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With the end of the 2025-26 NBA regular season, the top 16 teams in the league compete to hoist the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy in victory. There’s a lot of star power going into the playoffs — including Donovan Mitchell, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, LeBron James, Anthony Edwards, Nikola Jokić, Cade Cunningham, Victor Wembanyama and others — but only one team can win it all this season.
The NBA Playoffs season starts on Saturday, Apr. 18, while the postseason ends with the NBA Finals on Friday, June 19 — if the championship series goes seven games.
At a Glance: Watch the 2026 NBA Playoffs Live Online
Ratings for the NBA has grown in the past year ever since the league moved games from cable TV with TNT to network broadcast television with NBC, as the NBA All-Star Game drew in nearly 9 million viewers back in February, a 15-year high.
Moreover, last season’s NBA Finals, which went to Game 7, peaked at nearly 20 million viewers, a six-year high. For context, the Oklahoma City Thunder won the championship against the Indiana Pacers; two small TV market teams that managed to draw big hits based solely on the heated action on the basketball court instead of relying on star power and metro populations.
In the meantime, keep reading to find out how to watch the 2026 NBA Playoffs. In the meantime, check out a complete schedule of playoff games here, or the tournament bracket here.
How to Watch 2026 NBA Playoffs Without Cable
While the NBA Playoffs broadcast on TV across ESPN, ABC and NBC, games can be streamed on web-based streaming cable services, like DirecTV, Sling and Hulu + Live TV. Postseason games are also available to livestream on platforms, such as Prime Video and Peacock.
Ahead, find out how to watch the NBA Playoffs with and without a cable subscription.
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DirecTV
Watch the 2026 NBA Playoffs with DirecTV, which carries ESPN, ABC and NBC, along with more than 125 other channels — such as NBA TV, CBS Sports Network, FOX Sports, NFL Network, FanDuel TV and others. Sports fans can watch NBA games for free with the cable streamer’s five-day trial. Afterwards, you can either cancel the service or keep watching, with prices starting at $59.99 for the first month of service ($94.99 per month afterward) for the entry-level “Choice” package with the streamer’s current deals.
Sling is one of the most affordable options for new live TV streaming subscribers who want to watch the NBA Playoffs on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ABC and NBC with the Orange + Blue plan with prices starting at $60.99 per month. Meanwhile, NBA TV is available through Sling’s Sports Extra package for an additional $11 per month. The sports package includes NHL Network, MLB Network, ESPNU and more.
Please note: Prices and channel availability depend on your local TV market.
To watch ESPN, ABC and NBC online, a subscription to Hulu + Live TV is fantastic option. The streaming service includes Disney+, ESPN Unlimited and access to more than 95 live channels — like CBS Sports Network, BET, CNN, Food Network and more — starting at $89.99 per month. In addition to live cable, Hulu + Live TV lets subscribers watch originals from Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN Unlimited. It includes unlimited cloud DVR, too. Hulu also offers a three-day free trial.
To watch NBA games on ESPN and ABC (but no NBC) is through Fubo. The streaming service starts at $48.99 for the first month ($73.99 per month afterward) for more than 200 channels with the streamer’s current deals. You can also record over 1,000 hours of TV shows, movies, games and more. If you want to watch online free, the online TV streaming service offers a five-day free trial for new subscribers.
For the 2026 NBA Playoffs, Peacock is the home of the NBA on NBC online. Not a Peacock subscriber? The streamer has an ad-free Peacock Premium package for $10.99 monthly (or $109.99 yearly). Otherwise, the ad-supported plan is $16.99 monthly (or $169.99 yearly). Aside from NBA games, you’ll get access to originals such as Wicked: For Good, Ladies of London: The New Reign, The Traitors, Love Island: All Stars and others; live sports and entertainment from NBC Sports; and more than 50 “always-on” streaming channels.
Related: The Best Peacock Streaming Deals
In 2026, Prime Video features marquee games throughout the season. New subscribers can get a free 30-day trial for Prime Video; after that, the standalone streaming service auto-renews at $8.99 per month. Another way to watch the game for free is with a membership to Amazon Prime, which includes access to Prime Video and costs $14.99 per month or $139 per year — a nearly 25 percent savings compared to paying the regular monthly price.
Amazon Prime includes access to Prime Video, Prime Gaming and Amazon Music Prime, as well as fast free shipping on most items sold from the online retailer with Prime Delivery, in-store discounts at Whole Foods Market, access to exclusive shopping events — like Prime Day and Black Friday — and much more
To stream every NBA game from all 30 teams in the association during the preseason, regular season, postseason and NBA Finals, NBA League Pass is the best option.
With prices starting at $16.99 per month, the streaming service features all live games, on-demand games and access to games from the NBA’s archive. NBA League Pass also includes NBA TV for coverage, analysis, documentaries, highlights and more.
However, blackout rules apply to certain TV markets. Learn more about NBA League Pass here.
How to Watch 2025-26 NBA Games With Cable
NBA games air across ESPN, ABC and NBC. You can watch by tuning in through your cable TV provider, on the networks’ respective websites and mobile apps with your cable TV account login — including streaming and traditional services such as DirecTV, Sling, Verizon, Xfinity and others.
