Viewing guide
Following the NBA season online: national games, team channels and League Pass
By the MethStreams editors · Published
An NBA night can have a dozen games or more, and each one can be on a different channel depending on where you live. This guide explains how the broadcasts are split, so it is easier to find the one you want, and how our NBA page lays the night out.
Three layers of broadcasts
NBA games reach viewers through three layers.
The first is national TV. A small number of games each week are national, and in the week we looked at they were on ESPN, Prime Video and NBA TV. A national game is the same everywhere in the country.
The second is the team's own channel. Most games are shown by a regional sports channel, a local TV station or a team app, and you can only see that broadcast inside the team's home area. Some teams now stream their games through their own app for fans in that area.
The third is NBA League Pass, the league's package for games from outside your area. It is useful for following a team from another city, but it blacks out your local team and the national games.
Why this matters for streams
Because each team has its own broadcast, one game can exist as two or three different feeds at the same time. On a MethStreams game page this shows up as more than one link for the same game, sometimes with different commentators. That is useful: if one feed stalls, another feed of that game is often still running.
Reading the NBA page
Each day gets its own block, covering yesterday, today and tomorrow. A row shows the matchup and when it tips off in the time zone set on your device. Games in progress jump up their block with a LIVE badge and the running score, and a finished game shows its final result for a while before it is cleared.
The listed time is when the broadcast starts. Expect the opening tip roughly 5 to 10 minutes after that, once the introductions are done.
A season in stages
October opens an 82-game regular season that ends in April. Cup group games are woven into November, with the Cup knockouts in December. Spring brings the play-in, then four rounds, each a best-of-seven and, in June, the Finals. You will find every stage on the one page.
Small habits that help
- Check the page about an hour before tip-off. That is when most links are posted.
- If a game is a national broadcast, the first link is usually that national feed.
- On a phone, close other apps and tabs playing video before you start a stream.
When a stream stops
Go to another link before anything else. If none of them play, reload the player page. Some players refuse to load over some VPN servers, so changing the VPN location often fixes a blank player. More steps are in our stream troubleshooting guide.
Quick answers
Which channels have national NBA games?
In the week we checked, national games were on ESPN, Prime Video and NBA TV. Most other games were on each team's own regional channel or team app.
What is NBA League Pass?
It is the league's own package for games outside your area. Your local team's games and national broadcasts are usually blacked out on it.
Why does one NBA game have two links?
Each team often has its own broadcast with its own commentators. Two links may show one game, once from the home side and once from the away side.
