If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. After winning the NBA Finals for the first time in 53 years back in June, the New York Knicks are at the top of the pro basketball league. With so many storylines, drama on and off the court and high championship expectations for all 30 leagues in the league, the 2026-27 NBA season officially tips off with a triple-header in Detroit, New York City and San Antonio.
Starting on Tuesday, Oct. 20, the season is tips off with an exciting start, as the Boston Celtics taking on the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit at 3 p.m. PT, followed by the Philadelphia 76ers vs. the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Manhattan at 7 p.m. The last game of opening day is the Oklahoma City Thunder playing against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio at 9:30 p.m.
All three of Tuesday’s games broadcast exclusively on NBC and livestream on Peacock, with a variety of ways to stream the action live online without cable. The NBA season officially tips off on Tuesday, Oct. 20 with games scheduled until the NBA Finals in June 2027. Regular season game coverage is split across four networks: NBC, NBA TV, ESPN and ABC.
If you don’t have cable, there are still plenty of ways stream the game live online on streamers such as DirecTV, Sling TV, Hulu+ Live TV and others. If ratings are any indicator of success for the league, the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs, led by French superstar Victor Wembanyama, and New York Knicks, led by the King of New York Jalen Brunson, drew in an average of more than 20 million viewers per game for ABC and ESPN. The championship series was the most-watched NBA Finals in nearly 30 years, since Michael Jordan won his final championship with the Chicago Bulls in 1998.
Priced at $59.99 for the first month of service and $89.99/month afterwards (with a 5-day free trial), DirecTV has every channel you’ll need to catch all the best games, including ESPN, ABC, NBC and NBA TV. Although it’s the most expensive live TV streaming service, it boasts the most RSNs and special features for sports fanatics, in addition to the major networks like ESPN2, FS1, TBS and more. Sling TV is the most comprehensive and affordable way to stream all the necessary networks.
If you want to catch every game, you’ll want to .99/month. For NBA TV, Sling offers the Sports Extra package, which also comes with ESPNU, MLB Network, NHL Network and more, for an additional $11/month. Please note: Prices and channel availability depends on your local TV market.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
