NBA playoffs without cable.
Where to Watch the NBA Playoffs 2026 Live Online
If you want to watch the NBA Playoffs, you can watch ESPN, ABC and NBC without cable with streaming platforms, such as DirecTV, Sling TV and others. Additionally, you’ll need Prime Video to access more games.
While most streamers offer a free trial or a discount at sign up, so you won’t necessarily have to spend anything up front. To help you shop for the right package, we collected a short list of some of the more affordable streamers and what they offer for NBA fans.
DirecTV
A subscription to DirecTV — which comes with ESPN, ABC and NBC for the NBA Playoffs — gets you access to live TV, local and cable channels with the streamer’s “Choice” package, starting at $59.99 for the first month of service ($94.99 per month afterwards). The service even offers a five-day free trial to watch for free, if you sign up now.
You can watch local networks such as FOX and CBS, while you can also watch many cable networks, including FOX Sports, FS2, ESPN2, CBS Sports Network and many others.
The 2026 NBA Playoffs are now on Prime Video for the first time. You can watch select games at no additional cost, if you’re an Amazon Prime member.
However, if you’re not a member, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial to take advantage of all that the subscription service has to offer, including access to Prime Video, Prime Gaming and Amazon Photos; fast free shipping in less than two days with Prime Delivery; in-store discounts at Whole Foods Market; access to exclusive shopping events — such as Prime Day and Black Friday — and much more. Learn more about Amazon Prime and its benefits here.
Peacock
There are two Peacock plans you can choose from: The Premium Plan is ad-supported and goes for $10.99 per month, or the mostly ad-free Premium Plus plan for $16.99 per month.
Unfortunately, there is no free trial for new subscribers, but the streaming platform does come with various plans starting at $10.99 per month. However, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial for Walmart+, which comes with access to Peacock as part of the service. Learn more about Walmart+ here.
Sling TV
Sling TV offers Orange + Blue, which comes with ESPN, ABC and NBC. With more than 50 channels, you can combine both of the streamer’s main packages and get all of the channels it offers and the ability to stream on up to three devices at once. Please note: Pricing and channel availability varies from market-to-market.
Hulu
For the best bundle, you can sign up for Hulu + Live TV and get access to the Hulu library in addition to more then 95 live TV channels (including ESPN, ABC and NBC). The streaming platform starts at $89.99 per month. And, for even more programming, the streaming service comes bundled with Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN Unlimited.
Which Celebrities Are Making Appearances During NBA Playoffs?
It’s likely there will be a number of celebrities and famous recording artists in attendance during the NBA Playoffs, such as NY Knicks fans Spike Lee, 50 Cent, Fat Joe and others; L.A. Lakers fans Snoop Dogg, Flea, Adele, and others; Cleveland Cavaliers fans Machine Gun Kelly, Usher, The Miz and others; and more. Just tune-in to postseason games to find out who’s sitting courtside.
NBA Playoffs 2026 Schedule
The 2026 NBA Playoffs start on Saturday, Apr. 18 and goes until late June for the NBA Finals. Check out a complete NBA Playoffs schedule and tournament bracket here.
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