Where to watch Luka Dončić’s Los Angeles Lakers visits the Dallas Mavericks on April 9
Playoff positioning and trade deadline drama make this game a must-watch for hoops fans.
On Wednesday, two Western Conference teams on opposite sides of the playoff picture will face off, but postseason positioning won’t be the only storyline at play deep in the heart of Texas tonight. At 7:30 p.m. ET, the Dallas Mavericks will welcome back a familiar face as Luka Dončić and the Los Angeles Lakers visit the American Airlines Center. The Lakers acquired Luka in a shocking, blockbuster trade earlier this season and currently sit as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, while the Mavs are 10th, clinging to a spot in the Play-In tournament. With the playoffs kicking off next week, for fans not in the home markets of the two clubs, I recommend watching this game and the postseason with 50% off a subscription to Sling TV.
How to watch Luka Dončić’s Lakers vs. Mavericks
- When: Wednesday, April 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPN, Spectrum SportsNet in California, MavsTV in Texas
- Stream: Watch with 50% off a subscription to Sling TV
- From anywhere: Watch with a subscription to a VPN.
Everything you need to know to stream Lakers vs. Mavericks:
Why we recommend Sling TV to watch Lakers vs. Mavericks:
Over the next two months, basketball fans will be in heaven as the NBA heads into the playoffs. As both the Association turns all of its attention to the chase for the Larry O’Brien Trophy, Sling is the best way to catch all of the action. The streamer is the cheapest way to get national broadcast channels and the biggest cable networks as well, which will be especially important as Sling carries every network that will air all of the NBA postseason games.
Normally, Sling costs $46 per month, but you can currently get 50% off your first month of service, meaning that you can watch a month of NBA playoff action for as little as $23. Sling has two different base packages, Orange and Blue. You can subscribe to one or both. If you do opt to combine Orange and Blue it will run you $61 monthly — still substantially cheaper than the comparable live TV streaming services — but with the first-month deal, you can stream everything on both packages for just $30.50.
Every nationally broadcast NBA game in the regular and postseason will on ESPN, ABC, [NBA Network] or TNT, so that means that there is no cheaper option to watch all of the hoops action than Sling TV.
Sling TV
Sling TV is The Streamable’s choice for cord-cutters on a budget. Sling is a live TV streaming service with multiple channel packages. The $45.99/month Sling Orange plan offers about 30 channels, including Disney Channel and ESPN. The $45.99/month Sling Blue plan offers about 40 channels, including ABC, Fox, and NBC in major markets.
You can combine Orange+Blue for a total of $60.99 / month. Sling also offers many channel add-on packages starting at $6/month.
Related: Get 50% off first month of Sling TV to watch the NBA playoffs!
Can you watch Lakers vs. Mavericks for free?
If you are just looking for a streaming service to watch this specific game and nothing else, there are options available for you. DIRECTV STREAM, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, and YouTube TV all offer free trials, but they vary in length, so be wary. DIRECTV STREAM’s industry-leading trial runs for five days, while Hulu + Live TV’s is a solid three days.
Those are pretty straightforward, but when it comes to the sports-minded streamer Fubo, things can get a little complicated. As The Streamable’s expert David Satin discovered when signing up for the services, figuring out how long Fubo’s trial is — even as you are signing up — can be a bit difficult. Nonetheless, it will be at least one day, with the potential to be as many as seven, depending on a wide range of factors that Fubo does not share publicly.
The YouTube TV trial is said to be “up to two weeks,” but can be as short as two days. So it is difficult to ascertain what you are actually getting before you go through the signup process.
If you are looking to watch the game for free, I would recommend DIRECTV STREAM, because that streamer has the longest guaranteed free trial.
| DIRECTV | Fubo | Hulu | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube TV | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Free Trial | Save with Sling | Free Trial | |||||
| $20.99 | $9.99 | $28.99 | $25 | $19.99 | $29.99 | $45.99 | $45.99 | $64.99 | ||
| ESPN | + $24 | + $59 | + $61 | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | |
What are all of the streamers you can use to watch Lakers vs. Mavericks?
Fortunately for basketball fans, there are a number of different streaming services that will stream the Lakers vs. Mavericks game, so you have options to choose from if you don’t already subscribe to any of them. We discussed Sling TV and the services with free trial options above, but there is one more, and it offers a different type of streaming arrangement.
If you are looking to find a long-term streaming service and want to avoid the potential of having to pay more if price hikes strike, then DIRECTV via Internet is your best bet. Packages start as low as $70 per month and come with a two-year price guarantee. This, of course, locks you into a two-year contract, but with prices increasing fairly regularly, it is understandable why this would be an attractive offer to many people.
Ultimately, there are tons of different ways to stream the game, and while we recommend Sling TV as the best way to stream all of the college and pro basketball season, you have plenty of options to find the platform that meets your needs.
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Check out a preview of Lakers vs. Mavericks
How to watch Lakers vs. Mavericks from anywhere
If you’ll be away from home and can’t watch the game as you normally would, you can still catch all of the action no matter where you are in the world with a VPN. A VPN can be used on your phone, tablet, or computer and make you appear to be back home — even when you’re not — making sure you feel at home no matter where you are. A VPN is a safe and secure way to stay protected online while streaming your favorite sports, movies, and shows on the go. Keep in mind that you will still need to be subscribed to a live TV streaming like Sling TV in order to stream the Lakers vs. Mavericks game with a VPN.
NordVPN is one of the best providers around, at one of the best prices. Currently, you can get two full years of protection for just $3.59 per month — plus you’ll get three extra months FREE. A high-speed VPN with best-in-class security that can be used on up to 10 devices at once — what more could you ask for? Simply sign up, install the software on your device of choice, and start streaming just as you would back home. It couldn’t be easier!
While NordVPN is our recommendation for the best VPN to use while you are traveling, there are a number of other high-quality options available depending on what you are looking for.
- Best Features: ExpressVPN | Starting at $5 per month
- Best Budget Option: Surfshark | Starting at $2.50 per month
- Best Free Option: Proton VPN | Free plan available