The Golden State Warriors are on to the Finals after finishing off the Dallas Mavericks Thursday night, and who they will play will be decided tonight. After a 47-point performance by Jimmy Butler on Friday, the Miami Heat have forced a Game 7 with the Boston Celtics. Tonight’s decisive Game 7 is set for 8:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. PT) on ESPN. The winner takes on the Warriors in the NBA Finals, the loser heads home.
While today’s game is on ESPN, the NBA Finals finals will be broadcast on ABC starting on June 2. With live TV streaming services, cord-cutters can watch, no cable subscription required. Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch or stream the 2022 NBA playoffs.
Read more: NHL Playoffs 2022: How to Watch, Livestream the Race to the Stanley Cup
Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics take on the Miami Heat in Game 7 on Sunday night.
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images
NBA Playoffs FAQ
What is the 2022 NBA playoffs conference finals schedule?
Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat, Game 7, 8:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. PT) on ESPN (Series tied 3-3)
Thursday, June 2
Heat/Celtics winner vs. Warriors, Game 1, 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT) on ABC
What does the full bracket look like?
What channels will broadcast playoff games?
The NBA playoffs are airing on a collection of networks, including ABC, ESPN and TNT. The Eastern Conference finals will air on ABC/ESPN and the Western Conference finals will air on TNT.
The NBA Finals will begin on June 2 and air on ABC.
How can I stream the games on my phone?
If you have a live TV streaming service (like Sling TV, YouTube TV or one of the ones below), you can use its app. If you have cable or satellite, you can use your provider’s app or one of the following, after logging in with your cable provider’s credentials:
For ESPN and ABC games, use the ESPN app. Click the gear icon in the upper right and then select Manage TV provider.
In all cases, you will need to have a TV package that includes ABC and ESPN to be able to watch NBA playoff games using these apps.
How to watch, livestream the 2022 NBA playoffs
As these games all air nationally, the best way to catch all the basketball action live, without cable, is with a live TV streaming service.
YouTube TV costs $65 a month and offers all the channels you’ll need for basketball.
Sling TV’s Orange plan includes ESPN. While Sling lacks access to ABC, you can watch those games using the simulcast stream available on ESPN3.
DirecTV Stream’s cheapest, $70-a-month Plus package includes ESPN and ABC.
Hulu Plus Live TV costs $70 a month and carries ESPN and ABC.
FuboTV costs $70 per month and also includes ABC and ESPN.
Most live TV streaming services offer a free trial or discounts during the first month and allow you to cancel anytime. All require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide.
BOSTON — Playing the second half without star Jimmy Butler, the Miami Heat extracted an important road win, beating the Boston Celtics 109-103 on Saturday in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Building a 25-point second-quarter lead and nearly squandering it in the second half, the short-handed Heat held off Boston’s rally to take a 2-1 series lead.
Bam Adebayo led the Heat with 31 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and P.J. Tucker had 17 points, including four key free throws late in the fourth quarter, and seven rebounds.
After Boston’s Jaylen Brown hit a 3-pointer to cut Miami’s lead to 93-92, the Heat scored the next seven points for a 100-92 lead with 1:07 left in the game.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said a MRI is not necessary for Butler (right knee inflammation), and a person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports that Butler was not expected to miss any time. The person requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about Butler’s status.
Game 4 is Monday (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
Here are the key takeaways from Miami’s win:
Adebayo aggressive from the start
Adebayo had a quiet Game 2 in the Celtics’ blowout victory. At Saturday’s morning shootaround, Spoelstra said, “We want him more involved, and I have to do a better job of that, of making sure that he’s involved, engaged, getting us to our triggers. … He’s a very important part of our offense and how we function.”
The Heat made a conscious effort to get him involved early. Adebayo responded with 12 of his 16 first-half points in the opening quarter. Those 16 points equaled his total from the first two games of the series.
It was a necessary effort from Adebayo.
“He’s a winning player,” Spoelstra said. “And you know, he really is the heart and soul of our group. You can count on him all the time. He doesn’t get caught up in all the noise and everything. He’s just out there competing. Playing winning basketball. Doing it on both ends and doing what is necessary. Tonight we needed the scoring and we needed kind of that offensive punch early on.”
