It’s 2018 and it has never been easier to watch your NBA team’s games online.
Think back several years ago, and outside of some sketchy piracy sites, it was nearly impossible to find a simple and legal way to stream NBA games. But fortunately for the fans, there are now several easy ways to watch your favorite team’s games without cable.
Below you’ll find the legal, and most of the time free, ways you can watch any given game through a variety of streaming services.
The best three ways to watch NBA games online in 2018
Of all the streaming services out there, if you’re looking for the tl;dr version of everything below, here are the best three options for NBA games.
Our recommendation: Hulu Live
Our top recommendation for streaming NBA games is Hulu Live. They offer live streams of channels like TNT, ESPN, and most local broadcasts.
Hulu Live is $39 a month, and includes several dozen channels, as well as full access to their on-demand library as well, meaning you can get full access to your favorite TV shows as well.
The best part? Hulu Live comes with a risk-free trial of their service, meaning you can give their trial a one-week test to see if you like it.
Fubu TV is another good option
If you’re a hardcore sports fan, especially when it comes to international games like soccer, Fubo TV is worth your consideration. They also include most of the networks that stream NBA games. The downside is they don’t have ESPN (use Hulu above if that matters to you). Their expansive international networks though make this a great option for those who care more about sports and less about all the other bells and whistles that Hulu offers.
They also offer a totally free trial, so you can test them out without signing any contracts.
Sling TV has most NBA games as well
Somewhere between Hulu Live and Fubo TV, Dish-owned Sling TV offers a mix of channels and live streams. The good news is they offer ESPN, the bad news is they don’t have very many local networks. Thus, if your game is on your local ABC affiliate, Sling TV probably won’t have it. Sling does have TNT and TBS, though. They also start a bit cheaper than Hulu, at $25 a month (but you’ll probably have to add on a few different packages from their a la carte menu to get access to all the networks you’d want to watch NBA games).
Regardless, definitely still in our top three when it comes to streaming the NBA.
Guides to streaming all NBA teams online
If you’re curious on how to watch your favorite NBA team’s game online, select your team’s guide below:
Watching out-of-market NBA games online in 2018
One of the most common questions we get tend to be about how to watch out-of-market NBA games online. Sure, it’s pretty easy to get full access to NBA games that are locally broadcast or are in-market. But what about those games being broadcast halfway across the country?
The best way to watch those games is by using what is called a “VPN.” A VPN will allow you to select a different virtual location for your computer, which will let you access out-of-market games using streaming services like Hulu Live.
So for example, if you’re in Texas, but want to watch a game that’s broadcasting in California, you can use a VPN to select a location in California. Then you can login to a service like Hulu Live and you’ll be shown options availbale to those people in California.
So what’s the best VPN for streaming NBA games? We recommend Nord VPN. They’re safe, reliable, and affordable. Get access here:
Stream NBA games on these networks
If you’re looking to stream an NBA game on a specific network, below are the channels that most commonly stream NBA games, with guides for each:
How to watch NBA games from outside the United States
If you don’t live in the United States, but you’re hoping to watch NBA games online, you’ll need to use a VPN.
We recommend Nord VPN for all international streamers. You can get a free trial here:
You can sign up for any of the above services to get full access to NBA games using a VPN.
We do not recommend illegal streams of NBA games
While some of you might be disappointed, we only recommend legal options. All of the above options will keep you out of legal trouble while watching games. While the risks of any real trouble are low, we can’t recommend those options in case a rare instance of criminal activity occurs.
Good luck and may your team perform beyond your wildest expectations in 2018.