The NBA Playoffs tip off Tuesday with the start of the play-in tournament. The top six teams in each conference have qualified for the actual playoffs, and teams seven through 10 must get through the play-in tourney to secure one of the final two playoff spots in each conference.
In the Western Conference, the play-in teams are the New Orleans Pelicans, Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks will battle it out in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.
The Western Conference play-in games will be shown on TNT, and the Eastern Conference games will be on ESPN. Here’s everything you need to know to watch or stream the start of the NBA Playoffs.
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers wil face Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans in the first game of the NBA play-in tournament.
What are the play-in tournament matchups?
In the West, the No. 7 Pelicans host the No. 8 Lakers, a game that will feature 23-year-old Zion Williamson going up against 39-year-old LeBron James. Next up is the No. 9 Kings playing host to the No. 10 Warriors. Steph Curry and the Warriors will need to win two games on the road to earn the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference playoffs.
In the East, the No. 7 76ers host the No. 8 Heat in a game that will feature reigning league MVP Joel Embiid, who just returned from injury near the end of the regular season, going up against Miami center Bam Adebayo and former playoff hero Jimmy Butler. In the game between the No. 9 Bulls and No. 10 Hawks, the focus will be less on big men and more on guards and wings such as DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine of the Bulls and the Hawks’ Trae Young and Dejounte Murray.
What is the play-in tournament schedule?
All eight play-in teams will be in action on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Tuesday, April 16
- No. 7 Pelicans vs. No. 8 Lakers, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
- No. 9 Kings vs. No. 10 Warriors, 10 p.m. on TNT
Wednesday, April 17
- No. 7 76ers vs. No. 8 Heat, 7 p.m. on ESPN
- No. 9 Bulls vs. No. 10 Hawks, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN
The winner of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 game in each conference earns that conference’s seventh seed. The loser will then play the winner of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 game on Friday for the eighth playoff spot in each conference.
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 2024 NBA Playoffs that begin Saturday:
Saturday, April 20
- No. 2 New York Knicks vs. East No. 7
- No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Orlando Magic
- No. 2 Denver Nuggets vs. West No. 7
- No. 3 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 6 Phoenix Suns
Sunday, April 21
- No. 1 Boston Celtics vs. East No. 8
- No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 6 Indiana Pacers
- No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. West No. 8
- No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 5 Dallas Mavericks
How to watch the NBA play-in tournament
You can watch the play-in games on TNT and ESPN with a cable subscription or a live TV streaming service. Four of the five major services (all but Fubo) offer both channels. You can also watch the TNT broadcast of the Western Conference play-in games with Max.
The rest of the playoffs will be shown on ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV.
Sling TV’s $40-per-month Orange plan includes TNT and ESPN for the play-in games, but you’ll need the combined Orange-and-Blue plan for $55 a month to get both ESPN and ABC for the rest of the playoffs. You’ll also need to live in one of the few markets where Sling offers ABC.
YouTube TV costs $73 per month and includes TNT and ESPN for the play-in tournament. For future rounds of the playoffs, it also includes ABC and is the only service to include NBA TV in its basic plan. Plug in your ZIP code on its welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area.
Hulu with Live TV costs $77 per month and includes TNT and ESPN. It also offers ABC for future rounds; click the “View channels in your area” link on its welcome page to see which local channels are offered in your ZIP code. It’s the only service, however, that doesn’t offer NBA TV, even as part of an add-on package.
The ad-supported plan for Max costs $10 per month and will show the three Western Conference play-in games and well as some games in future rounds of the NBA playoffs. With just Max, however, you’ll miss games on ESPN and ABC.
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 of 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.
