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How to Stream NBA Games Live Online Without Cable For 2022-23 Season

The 2022-23 NBA season tips off this week with a doubleheader of championship hopefuls on Tuesday, Oct. 18 as the Philadelphia 76ers take on the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers will square off against the Golden State Warriors on TNT. With a new season set to get underway, you might be wondering how you can stream your favorite team’s games this season. As more networks warm up to the options of streaming, in many cases, there are more options than ever.

We will break down how you can watch your favorite team on your regional sports network (RSN), nationally televised games, and out-of-market games during the 2022-23 NBA season.

Our Picks

DIRECTV STREAM

  • ESPN, TNT, NBA TV
  • Bally Sports RSNs
  • MSG
  • YES Network
  • Spectrum SportsNet
  • AT&T SportsNet and ROOT Sports
  • Altitude

NBA League Pass

  • 1,000+ Out-of-Market Games
  • Includes 24/7 Access to NBA TV
  • Now 60% Cheaper (only $99.99/year)

What’s New for the 2022-2023 NBA Season?

  • Fans in most markets have at least two options to stream their favorite team locally, after Denver Nuggets’ games on Altitude were added to fuboTV.
  • But, DIRECTV STREAM is still the only live TV streaming service to stream Bally Sports RSNs and YES Network as part of a streaming bundle, after being dropped by YouTube TV, Hulu Live TV, fuboTV, and Sling TV. The RSNs are available on DIRECTV STREAM as part of its $89.99 per month CHOICE Package.
  • However, for the first time, there are direct-to-consumer (DTC) streaming services available to watch in-market games broadcast on RSNs as the Bally Sports regional channels are available to stream with Bally Sports+ for $19.99 per month.
  • NBA League Pass — the league’s official out-of-market package — is now 60% cheaper than it was last season, and now includes NBA TV on all plans.
  • The NBA also launched a brand-new app that gives a TikTok-like feed of highlights and provides pre and post-game coverage all for free.

Local Telecasts on RSNs

For those who want to stream games in their local market, you will still need a live TV streaming service. Which service you should choose really depends on where you live and what team you follow. The most comprehensive option remains DIRECTV STREAM.

After YouTube TV, Hulu, Sling TV, and fuboTV each dropped Bally Sports RSNs, DIRECTV STREAM CHOICE ($89.99) is the only live TV streaming service to offer games on Bally channels, combined with those televised nationally on ESPN and TNT.

For a limited time, you can get $10 off your first five months of DIRECTV STREAM, after a five-day free trial.

DIRECTV STREAM also carries MSG, Spectrum SportsNet, Altitude, ROOT Sports Northwest, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain, and AT&T SportsNet Southwest. It is the only service that will get you those RSNs, along with nationally televised games on TNT and ESPN as well as NBA TV.

For teams carried on NBC Sports-owned RSNs like the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, you have multiple options to stream including via Hulu Live TV, fuboTV, and YouTube TV.

If you want to stream games on MSG (New York Knicks), AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston Rockets), AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Utah Jazz), and ROOT Sports Northwest (Portland Trail Blazers) your least expensive option is fuboTV ($69.99 per month plus an RSN fee), which is available with a seven-day free trial. The service also recently added Altitude, which means that Denver Nuggets games will also stream on the platform this season. While you can get nationally televised games on ESPN and NBA TV via Fubo, the service doesn’t carry TNT.

If you don’t want a full cable alternative, one of the biggest changes for the 2022-23 NBA season is the addition of in-market streaming services from local RSNs.

If you just want Bally Sports RSNs, you could sign-up for Bally Sports+. The in-market streaming service costs $19.99 per month or $189.99 per year. While you won’t get games on ESPN or TNT, it is an option to stream many local teams without blackouts.

Least Expensive Option For Each Team

TBD

National Telecasts

NBA TV will carry over 100 games during the regular season, while ESPN will broadcast 80 matchups, and TNT over 60, including an opener night doubleheader.

