The NBA season is back; it officially starts today. We’ve got brand new super teams and crazy trades during this offseason. And you know, we still have the OGs looking to cement their legacy.
This is going to be a fantastic, unprecedented year. In this article, I’m going to show you how you can stream absolutely every single game, either for free or for really, really cheap. However, it’s going to be very dependent on your streaming needs.
Now, when I say all games, it’s going to be broken down into three separate sections. The first section will cover all out-of-market games. The second section will include all prime-time games, and the third section will cover your local games.
Market Games
If your favorite team is not in your local market, this is all you’re going to need. You’ll need NBA League Pass, which gives you access to all out-of-market games that are not your local games or prime-time games.
You can purchase NBA League Pass from various places, but I recommend getting it through Amazon Prime Video. By signing up for their credit card, you can receive a $150 gift card to Amazon, which can cover the cost of NBA League Pass for the entire season.
Nationally Televised Games
I’m talking about games that air on ESPN, TNT, and sometimes ABC. These games usually feature prime-time matchups between top-tier teams like the Lakers versus the Suns or the Celtics versus the Heat. To access these prime-time channels, you’ll need a streaming bundle. Some streaming bundles, like Hulu Plus Live Television, can be expensive.
YouTube TV is an option, but by far the most economical choice is Sling Television. They currently have a deal where for the first month, you can stream all the prime-time games on these networks for $20. But the savings don’t stop there.
If you sign up with Rakuten, a cashback service, you can get cashback on purchases you’re already making online. By searching for Sling TV on Rakuten and clicking through, you can activate $15 in cashback, making that $20 fee only $5. And if your second purchase on Rakuten is over $30, you’ll receive an additional $30 back, essentially giving you $45 of free cash and two months of Sling Television for free.
For this, I’d suggest picking and choosing which months you want to watch games because you won’t necessarily need this service for the entire season. It’s best to sample specific months of the NBA season, especially if you already have NBA League Pass and are watching your favorite teams.
Watching Local Game
If you’re in a city like Los Angeles and want to watch either the Clippers or the Lakers, it’s a bit complicated but new technology has made it easier.
Depending on where you’re located, you’ll need different services. For example, if you’re in Cleveland, you’ll need Bally Sports, or if you’re in San Francisco, you’ll need NBC. Each city has its own requirements.
Bally Sports is a Regional Sports Network, and they’ve recently launched Bally Sports Plus, which gives you access to your local teams. All you have to do is visit their website, enter your ZIP code, and see which packages are available to you.
For instance, if you’re in Los Angeles and want to watch the Clippers, you can get the Bally Sports SoCal package, which includes the Clippers and the Anaheim Ducks for $19.99 a month.
To sum it up, if you want every live out-of-market game, NBA League Pass is your go-to. For the cheapest way to watch NBA prime-time games, go for Sling Television. And for local games, you’ll likely need Bally Sports Plus, which typically comes out to around $20 a month.
That wraps up everything for today’s article. Hopefully, I’ve helped you save a little money and learn something new. Enjoy watching some awesome basketball this year! Peace.
