NBA Christmas Day: How to watch Pelicans vs. Heat, Warriors vs. Bucks today without cable – CNET [CNET]

After an unprecedented 2020 NBA season, marked by play inside the Orlando bubble due to the coronavirus, a compressed schedule, upsets galore in the playoffs and the Lakers capturing the championship in October, the new 2020-2021 season is underway just over two months later. 

Unlike the bubble, in which only teams that had a shot at the playoffs were invited to participate, all teams are back in action at the NBA’s home courts. All except the Toronto Raptors, who have relocated to Tampa due to Canadian COVID-19 travel restrictions. Tampa and a few other locations will have fans to start the season, but the majority of games are taking place in mostly empty venues.

The season tipped off earlier this week and the NBA’s Christmas Day tradition continues today with a slate of five games, beginning at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) on ABC and ESPN. Here’s the full lineup: 

• New Orleans Pelicans vs. Miami Heat at 12 p.m. ET (9 a.m. PT) on ESPN
• Golden State Warriors vs. Milwaukee Bucks at 2:30 p.m. (11:30 a.m. PT) on ABC
• Brooklyn Nets vs. Boston Celtics at 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT) on ABC
• Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Lakers at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) on ABC
• Los Angeles Clippers vs. Denver Nuggets at 10:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. PT) on ESPN 

Read more: NBA streaming: Best ways to watch the 2021 season without cable

How can I watch the NBA on TV live without cable?

Four of the five major live TV streaming services offer ESPN, TNT and ABC (all but Sling TV), but not every service carries your local ABC station, so check the links below to make sure it’s available in your area. 

If you want maximum coverage you’ll also want to make sure you have NBA TV (which airs some games nationally each week) and your regional sports network (which air the bulk of a team’s local games). Most RSNs are only widely available via streaming on AT&T’s TV Now Max offering, which runs $80 per month. 

At that price, you may want to just consider getting regular cable.  

Read more: How to cut the cable TV cord in 2020