Injuries shaping series
Boston’s Robert Williams (knee soreness) missed Game 3. Butler didn’t return for the second half with right knee inflammation, and Boston’s Marcus Smart, the Defensive Player of the Year, went to the locker room with an apparent foot issue at 10:57 of the third quarter. He returned limping with 6:52 remaining in the third and promptly hit a 3-pointer, cutting Miami’s lead to 72-62.
Boston star Jayson Tatum went to the locker room with 5:18 left in the fourth quarter with an apparent shoulder/arm injury. He also returned to the game.
Miami’s Tyler Herro also has an undisclosed injury.
Smart (sprained right foot) and Al Horford (COVID-19 protocols) missed Game 1, a Celtics loss, and Heat point guard Kyle Lowry (strained left hamstring) missed the first two games of the series.
Tatum struggles to score
Tatum didn’t score his first point until 8:49 of the second quarter and was just 3-for-12 shooting, including 1-for-6 on 3-pointers, with nine points through three quarters.
He finished with just 10 points on 3-for-14 shooting, including 1-for-7 on 3s. He had just two points and no make baskets in the second half.
“Six turnovers and no field goals in the second half, that’s unacceptable,” Tatum said. “I need to play better.”
Brown (game-high 40 points, nine rebounds) and Horford (20 points, 14 rebounds) carried the Celtics offensively. Smart added 16 points.
Lowry returns for Heat
Lowry, playing for the first time in the series, made an immediate impact. He dictated pace, found open shooters, controlled the offense with his calm, made an early 3-pointer and had a steal.
Lowry finished with 11 points, six assists and four steals.
“Felt good to be back,” he said. “Honestly, I’ve only played four games, before tonight, in the playoffs. It’s tough trying to find a rhythm. But just having an opportunity to be out there with my guys is always fun.”
Turnovers painful for Celtics
Boston committed 24 turnovers, leading to 33 Heat points. The Heat had just nine turnovers for nine Celtics points.
Brown had seven turnovers, Tatum had six, Smart four and Horford three. The Celtics were also sloppy with the basketball in the third quarter of Miami’s Game 1 victory.
The Celtics had a late turnover on an in-bounds pass after Miami’s Victor Oladipo made a free throw, leading to a Max Strus layup and 103-94 Heat lead.
“When you turn the ball over 24 times and gift them 33 points out of that, you dig yourself a hole,” Udoka said. “Credit, we fought back and got it to a one-point game and made some mistakes and more turnovers. But you dig yourself in that big of a hole due to playing in a crowd, we understand how they’re going to guard us. They’re doing it all series. Load up and penetrate and over-penetrate and get yourself in tough situations instead of relying on your teammates. That’s the result sometimes.”
Mini-meltdown for Celtics late
After cutting Miami’s lead to 103-97, Smart fouled out and received a technical foul, turning his sixth foul into a 3-point play, and Grant Williams was assessed a flagrant foul 1 with 24.7 seconds left and the Celtics trailing 106-100. Oladipo made one of two free throws and the Heat retained possession.
Oladipo’s huge effort
Heat reserve Victor Oladipo didn’t play in the first half. But he started the second half in place of Butler, and while he had just five points, he also had four steals.
“To not play at all and then step in and do what he did in the second half, that level of professionalism is few and far between,” Tucker said.
Quote of the night, Part I
“They beat us like we stole something in Game 2. So that woke a fire up in all of us.” — Adebayo
Quote of the night, Part II
“Let me get back to our cave and assess. I really haven’t even had a chance to talk to our trainers, and then I’m getting cursed out if I talk to our trainers in front of our players. That’s why we love the guys in the locker room.” — Spoelstra on who might be available to play in Game 4.
MIAMI — Game 2 was over by halftime. Maybe even a little before.
Delivering an impressive beat-down and building a 29-point lead in the first half, the Boston Celtics sailed to a 127-102 victory against the Miami Heat on Thursday, tying the Eastern Conference finals at 1-1.
At first, it looked like the Heat might be the team headed for a blowout victory. Miami built an 18-8 lead, but the game shifted when Boston went small, subbing in Grant Williams for Robert Williams. Boston finished the quarter on a 20-5 run and continued to clobber the Heat with defense and hot shooting in the second quarter.
It was Miami’s first home loss of the postseason as the Celtics snatched home-court advantage.
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 27 points, and Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown each had 24 points for Boston. Miami’s Jimmy Butler had a game-high 29 points.
Game 3 is Saturday in Boston (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
Grant Williams effect
The Celtics trailed 18-13 when Grant Williams checked into the game. Williams stayed in for the remainder of the half, and by the time the Celtics took a 64-37 lead, they had outscored by the Heat by 32 points in Williams’ 14 minutes, 36 seconds on the court.
For the game, the Celtics were 37 points better than the Heat with Williams on the floor.
He had 19 points and four rebounds, but his impact was greater than his stat line. The Heat didn’t have many answers for a smaller lineup especially with Smart and Al Horford back on the court after missing Game 1.
Heat’s offensive problems
In a game like this, Miami’s offensive problems were not just one thing. Boston’s defense played much better and didn’t put Butler on the free-throw line as often as it did in Game 1. And Miami didn’t make shots, shooting 44.2{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} from the field and going 10-for-34 (29.4{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}) on 3-pointers.
Early in the third quarter, Butler was the only Heat player in double-figures in points, and while his 41-point effort in Game 1 did the job, the Heat need more from others.
Miami lacked scoring alongside Butler, and that will be a key aspect of the series to follow. Tyler Herro, the Sixth Man of the Year, had 11 points but just seven in the first three quarters and was the only Heat reserve to score through three.
Max Strus and Bam Adebayo each had six points, and P.J. Tucker had five points. Gabe Vincent contributed 14 points as Miami’s starters were outscored 90-60. Twelve of Victor Oladipo’s 14 points came in a meaningless fourth quarter.
Who will bring more scoring for Miami in Game 3?
Horford, Smart back in the lineup
Horford cleared the NBA’s COVID health and safety protocols and Smart returned from a sprained right foot. Both players missed Game 1 and were in the starting lineup for Game 2.
Before the game, Celtics coach Ime Udoka said both players were “full go.”
“Obviously a benefit for us,” he said.
Smart was just 8-for-22 from the field but 5-for-12 on 3s. The Defensive Player of the Year also had 12 assists, nine rebounds and three steals. He had an impact on the game, playing on an injured foot that sidelined him just two days prior. It was a quiet night for Horford (10 points, three rebounds), but as Udoka said, the Celtics benefit with him on the court.
Celtics rediscover 3-point shot
Boston shot 9-for-11 on 3-pointers in the first quarter — reminiscent of its hot 3-point shooting in the final two games against Milwaukee in the conference semifinals. The Celtics struggled with the 3-ball in Game 1.
The Celtics finished 20-for-40 on 3s, and while it wasn’t the main factor in the outcome, they outscored the Heat by 30 points from long range.
Tatum, Williams, Smart, Horford, Brown, and Payton Pritchard (10 points) all made at least two 3s.
While Tatum and Brown are the main scorers, the Celtics have multiple scoring options, which might be the determining factor in this series.
Bounce-back Boston
The Celtics have lost four playoff games this postseason, and each time they responded with a victory. They did it again on Thursday.
That’s not an anomaly. From Jan. 1 through the end of the regular season on April 10, the Celtics lost consecutive games just three times.
“You’re not going to win every game you play,” Tatum said. “There are really good players and really talented teams in the NBA. But I think the sign of a good team is how you respond after losses, especially tough ones. It just kind of shows the character of the group. We’ve done a really good job most of the year responding after tough losses and situations.”
White misses Game 2
Celtics guard Derrick White, who started Game 1 in place of Smart, missed Game 2 so he could be present for the birth of his child with his wife, Hannah.
“(The baby) came sooner than expected,” Udoka said. “We support our guys always in that situation. He had to rush out today.”
Quote of the night
“You do got to move on. I don’t like to move on from this because it has to hurt. They tried to embarrass us. They did embarrass us.” — Jimmy Butler.
