The 2019-20 NBA season has resumed, and here’s how fans can watch the scheduled games online. Back in March, NBA commissioner Adam Silver suspended the ongoing season after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus. After months of discussion, the NBA and NBA Players Association agreed on a return-to-play plan that sees 22 of the league’s 30 teams quarantine in a “campus environment” at Disney World’s Wide World of Sports Complex. With strict health and safety protocols in place to keep COVID-19 out of “the bubble,” the goal is to finish out the regular season and host a regular postseason.
For the first time in over four months, sports fans have live NBA games to look forward to, and if everything goes according to plan, the league is going to be very busy over the next couple of months. Here’s what the NBA’s schedule is and where people will be able to watch all the games.
The NBA Restart Schedule
The NBA restart tips off on July 30 with the first two “seeding games.” Each of the 22 teams invited will play eight regular season games to determine playoff positioning. This stretch run ends on Friday, August 14. Under the terms of the restart agreement, there is the possibility for play-in games for the final playoff seeds. If those are necessary (the ninth-place team has to be within four games of the eight-place team in the standings), the play-in games would be held on August 15 and 16. The first round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs starts on August 17.
As the playoffs progress, the Conference Semifinals begin on August 31, and the Conference Finals begin on September 15. This year’s NBA Finals will start on September 30, with Game 7 (if necessary) taking place on October 13.
How To Watch the NBA Restart Games
The NBA restart games will be broadcast on the league’s national TV partners, TNT, ESPN and ABC, as well as the NBA’s own NBA TV. Additionally, regional sports networks will be showing games. Those subscribed to NBA League Pass will be able to watch out-of-market games. Besides TV, the NBA restart games will also be available on a variety of streaming platforms.
YouTube TV, Sling TV, Hulu, FuboTV, and AT&T TV Now all carry the various national TV channels that show NBA games. However, they’re not all created equally. Sling is missing ABC, Hulu doesn’t have NBA TV, and FuboTV doesn’t come with TNT. Fans interested in watching as many games possible on the widest variety of channels would be better off looking at YouTube TV or AT&T TV Now, which do have all four of the NBA’s national TV networks. League Pass subscribers can watch games online either through the NBA app or NBA.com. Seeding games are scheduled all throughout the day, so fans should check their local listings.
