Basketball is back. After another busy offseason that saw trades of all-stars like Karl-Anthony Towns as recently as earlier this month, it’s time for action to go from the Twittersphere to the actual hardwood. The 82-game marathon regular season begins on October 22, runs through the holidays, Christmas Day games and All-Star weekend in February 2025, concluding in April. The NBA playoffs start their mini-marathon in April and conclude sometime in June with the NBA Finals. 

The in-season tournament is back for its second year with teams competing for the “NBA Cup.” The tournament games start on Nov. 12 and end with a championship game — the only one that doesn’t count toward the regular season standings — on Dec. 17. 

That’s a lot of awesome basketball, and NBA fans looking stream their team throughout the year will need access to a few different services to catch every game. In addition to your regular regional sports network — the local channel that carries your team’s games week in and week out — you’ll also need ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV for nationally televised contests. 

The NBA’s new media deals, which will see Amazon’s Prime Video and NBC/Peacock replace TNT, start next year for the 2025-26 season. Yes, TNT still has the NBA this season. 

All out-of-market games will continue to air on NBA League Pass, which is a great choice if you follow a team in a different city from where you live. Getting the service for the full season (with the NBA TV channel included) costs $110, while a “Premium” option that includes in-arena feeds in place of commercials and the ability to watch three games at once runs $160 for the season. It’s important to note that local fans aren’t able to watch their team play on League Pass, as broadcasts of these contests air exclusively on regional sports networks. National games are similarly blacked out.

While you absolutely don’t need cable to watch basketball this year, it still might be the easiest and cheapest choice depending on where you live.

Read more: How to Watch NFL Games With or Without Cable in 2024

Live TV streaming services vs. cable

As usual, die-hard sports fans are beholden to regional sports networks that carry the majority of the games for their local team(s). Examples include MSG in the New York area and Spectrum SportsNet in Los Angeles. These RSNs are usually included in local cable packages, so most cable subscribers never have to worry about gaining access to the broadcasts on these channels: They can simply turn on the TV and watch the game. 

Cord-cutting basketball fans have a tougher path. Because of rights agreements, our favorite live TV streaming services like YouTube TV or Hulu with Live TV don’t carry many RSNs. DirecTV Stream and Fubo are the exceptions; both offer numerous RSNs, including the Bally Sports channels (formerly Fox Sports), but they’re more expensive than other options. Fubo also still lacks TNT. 

Ultimately, depending on your location, getting a cable subscription that includes ESPN, ABC, TNT and the local RSN might actually be cheaper and easier than streaming — especially if it’s bundled with the home internet you’ll likely be getting anyway.

Read more: DirecTV Stream Review: Expensive, but the Best Option for Streaming NBA and NHL

What’s going on with Bally Sports, AT&T SportsNet and other regional sports networks?

Diamond Sports Group, which owns the Bally Sports regional sports networks, has been dealing with bankruptcy filings, and it remains to be seen what this means for watching basketball on those RSNs this season. Bally Sports airs games for 13 teams or close to half the league. For now, games will air on those stations as they always have, but the situation could change. 

Bally Sports’ NBA teams include the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Charlotte Hornets, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic and San Antonio Spurs. 

The Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans were on Bally Sports last year, but both have now gone on their own and will make their local games available for free over-the-air (with an antenna). 

Read more: Our picks for the best antennas in 2024

The Chicago Bulls also have a new home, with games this season airing on a newly-created Chicago Sports Network instead of NBC Sports Chicago. Right now the channel requires a cable or satellite package with a free over-the-air antenna option only available in certain areas (with more promised to be coming soon).  

The Phoenix Suns (formerly on Bally Sports) and Utah Jazz (previously on AT&T SportsNet) already announced new partners last year and both have led the charge in making their games available free with an antenna. 

The Houston Rockets (formerly on AT&T SportsNet), meanwhile, are now on Space City Home Network, which the team created in partnership with baseball’s Houston Astros after the clubs acquired their local SportsNet channel from Warner Bros. Discovery. 

What about streaming just my team? 

In addition to making their games available locally over-the-air, the Suns and Jazz have also launched new streaming services for those looking to stream in-market.

