How to watch live basketball without cable

How cord-cutters can watch the NBA season without cable

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Cord-cutters can get their fill of big nationally televised games, but local broadcasts remain on the bench.

By Michael Ansaldo

TechHive Oct 14, 2022 3:00 am PDT

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The NBA season hasn’t even started yet, but the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors, who faced off in last year’s Finals, have already given us plenty of drama. Fortunately, the action will move from the scandal sheet to the score sheet when the 2022-23 season tips off on October 18. If you can’t make it to live games or just don’t feel comfortable returning to the stands yet, you can still catch all the hardwood action even if you don’t have a cable subscription. As in the past, big matchups will be broadcast nationally on ABC, ESPN/ESPN2, TNT, and NBA TV. And you can get most, if not all, of these covered with a single live TV streaming package.

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the regional sports networks (RSNs) that air the bulk of the teams’ games. Fox Sports, NBC Sports, YES Network, Marquee Sports Network, and other RSNs have been dropped from YouTube TV, Hulu With Live TV, Sling TV, and fuboTV over carriage-fee disputes. If you’re mainly interested in following your local team through the season, your best bet is to determine which streaming service has an agreement with your team’s regional network and go with that one. Chances are it will also stream some or all the cable networks mentioned above. A few teams can still be found on over-the-air channels—the Chicago Bulls on the windy city’s WGN, for one—but that arrangement is rapidly going the way of the two-handed set shot.

Updated October 14, 2022 to report all your streaming options for the 2022-23 NBA season. 

Over the air

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The good news is you can access ABC for free if you have an over-the-air TV antenna (you’ll find our top antenna picks here) and are within the radius of your local ABC affiliate’s broadcast tower. The bad news is the network is scheduled to air only 18 of this year’s nationally televised games. These, however, include some of the league’s marquee matchups, including three Christmas Day games: Lakers vs. Mavericks, Bucks vs. Celtics, and Grizzlies vs. Warriors.

You can watch the remaining games with some combination of the following services.

The easiest way to catch many of the cable telecasts is with the Sling TV streaming service, but you’ll need to pony up for a monthly subscription. For $35 per month (currently half off for the first month), Sling’s Orange package will get you ESPN/ESPN 2 and TNT. You can also get NBA TV with the Sports Extra add-on for an additional $11. With a TV antenna to catch the ABC broadcasts, you’ll have everything covered.

DirectTV Stream

You can also get ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, and NBA TV with DirectTV Stream. All you need is the basic Entertainment package for $90 per month. You might also be able to get your local team’s games, as DirectTV Stream is the only service to offer a full complement of regional sports networks, including the NBC Sports regional networks, Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, New England Sports Network, YES Network, and Spectrum SportsNet LA. To find out what’s available in your area, enter your ZIP code into DirectTV Stream’s channel lookup. Note that you’ll still need an antenna to watch games on ABC.

Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV

Both Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV give you access to ABC, ESPN/ESPN2, and TNT, for a flat fee of $70 a month and $65 a month, respectively. But only YouTube TV offers NBA TV, giving it the edge for hoop heads. With just the one channel package, however, you don’t get the customizability of Sling TV or DirecTV Stream, so keep that in mind if you plan to use your subscription beyond basketball season.

YouTube TV uses a small number of menu sections to make navigation easier.

FuboTV

FuboTV offers ABC and ESPN in its $70-per-month Pro package, but none of its packages include TNT. This package also includes regional networks NBC Sports Bay Area and NBC Sports California, which is great news if you’re a fan of the Kings, Warriors, Lakers, or Clippers. You can add NBA TV by purchasing the Sports Lite add-on for $11 a month.

Fubo has lots of appeal to sports fans, and it includes NBA TV. But your subscription won’t give you access to ABC, TNT, or ESPN.

NBA League Pass

If you’re truly hardcore for the hardwood, you should consider a subscription to NBA League Pass, the league’s official streaming service. For $100 a year or $15 per month, you can watch every live out-of-market game that isn’t being broadcast nationally on one of the four networks we’ve mentioned.

A League Pass subscription allows you to watch every feed (home, away, mobile view, plus additional languages and camera angles) of a game on your TV, computer, tablet, and smartphone. Games originally broadcast on ESPN, TNT, and ABC are available three hours after completion in the video archives. You also get anytime access to a curated selection of “classic” games.

For $130 a year or $20 per month, you can upgrade to NBA League Pass Premium, which enables you to stream a game on two devices at once and watch all games commercial free.

With an NBA League Pass subscription, you can stream live out-of-market games to your TV, computer, or mobile device.

NBA Team Pass

That’s a big investment if you only want to follow your favorite team. NBA Team Pass is a less-expensive alternative. For $90 a year, you get access to all your squad’s local broadcasts for both home and away games.

The rub is that NBA blackout rules still apply. If you live in your team’s “home” market—a Warriors fan residing in the San Francisco Bay Area, for example—you still won’t be able to watch their games even with a Team Pass subscription (this goes for League Pass as well). Your team’s home market, however, isn’t necessarily defined by your town’s city limits.

In the NBA’s own words, the league determines blackout zones “using zip code (if watching via a satellite television provider), a combination of zip code and cable system distribution territory (if watching via a cable television provider), or by the IP address associated with your internet connection or your mobile device’s GPS coordinates.”

That means this isn’t a cord-cutting option for everyone. You can see which teams are not available in your area in the blackout section on this page when you choose your subscription.

NBA streaming is still 50-50 ball

Streaming live NBA games continues to be a mixed bag for cord-cutters. The availability of national broadcasts through streaming services gives you a courtside seat for some of the biggest matchups of the season. But local fanbases who want to follow their team continue to be left on the bench, for the most part. Until streaming options for regional sports networks become more widely available, you might want to dust off your radio.

How to watch pro sports live without cable TV 2022

Have you cut the cord on cable TV, but still want to watch pro sports live? Rest assured, you have plenty of options for streaming your favorite sports online. Games are available to watch on nearly any device you own. The trick to figuring out how to watch live sports for free is subscribing to the best combination of streaming services and free viewing options for your favorite teams.

No matter which sport is your favorite, you don’t need cable to root, root, root for the home team from your home. Here’s our guide showing you how to watch sports without cable and the best sports streaming services, with options for each major U.S. sports league.

Here’s how you can stream sports without a cable subscription. (Please note that prices and channels were accurate at the time of publication but are subject to change. Always verify on the service’s website before signing up.)

The fine print: Blackout rules and regional networks

Before diving into the options and pricing, be aware of each league’s blackout rules, in addition to rules about games airing on national networks.

For those who don’t speak sports, a blackout happens when a local game does not sell out. In those cases, the game does not air live on local TV and is blocked from streaming in the local market. Even when a local game does sell out, locals may not be able to watch it on a streaming service. For example, NBA League Pass won’t allow you access to your local team’s game or any nationally televised games.

Regional sports networks pose another challenge. Make sure your team’s games will be available on whatever streaming service you choose. The former Fox Sports regional networks (now known as Bally Sports) have been dropped by many of the streaming services listed below.

If you want to watch a specific team’s full season, head over to the official team website for viewing options.

All major sports leagues

If you’re a well-rounded sports fan and want to watch live sports from all the major leagues, you’ll need an option that offers the broadest coverage. Subscribing to multiple individual-sport streaming services adds up quickly, and you could wind up spending more than cable would have cost in the first place. Even so, many of the options that pair sports networks with other TV channels can get expensive fast.

You might hope you can get live sports streaming for free, and you can. However, many of the “free” sports streaming sites require you to have cable or a subscription to a partner sports streaming service, so they really are not as free as they sound. The truly free options are often sketchy; you may need to use a VPN and take some not-quite-legal steps to get access. We do not recommend this approach.

Here are better options if you want to watch games from multiple major sports leagues without cable:

Over-the-air antenna. Rabbit ears may have given way to a digital cable TV box, but the concept is still the same. Plug your digital TV antenna into the coaxial cable jack on the back of your TV. Hang the antenna as high as possible and, if possible, near a window on the side of your house that faces the big broadcast antenna. Tune in to your local TV station. Watch the game. Antennas are available at Amazon, Walmart, and other discount retailers and it’s just a one-time cost.

Amazon. What can’t you get from Amazon? As of now, streaming sports are on the menu. Navigate to the Prime Video live events section in the “Live & Upcoming” row when logged into Prime Video using any computer or supported device for viewing options.

