The second round of the NBA playoffs is now in full swing. The Knicks held off the Pacers to open up their series Monday night, while the Timberwolves continued their thrashing of the defending champion Nuggets and opened up a 2-0 series lead heading back home to Minnesota.
Tonight, the final two series get underway. In Tuesday’s first game, the Cavaliers, fresh off their Game 7 win over the Magic on Sunday, head to Boston to take on the East’s top-seeded Celtics. Game 2, meanwhile, will see the Mavericks head to Oklahoma City to take on the West’s top-seeded Thunder.
Both games will air on TNT and stream on Max, with the Celtics/Cavaliers tipping off at 7 p.m. ET and the Thunder/Mavericks set to start at 9:30 p.m. ET. Here’s everything you need to know to watch or stream the games today and the rest of the NBA playoffs.
Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics continue their quest for a championship tonight against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
How to watch the NBA playoffs
The NBA playoffs are being shown across four channels: ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV. 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. Hulu with Live TV lacks NBA TV, which will show only a handful of playoff games. Fubo lacks TNT, which airs a big portion of the NBA playoffs, making Fubo a poor choice for hoops fans. You can also watch TNT broadcasts of playoff games with Max.
What is the playoff schedule for today?
Here’s the schedule for today’s games and the next few days (all times ET):
Tuesday, May 7
- Game 1: Cavaliers vs. Celtics, 7 p.m. on TNT
- Game 1: Mavericks vs. Thunder, 9:30 p.m. on TNT
Wednesday, May 8
- Game 2: Pacers vs. Knicks, 8 p.m. on TNT (Knicks lead series 1-0)
Thursday, May 9
- Game 2: Cavaliers vs. Celtics, 7 p.m. on ESPN
- Game 2: Mavericks vs. Thunder, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN
Friday, May 10
- Game 3: Knicks vs. Pacers, 7 p.m. on ESPN
- Game 3: Nuggets vs. Timberwolves, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN (Timberwolves lead 2-0)
Saturday, May 11
- Game 3: Thunder vs. Mavericks, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
- Game 2: Celtics vs. Cavaliers, 8:30 p.m. on ABC
What does the NBA playoff bracket look like?
The Boston Celtics earned the top spot in the East, and the Oklahoma City Thunder edged the defending champion Denver Nuggets for the top seed in the West. Here’s what the matchups look like for the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs:
THE CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS ARE SET 👀
The 2024 #NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel continue Monday on TNT! pic.twitter.com/oNn1BVcVLm— NBA (@NBA) May 5, 2024
YouTube TV costs $73 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.
DirecTV Stream’s $109-per-month Choice plan includes ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV. You can use its channel lookup tool to see if ABC is available where you live. If you’re willing to skip the handful of games on NBA TV, you can get the other three channels with DirecTV Stream’s basic $80-per-month Entertainment package.
Hulu Plus Live TV costs $77 per month and includes ABC, ESPN and TNT. It’s the only service that doesn’t offer NBA TV, even as part of an add-on package. Click the “View channels in your area” link on its welcome page to see which local channels are offered in your ZIP code.
The ad-supported plan for Max costs $10 per month and will show TNT broadcasts of NBA playoff games. With just Max, you’ll miss games on ESPN, ABC and NBA TV.
Live sports on Max will soon require the $10-per-month B/R Sports add-on, but you won’t need to shell out for it just yet. Warner Bros. Discovery is delaying charging customers for the add-on for now and includes it in the standard subscription.
All the live TV streaming services above offer free trials, allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide.