The first round of the NBA playoffs is almost at its end. Six teams have punched their tickets for the second round, with the Knicks and Pacers finishing their respective first-round series on Thursday night. Tonight brings two more Game 6 showdowns, both on ESPN.
First up is a matchup between the Cavaliers and Magic in Orlando, with the Cavs entering the contest with a 3-2 series lead. A win tonight will see the Cavs advance to the second round and take on the Boston Celtics next week, while a Magic victory will force a Game 7 on Sunday. Tip-off is called for 7 p.m. ET.
The night’s second game will feature the Clippers and Mavericks in Dallas. After getting blown out at home on Wednesday night, the Clippers trail the Mavs 3-2 and will need to win to force a Game 7 on Sunday in LA. The Mavericks, meanwhile, would advance to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder with a victory tonight. The start time for this contest is called for 9:30 p.m. ET.
Here’s everything you need to know to watch or stream the games today and the rest of the NBA playoffs.
Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks will look to finish off the Los Angeles Clippers at home on Friday night.
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 the next few days (all times ET):
Friday, May 3
- Game 6: Cavaliers vs. Magic, 7 p.m. on ESPN (Cavaliers lead series 3-2)
- Game 6: Clippers vs. Mavericks, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN (Mavericks lead series 3-2)
Saturday, May 4
- Game 1 (second round): Timberwolves vs. Nuggets, 7 p.m. on TNT
Sunday, May 5
- Game 7*: Magic vs. Cavaliers, 1 p.m. on ABC
- Game 7*: Mavericks vs. Clippers, 8 p.m. on TNT
Monday, May 6
- Game 1 (second round): Pacers vs. Knicks, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
- Game 2 (second round): Timberwolves vs. Nuggets, 10 p.m. on TNT
*If necessary.
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 (Celtics won 4-1)
- No. 2 New York Knicks vs. No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers (Knicks won 4-2)
- No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 6 Indiana Pacers (Pacers won 4-2)
- No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Orlando Magic (Cavs lead series 3-2)
Western Conference
- No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 8 New Orleans Pelicans (Thunder won series 4-0)
- No. 2 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers (Nuggets won series 4-1)
- No. 3 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 6 Phoenix Suns (Timberwolves won series 4-0)
- No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 5 Dallas Mavericks (Mavericks lead series 3-2)
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.