The Suns’ streaming service will run $100 for the season (through a “limited time” offer, the monthly cost remains $15), while the Jazz’s service will run $125.50 for the year (or $20 per month if paying monthly). A Jazz option that also includes the new Utah Hockey Club’s NHL games is $175 for the season. 

They aren’t alone either. Other teams offering their own in-market streaming options include the Portland Trail Blazers (BlazerVision, $120 for the season), Los Angeles Lakers (Spectrum SportsNet Plus, $20 monthly, $195 annually), Los Angeles Clippers (ClipperVision, $20 monthly or $125 for the season) and Washington Wizards (Monumental Sports Network, $20 monthly or $200 annually). 

The Brooklyn Nets (YES Network, $20 monthly or $240 annually) and New York Knicks (MSG Plus, $30 monthly, $280 annually) have teamed up on a new joint venture for New York teams called Gotham Sports. This lets you get either team individually or as a bundle together ($320 annually or $42 monthly). The YES Network airs Nets and MLB’s Yankees games while MSG Plus has the Knicks plus the NHL’s Rangers, Islanders and Devils. 

For those who still have teams with Bally Sports, you can actually get the channel without subscribing to cable. Called Bally Sports Plus, the streaming service offers users in its coverage area a way to stream just the Bally Sports channels. The service generally costs $20 a month or around $190 a year for your local Bally Sports channel, including NBA and NHL games (plus MLB games in certain areas). In markets where you normally have two different Bally Sports channels, you can choose to only buy one or you can bundle them together for $30 a month. 

While the normal pricing is $190 annually, the service is currently offering an option to sign up for a full season in certain markets at $108 for a “season pass.” 

Bally Sports Plus uses your billing ZIP code to determine which channels are available to you, though you’ll be able to log into your channels from anywhere in the country. You can check your options at Bally Sports’ website here. 

It is worth noting that this option does not include national games like the ones that are broadcast on ABC, ESPN or TNT. 

NBA League Pass, NBA TV and blackouts

For NBA fans looking to watch a lot of out-of-market basketball, a subscription to NBA League Pass has plenty to offer. You can get the whole NBA slate for $110 for the season, with commercials and one device, or $160 for the season for a “Premium” option that includes in-arena feeds instead of commercials and the ability to watch on three devices at once (though the price is up from $130 last year). There are some new features this year, including multiview which lets you watch multiple games at once in the NBA app. 

Those interested in following only a single team can buy a Team Pass for $90 for the season. College students who are actively enrolled can get 40% off the monthly price of the regular League Pass (normally $15 per month). 

The catch, of course, with any League Pass plan is “out-of-market.” Most fans are in-market, meaning they follow the local team, and unfortunately for them RSNs have broadcast exclusivity in the region that they cover. That means local NBA games are blacked out on NBA League Pass.

If you’re living in Los Angeles, for example, you won’t be able to watch Lakers or Clippers games on NBA League Pass. The same goes for Knicks or Nets fans in New York, Bucks fans in Milwaukee and so on. The only way to watch most of those home team games in your home market is to get a service that has the local RSN, namely Spectrum SportsNet, Bally Sports SoCal, MSG Network, YES Network or Bally Sports Wisconsin. 

Services like NBA League Pass use IP addresses to block out games in viewers’ regions — you’ll just get a black screen or message telling you it’s unavailable if you try to watch those games. That’s why League Pass is ideal for those who want to follow one or more of the teams based in cities other than their own, aka out-of-market teams, but for local fans it’s not as useful. 

Some RSNs, particularly the Bally Sports networks and other options mentioned above, will allow you to pay for their channel without signing up for cable or a streaming TV service. 

NBA CrunchTime: Like free RedZone, but for some NBA nights

The NBA last year began offering its own spin on the popular NFL RedZone channel with a “whip around” show it calls CrunchTime. This show, available for free on the NBA app, bounces around live games and is designed to show you all the action, particularly close contests. 

In the past, most of these “CrunchTime days” will take place on Monday nights, but there were times when the league would stream it on other days. A 2024-25 schedule hasn’t yet been released. 

