It’s finally that time: the NBA post-season is upon us once again. After an exciting regular season, the top 20 teams are one step closer to reaching the pinnacle of post-season basketball success: the NBA Finals. This guide will give you the information you need to make sure you can keep up with the game, including when and how to watch NBA playoffs live.
How can I watch the NBA Playoffs?
The playoffs are here, and it’s anyone’s game on the road to glory. Basketball fans can catch all of the excitement live on the following networks:
- ABC (find your local ABC affiliate)
- ESPN (channel 206)
- TNT (channel 245)
- NBA TV (channel 216)
And for those fans who don’t have access to NBA TV, now’s the time to change that with DIRECTV. Learn more here.
When do the NBA Playoffs Start?
The 2024 NBA Playoffs will begin after the conclusion of the regular season with the SoFi Play-In Tournament from Tuesday, April 16 to Friday, April 19. For more information on how the Play-In Tournament works, check out this Play-In watch guide.
Key Dates for the Remainder of 2023-24 Season
But what happens after the Play-In Tournament? And when can you expect to see your team play live, if they make the playoffs? Below, you’ll find all the dates you need catch all the NBA action.
- End of regular season: Sunday, April 14
- 2024 SoFi Play-In Tournament: April 16-19
- First Round Games: Week of April 20
- Conference Semifinals: May 6-7*
- Conference Finals: May 21-22**
- NBA Finals Game 1: Thursday, June 6
- NBA Finals Game 2: Sunday, June 9
- NBA Finals Game 3: Wednesday, June 12
- NBA Finals Game 4: Friday, June 14
- NBA Finals Game 5 (if necessary): Monday, June 17
- NBA Finals Game 6 (if necessary): Thursday, June 20
- NBA Finals Game 7 (if necessary): Sunday, June 23
*May be moved up based on first round results
**May be moved up based on Conference Semifinal results
2024 NBA Playoffs Schedule
For those wondering when your favorite team is hitting the court, look no further. Get the complete game schedule for the NBA postseason right here, with game times, odds, channel numbers and more.
Who is in the 2024 NBA playoffs?
If the NBA regular season finished today, this is how the NBA post-season playoff picture would look, ranked by seed. Bolded teams are those who have already clinched a playoff berth. Play-In teams are those in 7th through 10th place.
Western Conference Playoff Picture:
- Denver Nuggets (56-24)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (55-24)
- Oklahoma City Thunder (54-25)
- Los Angeles Clippers (51-29)
- Dallas Mavericks (50-30)
- New Orleans Pelicans (47-32)
- Phoenix Suns (46-33)
- Sacramento Kings (45-34)
- Golden State Warriors (44-35)
- Los Angeles Lakers (45-35)
Eastern Conference Playoff Picture:
- Boston Celtics (62-17)
- Milwaukee Bucks (48-31)
- New York Knicks (47-32)
- Orlando Magic (46-33)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (46-33)
- Indiana Pacers (46-34)
- Philadelphia 76ers (45-35)
- Miami Heat (44-35)
- Chicago Bulls (37-42)
- Atlanta Hawks (36–43)
Which Teams Did Not Make the 2024 Postseason?
If you don’t see you team on the lists above, there’s always next year! If the season ended today, these are the teams that would be putting their uniforms away until the start of next season:
Eliminated Western Conference Teams:
- Houston Rockets (38-40)
- Utah Jazz (29-50)
- Memphis Grizzlies (27-52)
- Portland Trail Blazers (21-58)
- San Antonio Spurs (20-59)
Eliminated Eastern Conference Teams:
- Brooklyn Nets (31-48)
- Toronto Raptors (25-54)
- Charlotte Hornets (19-60)
- Washington Wizards (15-65)
- Detroit Pistons (13-66)
Watch More Basketball with NBA League Pass & DIRECTV
From the first tip off of the regular season to the final buzzer beater of the NBA Finals, DIRECTV has got what basketball fans need. Not only can you get access to 30+ in and out of market regional sports networks (RSNs), but you can also get NBA TV with Sports Pack. And with unlimited DVR storage when you stream DIRECTV, you can watch or rewatch your team dominate the court anytime you want.*
And if you’re looking for even more NBA action, you can get NBA League Pass through your DIRECTV account, so everything you need for a top-notch basketball experience is in one place.
You don’t need a cable subscription to see your favorite teams hit the court live. Stream basketball games today with DIRECTV.
*regional restrictions and blackouts may apply
Includes live, out-of-market, regular-season games only. Blackout restrictions & other conditions apply. Your NBA League Pass subscription will automatically renew each season provided DIRECTV carries this service, at the then-prevailing rate (currently $99.99), unless you cancel online at directv.com or call 833-403-0917 by the date specified in your renewal notice. Up until one week after the 2023-24 season starts, you can cancel anytime and receive any applicable refund. Otherwise, subscription cannot be canceled, and subscription fee cannot be refunded for current season. Commercial locations require an appropriate licensee agreement. NBA, the NBA logo, and team identifications are the exclusive intellectual property of NBA Properties, Inc. and the respective member teams ©2023 NBA Properties, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Local broadcast restrictions apply to games viewed on NBA.com and NBA app. Customer will not be able to watch game if service ZIP code matches the blackout area for that game. Online access is only available on certain operating systems. Visit support.watch.nba.com for a list of system requirements and compatible mobile devices.
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