(Credit: Zain bin Awais/PCMag/Getty Images)
The NBA Conference Finals are in full swing. Who will advance to the playoff finals? We may find out this holiday weekend. The Knicks and the Cavaliers will face off on Thursday, Saturday, and Monday this weekend, while the Thunder and Spurs will battle to advance on Friday and Sunday.
The conference finals are underway, but where can you watch every game? Keeping track of where each NBA Playoff game is streaming has been dizzying, to say the least. Here's how to tune in to the Conference Finals, plus a full schedule of upcoming games, so you don't miss a second of the live action.
What Time Is the Knicks vs. the Cavaliers?
You can catch Game 2 of the New York vs. Cleveland at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 21 and Game 4 at the same time on May 23 and 25. . The winner of this series will advance to the NBA Finals to face the winner of the Thunder vs. Spurs series.
How to Watch the Knicks vs. the Cavaliers Game
This weekend's Eastern Conference Final games will air on ESPN. If you don't have a cable package, you'll need ESPN Unlimited to watch the NBA playoff games. However, if you already pay for certain pay-TV providers, such as Hulu + Live TV, DIRECTV, Fubo TV, or Verizon FiOS, you have access to the service. If you pay for the Disney+ bundle that includes ESPN, you'll be able to watch the games. Don't have any of these streaming subscriptions? You can try FuboTV for free for 7 days.
What Time Is the Thunder vs. the Spurs?
You can catch Game 3 of the Oklahoma City vs. San Antonio at 8:30 p.m. ET on Friday, May 22. On Sunday, May 24, Game 4 will tip off at 8 p.m. ET. The winner of this series will head to the NBA Finals to face whoever wins the Knicks vs. Cavs series.
How to Watch the Thunder vs. the Spurs Game
This weekend's Western Conference Final NBA games will air on NBC and Peacock. Though the streaming service doesn't offer a free trial anymore, there is a workaround. The platform's ad-supported tier is included with a subscription to Walmart+, which right now has a 30-day trial for $1. It's not free, but it's certainly better than paying full price!
2026 NBA Playoffs: Full Schedule and Where to Watch
(Credit: NBA)Starting this year, the NBA has split playoff games between ESPN/ABC, NBC/Peacock, and Amazon. According to the agreement, ESPN/ABC will broadcast 18 games in the first two rounds, one conference finals in 10 of the 11 years, and the NBA Finals. NBC/Peacock will broadcast 28 playoff games in the first two rounds and one conference final in six of the 11 years. Previously, the Play-In Tournament aired on ESPN and TNT, but all six games are exclusively broadcast on Prime Video for the next 11 seasons. Amazon will also carry approximately one-third of the first two playoff rounds, as well as one of the conference finals in six of the 11 years.
2026 NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game Schedule:
(3) New York Knicks vs. (4) Cleveland Cavaliers - Knicks lead series 1-0
- Game 2: Thursday, May 21 (8 ET, ESPN)
- Game 3: Saturday, May 23 (8 ET, ESPN)
- Game 4: Monday, May 25 (8 ET, ESPN)
- Game 5: Wednesday, May 27 (8 ET, ESPN)*
- Game 6: Friday, May 29 (8 ET, ESPN)*
- Game 7: Sunday, May 31 (8 ET, ESPN)*
2026 NBA Western Conference Finals Game Schedule:
(1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (2) San Antonio Spurs - Thunder lead series 2-0
- Game 3: Friday, May 22 (8:30 ET, NBC/Peacock)
- Game 4: Sunday, May 24 (8 ET, NBC/Peacock)
- Game 5: Tuesday, May 26 (8 ET, NBC/Peacock)*
- Game 6: Thursday, May 28 (8 ET, NBC/Peacock)*
- Game 7: Saturday, May 30 (8 ET, NBC/Peacock)*
2026 NBA Finals Game Schedule:
NBA Finals: June 3-19 (ABC)
- Game 1 - June 3, 8:30 p.m. ET
- Game 2 - June 5, 8:30 p.m. ET
- Game 3 - June 8, 8:30 p.m. ET
- Game 4 - June 10, 8:30 p.m. ET
- Game 5 - June 13, 8:30 p.m. ET*
- Game 6 - June 16, 8:30 p.m. ET*
- Game 7 - June 19, 8:30 p.m. ET*
*if needed
How to Stream the 2026 NBA Playoffs
If you want to watch every game of the NBA Playoffs without worrying about which network is broadcasting each game, there are streaming options that let you watch everything. Unfortunately, since the games are spread across three companies—Disney, Comcast, and Amazon—you'll likely need to do some searching to find the best package that covers as many games as possible.
- Amazon Prime Video: If you're an Amazon Prime member, you already have access to the games broadcast by Amazon. Prime costs $14.99 per month or $139 annually. For an extra $4.99 per month, the Ultra plan will also give you 4K streaming.
- DirecTV: The $89.99 Entertainment package gives you access to ABC, NBC, and ESPN.
- ESPN Unlimited: Stream live sports and archived ESPN shows starting at $29.99 per month.
- Fubo: Fubo carries ABC and ESPN, which you can get via the Sports plan for $55.99 per month. There is also a quarterly priced option.
- Hulu + Live TV: The ad-supported, $89.99-per-month live TV package lets you stream ABC and ESPN.
- Peacock: For $10.99 per month, Peacock Premium will grant you access to all playoff games broadcast on NBC and the streaming app.
- Sling: Sling's Orange & Blue bundle includes ABC, NBC, and ESPN for $60.99 per month. There are less expensive packages available if you only need some of these channels.
- YouTube TV: The streamer's Sports Plan includes ABC, NBC, and ESPN for $64.99 per month
As a reminder, you'll want to enable your TV's motion-smoothing option for the best picture while watching the NBA Playoffs and other televised sporting events. Equally as important, remember to turn it off when you're done, so your TV shows and movies don't have that dreaded "soap opera effect."
Can You Watch the NBA Playoffs With a VPN?
If you're watching outside the US and games are unavailable in your country, try a VPN. Set the region to a US location to access local streaming content. You may also be able to unlock content available from other regions, even if you're in the US. For instance, Amazon has the rights to broadcast playoff games (including the Finals) in Mexico, Brazil, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, the UK, and Ireland. If you don't have ESPN or ABC, but do have Prime, you might be able to use a VPN here. The same can be said for Disney+ if you access it from certain Asian and European markets.
Not all VPN services work well with all streaming services, but the best VPNs for sports streaming will deliver high speeds without data limits. Our top option for watching region-locked sports games is ExpressVPN, PCMag's top choice for location spoofing. Since ExpressVPN has servers worldwide, it's easy to obfuscate your location to access region-locked content. Other top options include our Editors' Choice winners, NordVPN and Proton VPN. You can also check out our recommended VPNs for iPhones and Android devices if you're watching on the go.
For more on how to watch basketball, check out our roundup of the best NBA streaming services.