Ah, the sounds of Christmas Day: Bing Crosby crooning, a fire crackling in the fireplace — and sneakers squeaking on the hardwood. NBA fans will get the gift of a star-studded quintuple header of games on Christmas that will feature LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, James Harden and Lonzo Ball.
Things tip off at 12 noon ET and will last well past midnight in the East. If you cut the cord this year and still want to get in on the NBA action (it’s fantastic), here’s what you need to know.
Christmas NBA schedule
|
Matchup |
Time (ET) |
Network |
|
Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks |
12 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors |
3 p.m. |
ABC |
|
Washington Wizards at Boston Celtics |
5:30 p.m. |
ABC |
|
Houston Rockets at Oklahoma City Thunder |
8 p.m. |
ABC |
|
Minnesota Timberwolves at Los Angeles Lakers |
10:30 p.m. |
TNT |
How to stream the games
If your goal on Christmas is to watch all five games, you’ll need a streaming package that offers ABC, ESPN and TNT. I can find you such a thing, but live TV varies by region and streaming service, so you’ll need to check the channel lineup in your area to make sure you can watch a live feed of your local TV stations, namely ABC for three of the Christmas Day NBA games.
Sling TV
Sling TV‘s $20-a-month Orange package includes ESPN and TNT but you’ll need to pay $5 extra a month for the Broadcast Extra package to get ABC. Click here to see if you can get a live feed of ABC in your area.
DirectTV Now
DirectTV Now‘s basic $35-a-month “Live a Little” package includes ABC, ESPN and TNT. Click here to check availability of live local channels in your area.
PlayStation Vue
PlayStation Vue‘s $40-a-month Access plan includes ABC, ESPN and TNT. Channel lineups vary by region, so check out which live, local networks you get on the PlayStation Vue Plans page.
Hulu with Live TV
Hulu with Live TV costs $40 a month and includes ABC, ESPN and TNT. Check to see which live channels Hulu offers in your area.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV is currently available in dozens of major metro markets, with more being added all the time. It costs $35 a month and includes ABC and ESPN, but not TNT.
WatchESPN app
You can stream the first four Christmas Day games broadcast on ABC or ESPN via WatchESPN on your computer or the WatchESPN app, but you will need to prove you have a TV subscription that includes ESPN.
