Skip to main content Tom's Guide Tom's Guide Search Tom's Guide View Profile Newsletters Best Picks Entertainment Nintendo Switch 2 Tariff tracker Best Mattress Wordle Today Entertainment NBA Play-In live stream 2025: How to watch basketball tournament online, schedule, what TV channel is it on? Aatif Sulleyman 14 April 2025 How will Play-In specialists Jimmy Butler and the Heat fare without each other? When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Rich Storry/Getty Images) NBA Play-In schedule Watch in U.S. Watch your stream from anywhere Watch in U.K. Watch in Canada Watch in Australia The NBA Play-In still feels like a wonderful bonus five years since its inception, the ominous first peals of thunder before the lightning appears, as eight teams contend for the final four spots in the playoffs. The Heat have a special relationship with the Play-In, but can they do it without Jimmy Butler? And for that matter, can Jimmy Butler do it without the Heat? Read on and we'll show you how to watch NBA Play-In live streams without cable and from anywhere with a VPN. 2025 NBA Play-In live stream: TV channels and dates The 2025 NBA Play-In runs from Tuesday, April 15 to Friday, April 18. Full schedule below. • U.S. — TNT and ESPN via Sling TV • Australia — Kayo Sports 7-day free trial • Unblock streams — Try NordVPN 100% risk free The top six teams in each conference earned spots in the playoffs, while those who finished No.7-No.10 have a second chance at getting in, though it might not feel that way for the Warriors, who fumbled their automatic bid in overtime on the last day of the regular season. With Steph Curry and Butler, the Warriors' presence in the NBA Play-In field is something of an aberration, though they're hardly a unique case. The Magic have the No.2-rated defense in the NBA, while the Hawks' Dyson Daniels may end up being crowned the Defensive Player of the Year. The Magic, Warriors, Hawks and Grizzlies, as the respective No.7s and No.8s in each conference, will get two bites of the cherry. The winner of the No.7 vs No.8 game earns the No.7 seed in the playoff, while the loser will face off with the winner of the No.9 vs No.10 game in an eliminator. Here's everything you need to know to watch NBA Play-In live streams online and without cable. NBA Play-In schedule 2025 Tuesday, April 15 7:30 p.m. — No.7 Magic vs No.8 Hawks (TNT) 10 p.m. — No.7 Warriors vs No.8 Grizzlies (TNT) Wednesday, April 16 7:30 p.m. — No.9 Bulls vs No.10 Heat (ESPN) 10 p.m. — No.9 Kings vs No.10 Mavericks (ESPN) Friday, April 18 TBD — Western Eliminator (TNT) TBD — Eastern Eliminator (ESPN) (All times ET) Watch NBA Play-In live streams in the U.S. (Image credit: Shutterstock) In the U.S., the six NBA Play-In games are split between TNT and ESPN. If you've already cut the cord and don't have a cable package, you can get both of those TV channels through an OTT cable TV alternative. Sling TV is the best option. It includes TNT and ESPN in its Orange plan, which costs $45.99/month, but you'll get your first month half-price. It also carries ESPN3, which is another of the main NBA postseason broadcasters, while you can add NBA TV via the $11 per month Sports Extra add on. You can get ESPN, ESPN3 and TNT on the Sling TV Orange plan. Sling Orange comes with 30-plus channels, including TBS, Comedy Central and Disney Channel. New subscribers get 50% off their first month. PREFERRED PARTNERView Deal Max is another option. It will live stream all of the games that are shown on TNT, and includes all of HBO's prestige series, like "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and new Jake Paul reality series, "Paul American". Plans start at $9.99/month, though you'll need to pay $16/month to go ad-free, and $20/month to stream in 4K. Scroll up for a breakdown of which games are on which channels. How to watch NBA Play-In online from anywhere Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the basketball on your subscriptions? You can still watch your usual NBA Play-In live stream thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software makes your devices appear to be back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are. So it's ideal for hoops fans away on vacation or on business. NordVPN is best and our NordVPN review explains why. Exclusive deal There's a good reason you've heard of NordVPN. We specialize in testing and reviewing VPN services and NordVPN is the one we rate best. It's outstanding at unblocking streaming services, it's fast and it has top-level security features too. With over 7,000 servers, across 110+ countries, and at a great price too, it's easy to recommend. Get 70% off with this NordVPN deal How to watch NBA Play-In live streams in the U.K. (Image credit: Shutterstock) TNT Sports holds the rights to NBA basketball in the U.K.. You can get TNT through your TV package, or via the Discovery Plus streaming service. To get TNT you'll need the Premium package, which costs £30.99/month but will also give you Champions League, Europa League and Premier League football, motorsports, tennis, cycling, snooker and more. If it's only basketball you're interested in, however, every game of the postseason will also be shown on NBA League Pass, which currently starts at £16.99/month or £67.99 for the rest of the season. If you're not in the U.K. right now but already have a subscription, try using NordVPN to watch as if you were back at home. How to watch NBA Play-In live streams in Canada (Image credit: Shutterstock) NBA Play-In games are split between TSN and Sportsnet in Canada. If you don't have cable, you could subscribe to TSN+ instead, which lets you get access to all TSN has to offer on an $8/month or $80/year subscription basis. The Sportsnet Plus streaming service starts at $19.99/month. Or you could watch every game on NBA League Pass instead. Plans start at CA$19.99 per month or just CA$39.99 for the rest of the season. If you're away from home and struggling to tap into your subscriptions, you could use a VPN to help you access an NBA Play-In stream from anywhere. We recommend NordVPN. How to watch NBA Play-In live streams in Australia (Image credit: Shutterstock) Aussies will find NBA Play-In live streams on ESPN via Foxtel, which is providing comprehensive postseason coverage. Don't have Foxtel and don't want to subscribe? Specialist streaming service Kayo Sports will also be showing the NBA Play-In tournament, with its affordable, commitment-free plans starting from just $25/month, and hosting plenty of cricket, AFL, rugby, F1 and loads of other live sports besides. There's also a 7-day FREE trial for anybody who hasn't used the service before. Another option is NBA League Pass, which costs AU$24.99 per month or AU$99.99 for the rest of the season. Not in Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN like NordVPN to watch all the action on your Kayo account as if you were back home. More from Tom's Guide How to watch Kobe: The Making of a Legend online The best VPN service How to watch Premier League live streams We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing. See more Entertainment News Aatif Sulleyman Social Links Navigation Aatif is a freelance journalist and copywriter based in the UK. He’s written about technology, sport and politics for a wide range of publications including TechRadar, What Hi-Fi?, The Independent, Trusted Reviews, and Newsweek. These days, he focuses mainly on streaming at Future, an arrangement that combines two of his greatest passions: live TV and penny-pinching. When he's not attending a top-flight English soccer match, you can find him perfecting his table tennis skills. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. 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