After 82 games, the NBA playoffs are here to determine who is going to be crowned the 2023 NBA champion. With many of the game’s best players set to compete for that — including LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo — you’re not going to want to miss a second of the action.
That's why we've put together this handy-dandy guide on just about everything you need to know on where, when and how to watch the 2023 NBA playoffs, from the play-in games for the final spots in the Eastern and Western Conference brackets all the way through to the NBA Finals. We've got the information on what channels have the games, the schedule (as we know it so far) and other key questions you may have.
It's going to be about two months of nearly non-stop NBA action until someone takes home the title, so let's get you ready for it all.
How to watch the NBA playoffs in the US
NBA playoff games are going to air on the combination of ESPN, ABC, TNT and NBA TV throughout the playoffs, with the NBA Finals airing entirely on ABC.
ABC is one of the US' main four broadcast networks that are available to anyone with a traditional pay-TV subscription or a TV antenna. If you've moved away from traditional cable though to a live TV streaming service, ABC is available on popular services such as DirecTV, FuboTV, Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV.
ESPN and TNT, meanwhile, are premium cable channels, but are widely available on both traditional cable TV subscriptions (double check with your local provider) and live TV streaming services. If you're looking for the latter, ESPN is available on DirecTV, FuboTV, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV (specifically Orange) and YouTube TV; TNT is available on DirecTV, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV (both Blue and Orange) and YouTube TV.
Then there is NBA TV, which while not available as a standard channel on DirecTV, FuboTV, Sling TV or YouTube TV, can be added as part of an add-on bundle on all the services. You can also access NBA TV broadcasts through NBA League Pass, with plans ranging from $15-$20 a month.
While most NBA playoff games are not going to be available to stream, there is going to be at least one game in the first round that can be watched on ESPN Plus. The April 15 game between the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers is going to stream on the service, as well as have an alternate broadcast hosted by Stephen A. Smith on ESPN2.
How to watch NBA playoffs in the UK
Sky Sports is going to be the main home for the NBA playoffs in the UK, with games airing live on various Sky Sports channels (primarily the Main Channel and Arena). If you don't currently have Sky Sports, it's £24 per month on top of your standard Sky TV subscription, so you can get them bundled together for £46 if you're not already a subscriber.
There is going to be a free option to watch this year, but only for a handful of games. The BBC previously announced that it would broadcast two NBA playoff games through the first few rounds, one conference finals game and one NBA finals game. What games those are going to be are not known as of publication.
NBA League Pass is also an option for basketball fans in the UK.
How to watch the NBA playoffs from anywhere
The game of basketball has become a global phenomenon, so if you're not in the US and UK but want to be sure you can watch all of the action of the NBA playoffs, a potential solution to this issue is with a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
A VPN lets you change your IP address, enabling you to watch shows or sporting events like the Super Bowl and all the other shows and events that matter to you from other locations. Our favorite is ExpressVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our sister site, TechRadar.
NBA playoffs schedule
The NBA playoffs officially tipoff on Tuesday, April 11, and then are set to run through June, with a potential game 7 of the NBA Finals already scheduled for June 18. Here is a look at the complete schedule. Note, games listed below are only games that are confirmed to be taking place.
NBA Finals
Thursday, June 1
- Miami Heat 93, Denver Nuggets 104 (Nuggets up 1-0)
Sunday, June 4
- Miami Heat 111, Denver Nuggets 108 (Series tied 1-1)
Wednesday, June 7
- Denver Nuggets 109, Miami Heat 94 (Nuggets up 2-1)
Friday, June 9
- Denver Nuggets 108, Miami Heat 95 (Nuggets up 3-1)
Monday, June 12
- Miami Heat 89, Denver Nuggets 94 (Nuggets win NBA championship)
NBA playoffs bracket
Take a look at the 2023 NBA playoffs bracket as the playoffs get underway:
NBA playoffs FAQs
Who made the 2023 NBA playoffs?
Twelve teams, six each from the Eastern and Western conferences, have locked in their spots of the NBA playoffs based on their regular season records. There are also four teams in each conference still competing for the last two spots in the first round of the playoffs, which will be determined by a series of play-in games (more info on that below).
Here are all the teams set to compete in the NBA playoffs:
Eastern Conference:
1. Milwaukee Bucks
2. Boston Celtics
3. Philadelphia 76ers
4. Cleveland Cavaliers
5. New York Knicks
6. Brooklyn Nets
Play-in teams: Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls
Western Conference:
1. Denver Nuggets
2. Memphis Grizzlies
3. Sacramento Kings
4. Phoenix Suns
5. Los Angeles Clippers
6. Golden State Warrios
Play-in teams: Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, Oklahoma City Thunder
How does the NBA play-in tournament work?
The final two seeds in each conference (the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds) are put up for grabs in a series of play-in games featuring the teams that finished with the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth best records in the conferences.
To determine the No. 7 seed, the teams with the seventh and eighth best records play each other, with the winner automatically advancing into the field of 16 in the No. 7 position in their respective conference. The losing team is not officially eliminated, instead they will play another game to try for the No. 8 seed.
The opponent in that game is determined by who wins a matchup between the ninth and tenth best teams in the conferences. The winner of that game moves on to the No. 8 seed game, while the losing team is officially eliminated from contention.
The winner of the No. 8 seed games then take the final spot in each conference.
