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How to watch the NBA Playoffs: Live stream every game online
The NBA regular season came to an end last week with the 2020 NBA Western and Eastern Conference Playoffs now underway. Will the Milwaukee Bucks finally claim a title after almost five decades, or will one of the top-two teams from Los Angeles win the coveted title?
This has been a weird season for the NBA, but kudos to the league for putting together a watertight plan in place and ensuring the restart has been a huge success so far. By all accounts, it looks like the NBA is going to complete its 2019-2020 regular season this year, with the NBA Finals scheduled to take place in mid-October. Before we get to the Playoff showdown this year, let's reflect on the biggest talking points of the NBA season thus far.
This season was always billed up as the "Battle of Los Angeles" as the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers - who share the same venue, Staples Centre - boasted the strongest rosters in the season with LeBron James and Anthony Davis leading the Lakers and reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and Paul George leading the Clippers.
It was also the season of Zion Williamson - a rookie that entered the league with as much fanfare as James did back in 2003. While Zion showed promises of future brilliance when he actually did play, injuries meant he spent more time off the court than he did on it. James Harden had another outstanding scoring season averaging more than 34 points a game.
Out in the East, Giannis Antetokoumpo took advantage of the weaker conference to further assert his domination on the league. The reigning league MVP averages over 29 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists and is the favourite to win the award this year, as well, ahead of Harden and James who averages over 25 points and 10 rebounds.
The Lakers were cruising in first position in the West and the Portland Trail Blazers were tanking because their biggest stars were injured and then everything changed. In mid-March Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz got the coronavirus and the NBA became one of the first global sporting leagues to be called off indefinitely.
After much consideration and deliberation, the league created its own "bubble" inside the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando in Florida. 22 of the 30 teams that had the best chances of qualifying for the Playoffs were invited into the bubble in early July.
What happened inside the bubble: Over the last few weeks (from 30 July), all teams returned after a four-and-a-half month break to play their final eight seeding games to determine their Playoff position. Many thought that the New Orleans Pelicans would clinch the eighth seed in the West because they had the easiest schedule, but restrictions to Zion's minutes meant they tanked inside the bubble.
The Phoenix Suns and the Portland Trail Blazers were two of the most successful teams inside the bubble, winning almost all their seeding games. The Blazers have benefitted from the return to health of centre Yusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins , along with the stunning form of Damian Lillard , who was voted the Bubble MVP. It came as no surprise when they topped their amazing run by clinching the eighth seed in the West, setting up a Round 1 match-up with the Lakers in the process.
Speaking about the Lakers, the team lost the momentum they gained before the break, although they retained the number one seed after three crucial wins inside the bubble. LeBron has been more cautious than usual and AD has had flashes of brilliance. While Kyle Kuzma is emerging as their third star, they are clearly missing the services of Avery Bradley (opted to stay home) and Rajon Rondo (out due to injury), especially on the defensive end.
Many people rightfully believe that the Los Angeles Clippers are the favourites to lift the 2020 NBA title this year. Their stars - Kawhi and PG13 - have been in great form and they have the deepest roster, although they haven't played as much together throughout the course of the regular season. Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell - both candidates for Sixth Man of the Year - joined their team late after leaving the bubble to attend to family emergencies.
In the East, it could be a battle between the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors - the same as it was last year - as to who wins the Conference. Will this finally be Giannis' year, or will the Raptors succeed as they have been doing all season long even without Kawhi? The Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat are the dark-horses out East. No team can be written off because in this bubble, nothing seems to be predictable.
The NBA Playoff picture
Here are how the top 16 teams are currently placed in the 2020 NBA regular season in the Western and Eastern Conference.
|
Position |
Eastern Conference |
Western Conference |
|
1 |
Milwaukee Bucks |
Los Angeles Lakers |
|
2 |
Toronto Raptors |
Los Angeles Clippers |
|
3 |
Boston Celtics |
Denver Nuggets |
|
4 |
Indiana Pacers |
Houston Rockets |
|
5 |
Miami Heat |
Oklahoma City Thunder |
|
6 |
Philadelphia 76ers |
Utah Jazz |
|
7 |
Brooklyn Nets |
Dallas Mavericks |
|
8 |
Orlando Magic |
Portland Trail Blazers |
Based on their current standings, here is how the Eastern Conference Playoffs will shape up.
