Basketball fans can now watch every game across the National Basketball Association (NBA) season online thanks to the plethora of live streaming services available. The biggest conundrum for most sports fans is often which streaming service to choose and which offers them the largest choice of their preferred team’s games. For more information on where to watch games online, read our guide to the best sports streaming services.
One of the best streaming options for basketball fans especially is Hulu + Live TV, as it carries local broadcasts for 25 of the NBA’s 30 teams in addition to all nationally broadcast games. This article will provide an overview of the Hulu + Live TV service, the NBA coverage it provides, and how to watch it. For more information about the service, read our Hulu + Live TV review.
In addition to broadcasting live basketball games, Hulu + Live TV provides a range of live entertainment, news, and sports channels. It also offers a large library of on-demand content as viewers gain access to the Hulu channel, which is home to more than 2,500 movies and TV shows, including the service’s own original programming. For more information about what to watch on Hulu + Live TV, read our guide to the Hulu channels list.
Hulu + Live TV viewers also get access to premium channel add-ons such as Cinemax, HBO, SHOWTIME, and STARZ, as well as entertainment and Spanish language add-ons. These channels are charged for on top of the Hulu + Live TV subscription fee of $54.99/mo. Discover all there is to know about in our guide to Hulu’s packages, pricing, and channels.
The Hulu + Live TV service comes with 50 hours of Cloud Digital Video Recorder (DVR) storage, which is great for NBA fans if they miss a game. But that can be upgraded to 200 hours of storage for an additional $9.99/mo. It also provides 2 simultaneous streams per account, which can be upgraded to unlimited screens for an additional $9.99/mo.
Hulu + Live TV plans and sports channels compared
| Hulu + Live TV | |
| ABC | ✔ |
| ESPN | ✔ |
| ESPN 2 | ✔ |
| FOX Sports | ✔ |
| NBA TV | |
| NBC Sports | ✔ |
| TNT | ✔ |
Can I stream every NBA game on Hulu + Live TV?
Nationally televised broadcasts vs local market availability
The NBA’s nationally televised broadcasts are shared between ABC, ESPN, and TNT, which are all available in Hulu + Live TV’s channel lineup. Any games broadcast by these national networks are exclusive to them and won’t be available to watch live on local channels. These three networks will also enable Hulu + Live TV viewers to watch NBA Playoff and Finals games.
In addition to carrying all nationally broadcast games, Hulu + Live TV also carries all but five of the regional sports networks (RSNs) that are home to most NBA game broadcasts in local markets. Most local games are broadcast by FOX Sports or NBC Sports RSNs, which are both available on Hulu + Live TV. However, seven NBA teams’ games are broadcast on channels other than FOX and NBC, of which two are available on Hulu + Live TV. It carries the games of Brooklyn Nets on YES Network and the Los Angeles Clippers on FOX Sports Prime Ticket, neither of which are available on competitor streaming services fuboTV or YouTube TV.
Streaming your favorite NBA teams
Hulu + Live TV offers an option for NBA fans to watch all of their favorite teams’ games live. It carries more local market broadcasts than fuboTV or YouTube TV, with access to 25 out of the 30 RSNs that carry NBA team games.
However, it is missing coverage of Denver Nuggets games, which are exclusively aired on Altitude, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, and Utah Jazz games, which are only available through AT&T Sports Net, and New York Knicks games, which are only on MSG.
| Team and Local Network | Hulu + Live TV |
| Atlanta HawksFOX Sports Southeast | ✔ |
| Boston CelticsNBC Sports Boston | ✔ |
| Brooklyn NetsYES Network | ✔ |
| Charlotte HornetsFOX Sports Southeast | ✔ |
| Chicago BullsNBC Sports Chicago | ✔ |
| Cleveland CavaliersFOX Sports Ohio | ✔ |
| Dallas MavericksFOX Sports Southwest | ✔ |
| Denver NuggetsAltitude | |
| Detroit PistonsFOX Sports Detroit | ✔ |
| Golden State WarriorsNBC Sports Bay Area | ✔ |
| Houston RocketsAT&T SportsNet Southwest | |
| Indiana PacersFOX Sports Indiana | ✔ |
| LA ClippersFOX Sports Prime Ticket | ✔ |
| Los Angeles LakersSpectrum SportsNet | |
| Memphis GrizzliesFOX Sports Southeast | ✔ |
| Miami HeatFOX Sports Sun | ✔ |
| Milwaukee BucksFOX Sports Wisconsin | ✔ |
| Minnesota TimberwolvesFOX Sports North | ✔ |
| New Orleans PelicansFOX Sports New Orleans | ✔ |
| New York KnicksMSG | |
| Oklahoma City ThunderFOX Sports Oklahoma | ✔ |
| Orlando MagicFOX Sports Florida | ✔ |
| Philadelphia 76ersNBC Sports Philadelphia | ✔ |
| Phoenix SunsFOX Sports Arizona | ✔ |
| Portland Trail BlazersNBC Sports Northwest | ✔ |
| Sacramento KingsNBC Sports California | ✔ |
| San Antonio SpursFOX Sports Southwest | ✔ |
| Utah JazzAT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain | |
| Washington WizardsNBC Sports Washington | ✔ |
The final cut
Hulu + Live TV is one of the best options in the busy streaming market for NBA fans. It offers live coverage of nearly every NBA game across its channel lineup, in addition to its choice of entertainment, movies, news, and other sports.
Importantly, Hulu + Live TV includes both FOX Sports and NBC Sports RSNs, which are home to all but seven NBA teams’ local broadcasts, in its channel lineup. It also includes the YES Network and FOX Sports Prime Ticket, which takes its coverage of local broadcasts to 25 of the 30 NBA teams. Hulu + Live TV also enables its subscribers to stream all nationally broadcast NBA games with ABC, ESPN, and TNT, all included in its channel lineup.
Another option for Hulu + Live TV subscribers to catch every NBA live game as well as local news is to use an antenna, such as HDHomeRun. This device enables viewers to tune into local digital channels and watch them on their TV.Hulu + Live TV starts from $54.99/mo., with an option to go nearly ad-free with the Premium + Live TV plan for $60.99/mo. Both of these packages include free access to the Hulu on-demand content library. The basic plan is the same price as fuboTV ($54.99/mo.) while both of its packages come in cheaper than YouTube TV ($64.99/mo.) Both Hulu + Live TV plans also come with a 7-day free trial, which enables new customers to try the service out and explore which NBA games are available in their local area before committing to a subscription.