The champs aren’t dead yet. After losing Jayson Tatum to a torn Achilles in their game 4 loss to the Knicks, the Celtics found a way to win game 5 on their home court to extend the series and send it back to New York. Game 6 is tonight at Madison Square Garden with the Knicks just one win away from reaching the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years. A Celtics win tonight, however, would set up a game 7 on Monday in Boston.
Tonight’s Celtics-Knicks game tips off at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) on ESPN. Here’s everything you need to know to watch or stream the NBA playoffs.
Despite losing game 5, Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks have a 3-2 series lead against the Boston Celtics.
What is the NBA playoffs schedule for today?
Here’s the schedule for today and the next few days (all times ET):
Friday, May 16
- Game 6: Celtics at Knicks, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Sunday, May 18
- Game 7: Nuggets at Thunder, 3:30 p.m. (ABC)
Monday, May 19
- Game 7*: Knicks at Celtics, 8 p.m. (TNT, TruTV, Max)
*If necessary.
What does the NBA playoff bracket look like?
With the Pacers and Timberwolves advancing to their respective conference finals, six teams remain in the hunt for the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Here are the matchups and current standings for round 2:
Eastern Conference
- No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 4 Indiana Pacers (Pacers won series 4-1)
- No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 3 New York Knicks (Knicks lead series 3-2)
Western Conference
- No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 4 Denver Nuggets (series tied 3-3)
- No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 7 Golden State Warriors (Timberwolves won series 4-1)
How to watch the NBA playoffs
The NBA playoffs will be shown across ABC, ESPN and TNT/TruTV. You can watch the games with a cable subscription or a live TV streaming service.
Three of the five major services offer all four channels. Fubo lacks TNT, which shows a big portion of the NBA playoffs, making Fubo a poor choice for hoops fans. You can also watch the TNT/TruTV broadcasts of playoff games with Max.
YouTube TV costs $83 per month and includes all four channels needed to watch every game of the NBA playoffs. Plug in your ZIP code on its welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area.
Read our YouTube TV review.
Hulu with Live TV costs $83 per month and includes ABC, ESPN, TNT and TruTV. Click the “View channels in your area” link on its welcome page to see which local channels are offered in your ZIP code.
Read our Hulu with Live TV review.
Sling TV’s Orange-and-Blue plan for $61 a month includes ABC, ESPN, TNT and TruTV. For games on ABC, however, you’ll need to live in one of the few markets where Sling offers ABC. And the NBA Finals will be broadcast on ABC, so you won’t want to be left without it when June rolls around.
Read our Sling TV review.
You need the $17-a-month Standard plan to watch live sports on Max. (Either that or the $21-a-month Premium plan that adds 4K streaming.) Max will show the TNT/TruTV broadcasts for the NBA playoffs. With just Max, however, you’ll miss games on ABC and ESPN.
Read our Max review.
All the live TV streaming services above allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide.