Milwaukee Bucks vs Orlando Magic
Game 1: Tuesday, 18 August, at 6:30pm
Game 2: Thursday, 20 August, at 11pm
Game 3: Saturday, 22 August at 6pm
Game 4: Monday, 24 August, at 6:30pm
Game 5: Wednesday, 26 August if needed
Game 6: Friday, 28 August, if needed
Game 7: Sunday, 30 August, if needed
Toronto Raptors versus Brooklyn Nets
Game 1: Monday, 17 August, at 9pm - live on Sky Sports
Game 2: Wednesday, 19 August, at 6:30pm
Game 3: Friday, 21 August, at 6:30pm
Game 4: Sunday, 23 August, at 11:30pm
Game 5: Tuesday, 25 August, if needed
Game 6: Thursday, 27 August, if needed
Game 7: Saturday, 29 August, if needed
Boston Celtics vs Philadephia 76ers
Game 1: Monday, 17 August, at 11:30pm
Game 2: Wednesday, 19 August, at 11:30pm
Game 3: Friday, 21 August, at 11:30pm
Game 4: Sunday, 23 August, at 6pm - live on Sky Sports
Game 5: Tuesday, 25 August, if needed
Game 6: Thursday, 27 August, if needed
Game 7: Saturday, 29 August, if needed
Miami Heat versus Indiana Pacers
Game 1: Tuesday, 18 August, at 9pm
Game 2: Thursday, 20 August, at 6pm
Game 3: Saturday, 22 August at 8:30pm - live on Sky Sports
Game 4: Monday, 24 August, at 11:30pm
Game 5: Wednesday, 26 August if needed
Game 6: Friday, 28 August, if needed
Game 7: Sunday, 30 August, if needed
Round 1 NBA Playoffs: Western Conference Schedule
Based on their current standings, here is how the NBA Western Conference Playoffs will shape up.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers
Game 1: Wednesday, 19 August, at 2am
Game 2: Friday, 21 August, at 2am - live on Sky Sports
Game 3: Sunday, 23 August, at 1:30am
Game 4: Tuesday, 25 August, at 2am
Game 5: Thursday, 27 August, if needed
Game 6: Saturday, 29 August, if needed
Game 7: Monday, 31 August, if needed
Los Angeles Clippers vs Dallas Mavericks
Game 1: Tuesday, 18 August, at 2am
Game 2: Thursday, 20 August, at 2am
Game 3: Saturday, 22 August at 2am - live on Sky Sports
Game 4: Sunday, 23 August, at 8:30pm
Game 5: Wednesday, 26 August, if needed
Game 6: Friday, 28 August, if needed
Game 7: Sunday, 30 August, if needed
Denver Nuggets vs Utah Jazz
Game 1: Monday, 17 August, at 6:30pm
Game 2: Wednesday, 19 August, at 9pm - live on Sky Sports
Game 3: Friday, 21 August, at 9pm
Game 4: Monday, 24 August, at 2am
Game 5: Tuesday, 25 August, if needed
Game 6: Thursday, 27 August, if needed
Game 7: Saturday, 29 August, if needed
Houston Rockets vs Oklahoma City Thunder
Game 1: Tuesday, 18 August, at 11:30pm - live on Sky Sport
Game 2: Thursday, 20 August, at 8:30pm
Game 3: Saturday, 22 August at 11pm
Game 4: Monday, 24 August, at 9pm
Game 5: Wednesday, 26 August, if needed
Game 6: Friday, 28 August, if needed
Game 7: Sunday, 30 August, if needed
NBA Playoffs US schedule NBA Playoffs on Sky Sports UK
Watch the NBA Playoffs on Sky Sports
If you have Sky TV, you’ll need a Sky Sports package to watch the NBA Playoffs. At present, this costs £23 a month for an 18-month contract but it gives you access to a range of sporting events, including the English Premier League, Formula One, The Masters and the 2019 Cricket World Cup. The price for non-contract customers is slightly more expensive at £30 per month.
Upgrade to Sky Sports here
In order to access any of these packages, you’ll first need to pay £22 per month for a Sky Q box. Again, this is subject to an 18-month contract, on top of a £20 one-off fee for the box itself. We were very impressed with the Sky Q box when we last reviewed it .
Purchase a Sky Q box here
Watch the NBA Playoffs on the NBA app
Not every Playoff game is available to watch on Sky Sports. The best place to follow all the action live online is by going to the NBA website or by installing the NBA app . It's available on the Google Play and Apple's App Store worldwide and tailors every game’s starting time based on where you live.
The NBA app has four neat tabs - Match Up, Box Score, Highlights and Play-by-Play - that give you detailed statistics of how teams fared against each other, each player’s individual stats for the game, video highlights of the best moments, and live text commentary as the action unfolds.
Watch the NBA Playoffs live with NBA League Pass
While the NBA app is free to use, its best feature is undoubtedly the NBA League Pass - a paid-for subscription that lets you watch the NBA live on any device. You can also cast the coverage to a compatible Smart TV or using a Google Chromecast. Apart from the website, you can use the League Pass on Android, iOS, Amazon Fire TV and even gaming consoles like the Playstation 4 and Xbox One.
Based on where you live, the NBA League Pass has different subscription plans and prices. In the UK, it costs £43 for the League Pass and £49 for League Pass Premium. Both plans let you watch multiple games simultaneously, including post-game analysis and NBA documentaries.
However, the Premium version also gives you more condensed game options, which is great if you live in the UK and can't watch all the games live. League Pass prices differ around the world. It’s higher in the US and UK because most people follow the sport, but much lower in countries where interest in the NBA is not as high.
Subscribe to the NBA League Pass
Watch the NBA from the US, UK or abroad
If you’re travelling and want to watch the NBA from your home country, then your only option is to use a VPN. This will spoof your PC into thinking that you’re browsing from the country you select. We’ve covered the best VPNs and our current favourite is NordVPN . It has apps for your PC, mobile devices and your browsers, and you can use it on up to six devices simultaneously. This is ideal for you and a group of friends to all watch Round One of the NBA Playoffs games at your convenience.
Buy NordVPN now
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