You don’t need League Pass or any other subscription to watch CrunchTime, making this a more accessible way to get your basketball fix, even if it’s just one day a week. You will need the NBA app and to make an NBA ID (both of which are free). 

What about NBC, Peacock and Prime Video? 

As mentioned, the NBA’s new media deals, which will see Amazon’s Prime Video and NBC/Peacock replace TNT, start next year for the 2025-26 season. For this season there are no changes when it comes to the major networks. 

DirecTV Stream: Simplest for fans of the local team at $113 for Choice package

For those determined to watch their local basketball team without a cable or satellite TV subscription, a live TV streaming service is the best bet. While it is pricey, DirecTV Stream is the best option for most people, particularly those where the local games air on Bally Sports networks or those looking for the YES Network (Nets fans in New York) or Spectrum SportsNet (Lakers fans in Los Angeles). 

DirecTV Stream requires its $113-per-month Choice package to get RSNs (that price includes various fees the company levels on top of the sticker price), though this option also includes ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV, so you should be all set for basketball. If you live in a Ballys area, you could pair a Bally Sports Plus package with something like Sling Orange and save a few bucks per month. Same for those in New York, Phoenix, Utah or Washington, DC, who can pair their RSNs streaming option with a cheaper TV provider.  

Sling Orange runs $40 per month and includes ESPN and TNT while Bally Sports Plus or those local RSN options — as mentioned above — generally run $20 to $30 per month depending on your area and your team. Getting NBA TV runs $11 per month with the Sports Extra add-on. 

All told, however, you’d be paying $51 monthly for Sling (including the add-on for NBA TV) and another $20 or $30 for an RSN, which could be a sizable savings compared with DirecTV. It is worth noting that you will need to switch between different apps to stream everything. 

Another possible pairing is Fubo, which has the Bally Sports RSNs as well as a handful of others, and a streaming service like Max. Fubo lacks TNT, but Max has begun streaming live sports under its Bleacher Report (B/R) Sports banner. You will need to get a Max subscription, which starts at $10 per month for the ad-supported version. Combined with Fubo, that’s $95 per month for live basketball. 

Below is a chart of all of the NBA teams in the US and their corresponding RSNs. 

Note: None of the (US-based) services carry the RSN for the Toronto Raptors (TSN). Fans in the US looking to watch Pascal Siakam and co. need to use NBA League Pass to get all the games that aren’t either on your local RSN or on a US national broadcast.

Some key takeaways:

• The RSNs above are typically available only to local subscribers. Refer to the individual service’s details below to find out if you live in a place where you can receive a particular RSN. 
• The Chicago Sports Network (Bulls) and options for the Mavericks and Pelicans aren’t the clearest yet when it comes to streaming. It’s worth keeping an eye on this as we get closer to the season and rights deals are finalized. 
• DirecTV Stream’s Choice package includes NBA TV and most of the RSNs for basketball, with the exception of NBC Sports Philadelphia. Sixers fans hoping to watch Joel Embiid and co. will have to look elsewhere. 
• They could jump over to Fubo, Hulu Plus Live TV or YouTube TV, which all carry NBC Sports Philadelphia, but fans of other teams will mostly be out of luck. While Fubo has most of the league covered, Hulu Plus Live TV and YouTube TV only have a small collection of RSNs. Sling TV doesn’t offer a single RSN.

One other note: If you don’t recognize the name of some of these channels, don’t worry. What were formerly Fox Sports RSNs have been rebranded as Bally Sports, because the channels are no longer owned by Fox but Sinclair, which partnered with casino group Bally’s to rename them. 

NBC Sports Washington, meanwhile is now the Monumental Sports Network. The Houston Rockets now play on Space City Home Network (formerly AT&T SportsNet Southwest). 

Best options for nationally broadcast games

Aside from DirecTV Stream and Fubo, the odds are long that a live TV streaming service carries the RSN for your local team’s games, which makes the other four services better bets for watching nationally televised games. 

It’s worth mentioning that for the in-season tournament, quarterfinal games on Dec. 4 and 5 will air on TNT, the semifinals on Dec. 7 will air on TNT and ESPN and the championship on Dec. 9 will air on ABC. 

Each live TV streaming service offers a free trial, allows you to cancel anytime and requires a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide.