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The NBA Playoffs begin on Tuesday with the start of the play-in tournament. The top six teams from each conference have qualified for the actual playoffs, and teams seven through 10 must make it through the play-in tournament to secure one of the final two playoff spots in each conference.
In the Western Conference, the participating 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 meet in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.
Western Conference play-in games will air on TNT and Eastern Conference games will air 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 will 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 number 7 Pelicans host the number 8 Lakers, a game in which 23-year-old Zion Williamson will face 39-year-old LeBron James. Next up are the No. 9 Kings who will host the No. 10 Warriors. Steph Curry and the Warriors will need to win two road games to earn the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
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 an injury near the end of the regular season, taking on Miami center Bam Adebayo and the former playoff player. hero Jimmy Butler. In the game between the No. 9 Bulls and No. 10 Hawks, the focus will be less on the big men and more on guards and wings like the Bulls’ DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine and the Hawks’ Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. .
What is the play-in tournament schedule?
All eight entry 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
- Kings No. 9 vs. Warriors N°10, 10:00 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 the seventh seed in that conference. 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 is the NBA playoff standings like?
The Boston Celtics took first place in the East, and the Oklahoma City Thunder edged out the defending champion Denver Nuggets for first place in the West. These are the matchups for the 2024 NBA Playoffs that begin on 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. This No. 8
- No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 6 Indiana Pacers
- No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. West No. 8
- The No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers vs. the No. 5 Dallas Mavericks
How to watch the NBA play-in tournament
You can watch play-in games on TNT and ESPN with a cable subscription or a live TV streaming service. Four of the top five services (all but Fubo) offer both channels. You can also watch the TNT broadcast of Western Conference play-in games with Max.
The remainder of the playoffs will air on ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV.
Sling TV’s $40 per month Orange plan includes TNT and ESPN for early games, but you’ll need the Orange and Blue combo plan for $55 per month to get ESPN and ABC for the rest of the playoffs. You will 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 playoff rounds, it also includes ABC and is the only service that includes NBA TV in its basic plan. Enter your zip code in your welcome page to see what 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 “Watch channels in your area” link on your welcome page to see what local channels are offered in your zip code. However, it is the only service that does not offer NBA TV, even as part of an add-on package.
The ad-supported plan for Max costs $10 per month and will show all three Western Conference play-in games and some games from future rounds of the NBA playoffs. However, only with Max will you miss ESPN and ABC games.
Live sports on Max will soon require $10 per month Sports B/R add-on, but you won’t need to shell out for it yet. Warner Bros. Discovery is delay payment to customers for the plugin for now and includes it in the standard subscription.
All of the above live TV streaming services offer free trials, let you cancel at any time, and require a strong internet connection. Looking for more information? Take a look at our guide to live tv streaming services.
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