Watch NBA Without Cable
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You can watch most national NBA games without cable: an antenna picks up the games on ABC and NBC, and three apps cover ESPN, Peacock and Prime Video. What you cannot always get this way is your own team's local games, which depend on where you live.
Below is what each option covers, what it costs and when a live TV service is worth paying for.
Last checked: October 2026.
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What to pay for, by how much you watch
You want the biggest games and not much more. An antenna. ABC and NBC carry the marquee national slots, the Christmas games on ABC and the NBA Finals, and the equipment costs $20 to $40 once.
You follow one team. Look at which nights your team appears on nationally, and pay only for those apps. A team that shows up on Peacock and ESPN does not need Prime Video.
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You want every national game. All three apps. It is about $52 to $55 a month, and there is no cheaper bundle that includes all of them.
You want the playoffs. Subscribe from April through June instead of all year. Which app you need depends on the round.
The options, one by one
A TV antenna. It picks up your local ABC and NBC stations. That is Tuesday and Sunday night games on NBC, Saturday night and select Sunday afternoons on ABC, and the NBA Finals.
How to set one up:
- Check which stations reach your address before buying.
- Choose an indoor antenna if the towers are close, an outdoor one if they are far.
- Plug it into the antenna input on the TV.
- Run the channel scan in the settings.
- Write down the channel numbers for ABC and NBC.
Honest note: an antenna gets no ESPN, no Prime Video and no Peacock-only games. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are not reachable this way.
ESPN's app. It streams every NBA game on ESPN and ABC. You need ESPN Unlimited, about $30 to $32 a month. ESPN also carries the Inside the NBA studio show.
How to watch:
- Check whether your TV or mobile plan already includes ESPN Unlimited.
- If not, subscribe inside the ESPN app.
- Open the app on game night.
- Go to the Watch tab.
- Select the live game.
Honest note: the cheaper ESPN plan does not include ESPN's channels, so it will not show these games.
Peacock. It streams every NBC game plus its own exclusive Monday games. Premium is $12.99 a month. Select, the lowest tier, does not have live sports.
How to watch:
- Choose Premium or Premium Plus.
- Open the app before tip-off.
- Go to the Sports tab.
- Select the live game.
- Cancel when the games you wanted are over.
Honest note: Premium Plus costs $19.99 and adds your local NBC station live. For basketball alone, Premium is enough.
Prime Video. It streams Friday games, Thursdays from January, select Saturday afternoons from February, the NBA Cup knockouts and the Play-In Tournament. About $9 a month on its own, or included with Amazon Prime.
How to watch:
- Sign in with an Amazon account.
- Open Prime Video and go to Sports.
- Select the NBA game.
- Use the pre-game show for the full broadcast.
- If you used a trial, note when it renews.
Honest note: Prime Video games have no broadcast version.
A live TV service. It adds ESPN, ABC and NBC as channels in one bill, about $55 to $90 a month. It makes sense only if you want the other channels too.
How to use one:
- Check that your ZIP code lists ESPN, ABC and NBC.
- Subscribe and open the guide on game night.
- Find the channel for your game.
- Use the service's app on TV, phone or web.
- Note when any promotional price ends.
Honest note: it still does not include Prime Video or Peacock-only games.
The honest part: your own team may be somewhere else
The games above are the national ones. Every team also has games sold to a local broadcaster, and which broadcaster it is changes by team and by where you live. It might be a regional sports network, a local station or the team's own app.
This page cannot name one channel for you, because the right answer depends on your location. The NBA's Tap to Watch page links each game to where it streams for the viewer, and each team's page on NBA.com names its local partner.
What costs nothing extra: if your team's local games are on a broadcast station, an antenna covers them.
Before you subscribe
- Find the night of the game. The night decides the network.
- Check that the plan carries live sports.
- Test the antenna on a weekday.
- Several nights start mid-season, so don't pay for them in October.
- Check any live TV service by ZIP code before paying.
- Local games are separate from national ones.
- Use monthly plans and pause between months you watch.
- Write down every renewal date when you enter a card number.
What it costs per month
Approximate US prices as of October 2026. Check each service, plans change:
- Antenna: $20 to $40 once.
- Peacock Premium: $12.99.
- ESPN Unlimited: about $30 to $32.
- Prime Video: about $9.
- Live TV service: $55 to $90.
Antenna only: no monthly cost.
All three apps: about $52 to $55.
Live TV service plus Peacock and Prime Video: about $77 to $112.
FAQ
Can I watch NBA games with just an antenna?
Yes, the ones on ABC and NBC. Not the ones on ESPN, Peacock or Prime Video.
What is the cheapest way to watch the NBA?
An antenna, for the games on ABC and NBC.
Is the NBA Finals on ABC?
Yes, and an antenna picks it up.
Do I need cable for ESPN?
No. ESPN Unlimited streams in its own app.
Why can't I find my team's games?
They may be on a local broadcaster. Tap to Watch shows where each game airs for you.
Is there a single service with every game?
No. A live TV service plus the apps comes closest.
Wrap-up
That is how to watch NBA games without cable: an antenna for ABC and NBC, three apps for the rest, and a quick check on your own team's local games. Which are you missing right now?
