How to watch 2018 NBA Playoffs live : Stream all games and the finals online

Today marks the start of 2018 NBA playoffs and 16 teams will be competing against one another for a spot in the SemiFinals and then the Conference Finals with the best-of-seven playoff scheduled to begin on May 31.

Broadcasting of the postseason tournament will be divided between ABC, TNT, ESPN and NBA TV in the US which makes it difficult to stream the playoffs online. But don’t worry - wherever you are in the world, there’s a way to watch the games either online or on your television and we’ll show you how.

Whether you’re a fan of the Rockets or the Raptors we’ve got you covered.

Here is our quick and easy guide for how to watch the NBA playoffs online from anywhere in the world. Whether you’re in the US, UK, Canada, Japan, Australia or anywhere else with an Internet connection, we’ll help you tune in to all the action this postseason.

How to watch the NBA Playoffs for free in the US

If you live in the US, then ABC is your best option for watching the NBA playoffs for free though there are some caveats. ABC is only over-the-air network broadcasting the playoffs and they have exclusive rights to the NBA Finals so you won’t miss out when the Eastern and Western conferences face off in June.

Leading up to the Final you will be able to watch four games in the first round and possibly more if any of the matchups go to seven games. The network will also broadcast three games in the Semifinals but unfortunately since ESPN and TNT own the rights to the Conference Finals, you won’t be able to watch those games on TV. Fortunately though there are other ways to watch those games online.

Until April 14th at 23:59, you will be able to get a free trial for NBA League Pass which will allow you to watch the first day of the Playoffs for free.

How to watch every NBA Playoff Game in the US

When it comes to streaming basketball online our first choice is NBA.com. With the NBA League Pass you you can watch hundreds of Live and On-Demand games on all of your favorite streaming devices including Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox, Playstation and even on mobile.

With NBA League Pass you’ll be able to watch every game during the regular season (all 1,230 of them) and the playoffs, including all the finals games.

The service costs $39.99 a month or $199.99 for the year and there is also the less expensive Team Pass for $17.99 a month or $119.99 for the year if you just want to follow just one team.

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How to watch the NBA Playoffs in the UK

If you’re in the UK and want to watch the NBA playoffs then a VPN is your best bet for catching all the games. Once you download and connect to a VPN you’ll have a number of options to watch the games including NBL League Pass, Sling TV, Playstation Vue, DirectTV Now and YouTubeTV.

Until April 14th at 23:59, you will be able to get a free trial for NBA League Pass which will allow you to watch the first day of the Playoffs for free.

Other ways to watch the NBA Playoffs online

SlingTV $20 per month

With SlingTV’s $20-per-month Sling Orange package you get 30-plus channels, including ESPN and ESPN2 which will show 19 games throughout the first round and semifinals. You’ll also be able to watch the Eastern Conference Finals as ESPN holds the exclusive rights to those games. SlingTV will also give you access to TNT which will be broadcasting the NBA playoffs as well.

Sling TV is compatible with Apple TV, Roku, Xbox One, Chromecast as well as lots of other devices and its easy to get started with a 7-day free trial.

Playstation Vue $44.99 per month

Playstation Vue is another option to watch the MLB playoffs and its basic Access package offers over 45 channels including ABC, TNT, ESPN and ESPN2. The service provides top-notch streaming quality as well as unlimited cloud DVR storage so you’ll never miss a game. A 5-day trial to Playstation Vue is also available to help you get started and most of the popular streaming devices like Apple TV, Roku and Chromecast are supported.

DIRECTV NOW $50 per month

DirectTV Now offers many of the same channels as SlingTV and Playstation Vue including ABC, TNT, ESPN and ESPN2 but it’s Just Right package also includes ESPNews as well as access to 80 other channels. If you want a lot of content to choose from and don’t mind watching the games live as the service doesn’t include cloud DVR, then DIRECTV NOW’s 7-day trial will let you test out the platform.

YouTube TV $40 per month

YouTube TV is a great option for NBA fans as it includes NBATV along with TNT, ABC and the three ESPN networks you need to follow all the playoff action. The service also comes with a 7-day free trial so you can test it out for yourself.