While some games on TNT and ESPN will be available nationally, when your local RSN is also airing the game, the national telecast will usually be blacked out in your local market. Games on NBA TV will always be blacked out in your local market.

Sling TV, DIRECTV STREAM, and YouTube TV each carry ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV. Sling TV ($40 per month) includes ESPN and TNT in its Sling Orange Plan, while NBA TV is part of its Sports Extra Add-On ($11 extra per month). For a limited time, you can get Sling Orange for 50% off your first month.

Hulu Live TV, which now includes an Unlimited DVR and The Disney Bundle at no extra charge, offers ESPN and TNT, but doesn’t have NBA TV, while YouTube TV has all three. fuboTV has ESPN and includes NBA TV in their Sports Plus Add-on ($11 per month), which also includes NHL Network, MLB Network, and NFL RedZone. But the service doesn’t offer TNT.

DTV STREAM Fubo Hulu Philo Sling TV YouTube
Free Trial Free Trial Free Trial Free Trial Get $10 Off Sign Up
$79.99 $91.99 $76.99 $25 $40 $40 $72.99
ABC - -
ESPN - -
ESPN3 - + $10 - -
NBA TV + $15 + $8 - - + $11 + $11
TNT - -

Out-Of-Market Telecasts

If you live away from your favorite team, you can still catch nearly every game – which has gotten a lot cheaper this season. The NBA offers its out-of-market package, NBA League Pass, for $99.99 to watch every team, NBA Team Pass for $89.99 for a single team, or $129.99 for no ads and additional streams.

New NBA App

Ahead of the new season, the NBA released a brand new version of its app that brings together all of the league’s digital content in an all-in-one destination for NBA fans of every team. The app features new personalization features, wall-to-wall content from every NBA game, unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to players and teams, new and existing shows and series, and access to the NBA vault for free. The NBA App is free to download on all app stores.

Additionally, the NBA has launched NBA ID, the league’s new global membership program offering fans benefits and rewards from the league, teams, and its partners. NBA ID, which is free to join, will link a fan’s experiences across existing products like NBA League Pass and NBA Pick’Em.

Thanks to the new app, fans will have access to streams of all pregame and postgame NBA press conferences and media days from every major event for the first time ever. The NBA App will also be the home of NBA League Pass as well

NBA League Pass Plans

  • Team Pass: $89.99 for the season ($13.99 per month)
  • League Pass: $99.99 for the season ($14.99 per month)
  • League Pass Premium: $129.99 for the season ($19.99 per month)

While all three plans are designed to watch out-of-market games, there are some differences. Team Pass only includes out-of-market games of a single team of your choice. Both League Pass and League Pass Premium include out-of-market games of all teams throughout the league.

League Pass Premium comes with additional benefits like the ability to watch games without ads and stream on two devices at the same time. Both Team Pass and League Pass only allow a single streamer at a time. All three plans now include 24/7 viewing of NBA TV, which used to be a $30 add-on. In addition to live coverage, it also comes with on-demand access to classic games and original programming.

Subscribers will also have access to expanded options for personalized viewing through a wide variety of alternate streams, including additional camera angles, betting-focused streams, and influencer-led and analytics-driven options. The service will also provide multiple in-language feeds with commentary in three languages (Spanish, Portuguese, and Korean).

As League Pass moves into the NBA app, thanks to new technology from the NBA’s official cloud and AI partner Microsoft, live streams this season will feature higher video quality, lower streaming latency, and a seamless user experience for consuming live NBA content.

In addition to being able to subscribe to NBA League Pass via the new NBA app, you can still sign up for it through other providers. League Pass is available through Amazon Prime Video Channels, DIRECTV STREAM, fuboTV, Sling TV, and YouTube TV.


Jason Gurwin has has spent the last 10 years in the technology, media, entertainment industries. For The Streamable, he specializes in all things media like streaming services, devices, and cord cutting.

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