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The NBA Finals 2026 features two of the best teams in basketball. Over the next two weeks, the Knicks and Spurs battle for glory and compete to hoist the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy at center court starting on Wednesday, June 3.
The championship series features the New York Knicks (53-29) taking on the San Antonio Spurs (62-20) with Game 1 at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. Tipoff is at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT.
The NBA Playoffs have been a ratings win across the league’s network partners. The Western Conference Finals drew in an average of 9.62 million viewers over the course of the seven-game series for NBC, per Nielsen, while the Eastern Conference Finals brought in an average of 7.4 million viewers for ABC and ESPN. Overall, postseason games have been the most-watched for the NBA in nearly 30 years.
Meanwhile, with the popularity of the Knicks and Spurs, a number of celebrities and athletes have attended playoff games throughout the season, including New York fans Timothée Chalamet, Spike Lee and Ben Stiller, as well as San Antonio fans Selena Gomez, Shane Gillis, George Strait and others. To find out who might be at games, tune-in with out of the streaming services, below:
The NBA Finals broadcasts live on ABC, as well as livestreams simultaneously on ESPN Unlimited. Cord-cutters can watch the game with any web-based live TV streaming service that carries ABC, such as DirecTV, Hulu + Live TV and Sling TV.
How to Watch 2026 NBA Finals Online: Livestream Without Cable
Scroll down and check out the best ways to stream the NBA Finals online, below:
DirecTV
DirecTV’s “Entertainment” Package is one of the best ways for cable-cutters to access live sports and TV from home. Priced at $59.99 for the first month of service ($89.99/month afterwards), you get access to more than 90 channels. For the NBA Finals, you’ll get access to ABC.
ESPN
ESPN Unlimited includes everything ESPN has to offer, such as ESPN, ESPN on ABC, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNU, ESPNEWS and much more. It includes the NBA Finals, as part of its service. You’ll also get access to other sports leagues, like NHL, UFC, F1, MLB, La Liga and others. ESPN Unlimited goes for $29.99/month.
While the service doesn’t offer a free trial, you can still get access to ESPN Unlimited for free with a free trial to DirecTV, Fubo and Hulu + Live TV.
Sling TV
Sling is one of the best options for affordable live streaming with the Sling Blue package, which goes for $45.99/month. The package includes ABC. NBA fans can add the Sports Extra package to their plan to get NBA TV for an additional $11/month. Please note: Pricing and channel availability are subject to your local TV market.
Fubo
For $48.99 for the first month ($73.99/month afterwards), Fubo is one of the best options for streaming NBA Finals because it features the most channels for after the championship series. The service features ABC for the broadcast the series. It even has more than 220 live TV channels for cable-free streaming. The streamer offers a 5-day free trial to try out the service before you commit.
Hulu
Starting at $89.99/month, Hulu + Live TV is a great option for live channel streaming the NBA Finals with access to ABC, along with more than 90 other channels, as well as access to hit originals on Disney+, Hulu and ESPN Unlimited.
Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals: New York Knicks vs. San Antonio Spurs broadcasts live on ABC starting on Wednesday, June 3 at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT. However, the best ways to watch the series online without cable is with DirecTV.
Below, you’ll find a complete NBA Finals schedule:
- Game 1: New York Knicks at San Antonio Spurs — Wednesday, June 3, 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT
- Game 2: New York Knicks at San Antonio Spurs — Friday, June 5, 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT
- Game 3: San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks — Monday, June 8, 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT
- Game 4: San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks — Wednesday, June 10, 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT
- *Game 5: New York Knicks at San Antonio Spurs — Saturday, June 13, 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT
- *Game 6: San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks — Tuesday, June 16, 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT
- *Game 7: New York Knicks at San Antonio Spurs — Friday, June 19, 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT
*If necessary
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