Free trial of Amazon Prime – 30 days unlimited streaming anywhere, any time

DIRECTV STREAM: DIRECTV STREAM is one of the closest alternatives to cable sports channels without having to tie yourself up in contracts and fees. There are four streaming packages available, starting with their entertainment package at $69.99 per month.  Regional sports channels are included in the Choice tier ($79.99 per month)  and above. The packages scale from 75+ channels of live TV to 150+ channels of live TV. You can either use the DIRECTV STREAM device or use your favorite streaming devices, such as a ROKU or a Firestick.  

The full breakdown of prices and channels can be found here: www.directv.com/stream/

fuboTV. Use any connected device to stream fuboTV, which offers a collection of sports and entertainment channels with add-on options. You can watch leagues such as the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, NASCAR, and more. There are 50 channels in its list of sports channels in my area in Southern California (out of 224 channels total). However, some regional restrictions may apply. For example, you may not be able to get regional Bally Sports channels (formerly Fox Sports Network). 

After a free trial, you’ll pay $69.99 per month for the Pro plan (includes most sports channels) or $79.99 per month for Elite (includes more channels). There’s a Spanish-language subscription available as well for $33 per month, including muchos deportes.

FuboTV also features add-on options. The Sports Plus with NFL Redzone add-on for $10.99 per month includes top NCAA games, NFL Redzone from NFL Network, ESPN U, NHL Network, MLB Network, ESPNEWS, and SEC ESPN Network. Other add-ons for more sports channels include fubo Extra ($7.99 per month), International Sports Plus ($6.99 per month), and Latino Quarterly ($24.99 per month).

Start Your fuboTV free trial now.

Hulu + Live TV with Disney+ and ESPN+. Hulu‘s live TV plan not only includes the full Hulu library, but access to top networks for live sports, too.

This includes CBS, ESPN, FOX, FS1, NBCSN, and some regional sports channels. You can watch on any connected device and watch on up to two screens simultaneously. You’ll use your Hulu username and password information to log in to partner apps like WatchESPN, Fox Sports Go, and NBC Sports. Get it with ESPN+ and Disney+ for $69.99/month.

Get one month free of Hulu+

Hulu with ESPN+ only The Hulu ESPN+ plan allows you to stream live events from MLB, NHL, MLS, UFC, college sports and more. You can watch on a smart TV, tablet, smartphone and other devices. With ESPN+ you’ll also get access to premium articles, daily studio shows, sports documentaries, and ESPN+ original shows. ESPN+ costs $6.99 per month  in addition to whatever Hulu base plan you choose.

Sign up for ESPN+ Disney+ Hulu Bundle

Paramount+. Formerly CBS All Access, Paramount+ is the primary online and mobile experience for CBS and Paramount. Sports fans can find some games on CBS included in the app. Plans start at $4.99 per month. That includes NFL and SEC football, international soccer matches, golf, and the annual NCAA March Madness tournament. Students get 25% off Paramount+ that basic subscription.

Get a  FREE TRIAL of Paramount+

Sling TV. One of the best streaming services for live sports, Sling TV has partnered with the NFL Network to bring you live games, news and analysis streamed to any of your internet-connected devices. 

SlingTV isn’t just for football – the Orange + Blue plan includes ESPN and NFL Network, along with many other channels showing sports, such as Fox, Fox Sports, NBC, NBC SN, and ESPN2 and 3. It also includes a DVR service.

The two main packages (Sling Orange or Sling Blue) are $35 per month, though you can often give Sling a try for half off your first month with special offers. Signing up for the full package costs $50 per month. For an extra $11 charge, you can get their Sports Extra add-on, which gives you access to the Big Ten Network, ESPNU, SEC Network, ACC Network Plus, NHL Network, NBA TV, and more. Other add-on packages cost $6 per month.

YouTube TV. YouTube TV is essentially an online cable subscription from Google. It includes 85+ channels including several major sports channels for streaming live sports and most anything else you could watch on live TV. YouTube TV includes an online DVR and doesn’t require a cable box. It works on your computer, smartphone, or many smart TV apps and devices.

For sports, you’ll want to click on ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN, NFL Network, NBC Sports, MLB Network, Golf Channel, NBA TV, NBCSN, SEC ESPN Network, and other channel options. You can pay to add MLB. TV, the NBA League Pass, and YouTube TV Sports Plus (includes seven more sports channels).

All you need is a Google account to sign up, which you already have if you use Gmail. It’s usually $64.99 per month, but introductory rates are common and you can start with a free trial.

NFL football

What’s more American than watching the NFL game on Sunday with a cold beer in hand and wings at halftime? If you want to save on that big cable bill each month, here are ways to watch football without a cable or satellite television subscription.

NFL+. For $4.99 per month ($39.99 per year),  NFL+  gives you streaming access to to live local and primetime regular season and postseason games on your phone and tablet. Local games are the games that are available on TV in your local TV market.

Are college sports more your thing? NCAA Football streaming is complicated, so read up on your options for watching NCAA college football without cable.

Major League Baseball

Don’t miss the boys of summer in action when you subscribe to one of these Major League Baseball streaming options.

MLB.TV Premium. MLB.TV Premium gives subscribers access to every out-of-market game for all 30 MLB teams. Baseball season packages cost $94.99 for a full season of games for all teams or $24.99 per month.

MLB.TV Single Team. MLB.TV’s single-team package gives you all out-of-market games for your favorite team. This does not allow you to view live home games. This package costs $74.99 per year during the baseball season. 

NBA basketball

Get courtside seats after you’ve cut the cord by using these basketball streaming services.

NBA League Pass. The NBA League Pass is the official streaming service for the National Basketball Association. Get live games streamed to any connected device. There are several options available, starting at $89.99 for the basketball season. If you are an Amazon Prime member, you can add it to your subscription here.

NHL hockey

Who needs peanuts and Cracker Jack when you can watch professional athletes slam into a glass wall at high speeds? And, yes, you can stream NHL games without cable.

NHL.TV. The official National Hockey League streaming service is NHL.TV. You need an ESPN+ subscription to view NHL.TV. See above for details on ESPN+. 

Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer is growing into a sport in the U.S. with the same rabid fans we see in Europe, Latin America and other “football” markets. If you’re a fan, here’s how you can watch live soccer games.

MLS Live. If you want to watch MLS Live, you’ll need ESPN+. The Major League Soccer’s out-of-market streaming package is available on the app, which also includes access to other live sports and ESPN+ originals. 

Sports fans who don’t have cable like these articles too:

• How to watch college football without cable
• Streaming services that offer free trials
• The ultimate guide to cutting cable
• What sports fans can watch now
• Get TV shows you love without cable
• Sports fans can watch NFL, NBA and NHL past games

How to Watch NBA Live

Streaming NBA games is easy, but also complicated by the fact that there are so many places to watch NBA live. ABC, TNT, ESPN, NBA TV and various regional sports networks have the rights to broadcast NBA games, so you need access to streaming sources for all those who want the best possible coverage.

The NBA has canceled its 2020 season: visit us next year to find out how to claim your basketball.

We'll show you the best options for watching NBA live on ABC, TNT, ESPN, NBA TV and even NBA League Pass. If none of these work for you, we even have some free NBA streaming sources for you to check out.

How to watch the NBA season

Four different national networks have rights to broadcast games in both the regular season and the postseason. Some games are also available on regional sports networks. This means that the best way to watch is with a cable subscription or a cable replacement streaming service subscription.

Each team in the NBA plays 82 games a season, so it's unlikely anyone will want or be able to watch every game. If you want to keep your settings open and be able to watch as many games as possible, you'll need to make sure you have access to these channels:

• ABC Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon. Some playoff games are also shown on ABC, and the entire NBA Finals is shown on ABC.
• ESPN : Double headlines air on ESPN on Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the season. The Western Conference Finals will also take place on ESPN in 2020.
• TNT : Double headlines air on TNT on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. The Eastern Conference Finals will also take place on TNT in 2020.
• NBA TV : Games are shown on NBA TV almost every night during the regular season, and some playoff games are also on this network.
• Regional Sports Networks : These networks have the rights to broadcast local teams. If you have a regional sports network in your area, it may have the rights to broadcast games from your local NBA team.

How to stream NBA on a streaming service

Since NBA games are broadcast on four different networks and many regional sports networks, the best way to catch as many games as possible is to use a streaming service.

Cable replacement streaming services are a lot like cable and satellite TV, but you're streaming it over a high-speed internet connection, not your local cable company or satellite provider. These services provide live broadcasts of exactly the same programs that you would watch on cable or satellite.

To use the TV streaming service, you need a high-speed Internet connection and at least one device that can stream video, such as a computer, phone, set-top box like Roku, or even a game console.

All of these streaming services offer unique lineups of channels, so some are better to watch the NBA than others.

All streaming services on this list offer a free trial, so you can start streaming NBA games without paying up front.

Here are the most popular streaming services and the respective channels they offer: