Streaming the NBA is a little different this year. The coronavirus pandemic forced the NBA to suspend its season back in March. The good news is that the NBA is scheduled to get started again in July. The league will head directly into an expanded playoff format, with all games being played in Orlando, Florida instead of at home courts. Games begin on July 30, 2020.

Most of our usual techniques for watching the NBA should work for these special games, but it's not yet clear how NBA League Pass will work (normally, playoff games aren't available on League Pass, but the Orlando return includes some games that count toward regular-season standings).

For the latest on the NBA's return, as well as details on the other sports you might want to stream during this coronavirus pandemic, check out our page on how to stream sports during the coronavirus pandemic.

The 2019-20 NBA season is here, which means that it's time once again to take a look at all the ways that you can watch NBA games without cable. You can catch every thrilling moment all season long without ever having to pay a cable bill — provided that you have the right combination of online streaming services, skinny bundles, and over-the-air solutions. As for getting that combination, well, just read on: this is our guide to watching NBA basketball online and over the air without a cable contract.

Here are a few of our favorite ways to stream NBA games: Price Channels Free Trial #1 $5.99 – $85.96 68 – 88 7 or 30 days See Offer #2 $54.99 – $86.96 100+ 7 days See Offer #3 $30 – $70 50+ 3 days See Offer

(Not a basketball person? Check out our guides on how to watch NHL games online, how to watch the NFL online, and how to stream the baseball playoffs.)

What channels are NBA Games on?

There are two basic ways to watch NBA basketball without cable. One it to turn to the NBA's own app, NBA League Pass, which we'll talk about in a bit. The other is to track down the TV channels that show NBA basketball and find ways to access them without paying for cable. To pull off that latter move, we first need to know what channels NBA basketball is shown on. Here's your handy list!

ABC – ABC is the home of some of the NBA's biggest games, including every game of the NBA finals.

ABC is the home of some of the NBA's biggest games, including every game of the NBA finals. ESPN – ESPN, which shares a parent company with ABC, also has a boatload of big-time games. ESPN's broadcasts include the popular Christmas Day games.

ESPN, which shares a parent company with ABC, also has a boatload of big-time games. ESPN's broadcasts include the popular Christmas Day games. TNT – TNT shows nationally televised NBA games.

TNT shows nationally televised NBA games. NBA TV – Naturally, the NBA's own TV channel is a pretty good source for basketball games. It also has lots of news and other NBA-focused programming.

Naturally, the NBA's own TV channel is a pretty good source for basketball games. It also has lots of news and other NBA-focused programming. Regional sports networks (RSNs) – Your local team isn't on national TV every time they hit the court. Other times, they're going to be on a regional sports network, or “RSN.”

How to watch NBA basketball online and over the air

To watch the channels that have NBA basketball without cable, we can use live TV streaming services, or “skinny bundles.” These bundles are sort of like cable for the streaming set: You pay every month and can watch a bunch of TV channels live. The deals are much better than they were with legacy pay TV (like satellite and cable), though! There are no long-term contracts, and these “skinnier” bundles of channels tend to be cheaper than their cable and satellite counterparts.

We'll kick off our list with skinny bundles, but we won't stop there. We'll also show you how to catch some NBA games free using over-the-air TV. And we'll be sure to talk about NBA League Pass, too. Let's get to the list!