October 2026

By the PickMyStream Editorial Desk. Prices and availability as of October 2026.

How to watch the 2026-27 NBA season without cable

Still from Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty — Pictured: Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. Image via TMDB.

The NBA's 81st regular season opens Tuesday, October 20, 2026 and runs through Sunday, April 11, 2027, according to the NBA's schedule announcement of August 13, 2026. The headline that matters for anyone watching without a traditional TV box is this: the national package is split across three partners this season, and every national game is available on a streaming service.

That split is the whole story. ESPN and ABC carry one slice, NBC and Peacock carry another, and Prime Video carries a third. The NBA says the ESPN App has all ABC and ESPN games, Peacock has all NBCUniversal games, and Prime Video has all Amazon games. Knowing which night belongs to which service is most of the battle.

Below is where the national games live, what each route costs where the publisher states a price, how the week is laid out, and the honest answer on NBA League Pass, which fills a specific gap rather than carrying everything.

Opening night and the first week

Opening night, October 20, is an NBC and Peacock tripleheader: Celtics at Pistons at 3 p.m. ET, 76ers at the defending champion Knicks at 7 p.m. ET, and Thunder at Spurs at 9:30 p.m. ET. If you want the NBA opening night 2026 slate, that is the night, and Peacock carries all of it.

ESPN opens the next evening. On Wednesday, October 21, it has Timberwolves at Heat at 7:30 p.m. ET and Warriors at Lakers at 10 p.m. ET, followed Thursday, October 22, by Cavaliers vs. 76ers at 7 p.m. ET and Nuggets vs. Thunder at 9:30 p.m. ET. ESPN says all of its NBA programming is on the ESPN App.

Prime Video joins Friday, October 23, with Knicks at Celtics at 7 p.m. ET and Rockets at Spurs at 9:30 p.m. ET. Prime Video also carries the NBA Cup group play doubleheaders, which start October 30 and run five consecutive Fridays, with the NBA Cup championship game on December 11.

How the week is laid out

Once the season settles in, the schedule follows a weekly rhythm. Peacock streams games on Monday nights all season, with Peacock NBA Monday beginning October 26 on Warriors at Nuggets at 10 p.m. ET. NBC and Peacock's Coast 2 Coast Tuesday carries two games every Tuesday.

Midweek belongs to ESPN, which runs a Wednesday night doubleheader all season and adds a Thanksgiving Eve tripleheader on Wednesday, November 25. Fridays belong to Prime Video, which has Friday night games all season and doubleheaders most Fridays. ESPN adds its own Friday night doubleheaders from January through March.

Weekends fill in over the season. NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC begins December 12, and NBA Sunday Showcase on ABC begins February 28. NBC's own page says Sunday Night Basketball on NBC returns after football season. Every Peacock-exclusive game is also on NBCSN, which is worth remembering if you have that channel.

What each national route carries, and what it costs

The NBA's own counts for the regular season tell you how the pie is cut: ABC and ESPN have 80 games including all five Christmas Day games, NBC and Peacock have 100 games, and Prime Video has 66 games. Amazon's own page counts 67 on Prime Video when the NBA Cup games are included. All five Christmas Day games on Friday, December 25, 2026 air on both ESPN and ABC.

For the ESPN and ABC games, ESPN Unlimited is ESPN's direct plan. It includes the ESPN networks, among them ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN on ABC, and lists the NBA among its sports. It is $31.99 monthly or $319.99 a year as of October 1, 2026, per ESPN's plans and prices support page. ESPN's caveat: if Unlimited is activated through a TV provider, content that provider does not carry may be missing.

Prime Video is included with a Prime membership, which Amazon's own page prices at $14.99 monthly or $139 a year as of October 1, 2026. For the NBC and Peacock games, the NBA says Peacock carries all NBCUniversal games and that Peacock-exclusive games are also on NBCSN. Confirm on Peacock's own site which plan carries live sports before you sign up.

If you would rather keep a single live TV lineup, YouTube TV's Base Plan is $82.99 monthly as of October 1, 2026, per YouTube TV's plan page, which shows ABC, ESPN, NBC, NBCSN, NBA TV and TNT in its lineup and lists 100+ channels. Its new-user offer of $59.99 monthly for the first 2 months ends November 16, 2026. Lineups vary by ZIP code, so check yours on YouTube TV's own site before you pay.

A bundled route worth comparing

If you want several of these apps gathered in one bill rather than separate logins, price a TV package that includes them against buying each on its own. Our Switch Score calculator compares the total you actually pay, your TV plan plus whatever you would still buy on the side.

Spectrum Stream TV Signature is $100/mo for 1 year; standard rates apply after. Spectrum Internet is required and sold separately; Internet 100 is $20/mo for 2 years with a Spectrum TV plan. Signature includes ESPN Unlimited and Peacock Premium with Ads as included apps, alongside 150+ live channels.

This guide names only the apps that come included with the plan. It does not list Spectrum's channel lineup, so check the lineup for your address before counting on any one network.

Where NBA League Pass fits

NBA League Pass is not the all-in-one answer many assume it is. As NBA.com describes it, it carries the games that are not on a national platform and are not in your local market. It is sold through the NBA App and NBA.com, through TV providers, and through Amazon as its primary third-party digital distributor.

The important limit: League Pass does not carry your local team's locally televised games. Those depend on the team's local broadcaster, which varies by market and which this guide does not list. So League Pass pairs with a national route rather than replacing it.

Put plainly, no single service shows every NBA game. The national package splits across ESPN and ABC, NBC and Peacock, and Prime Video, and League Pass fills in out-of-market games while leaving your home team's local telecasts to that team's broadcaster.

How to watch the 2027 playoffs

The postseason follows its own split, per the NBA. Prime Video has all six games of the 2027 Play-In Tournament, select first and second round games, and the Eastern Conference Finals. NBC and Peacock have playoff coverage and All-Star Weekend.

ABC and ESPN carry the NBA Finals and the Western Conference Finals. So a fan who wants the full playoff run end to end would need access to all three national homes, the same structure as the regular season.

The practical part

Chasing the NBA across ESPN, Peacock and Prime Video can mean juggling three separate logins and bills. A TV plan that gathers some of those apps into one place is worth pricing against buying each on its own, which is exactly what our Switch Score calculator is built to do: compare the real total you pay, not the sticker on any single app.

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Common questions

Is the NBA included with Amazon Prime?

Prime Video carries all Amazon NBA games, and Prime Video is included with a Prime membership. Amazon's own page prices Prime at $14.99 monthly or $139 a year as of October 1, 2026. Prime Video has 66 regular-season games by the NBA's count, or 67 on Amazon's own page when the NBA Cup games are included. The ESPN and ABC games and the NBC and Peacock games sit on their own services, per the NBA's split.

Who broadcasts the NBA in 2026-27?

The national package is split three ways. ESPN and ABC have 80 games, with the ESPN App carrying all ABC and ESPN games. NBC and Peacock have 100 games, and Peacock carries all NBCUniversal games, with Peacock-exclusive games also on NBCSN. Prime Video has 66 games (67 on Amazon's page with NBA Cup games). All five Christmas Day games air on both ESPN and ABC.

Is there one service with every NBA game?

No single service carries every game. The national slate is divided among ESPN and ABC, NBC and Peacock, and Prime Video, so following the full national schedule means access to all three. NBA League Pass covers out-of-market games that are not on a national platform, but as NBA.com explains, it does not carry your local team's locally televised games, which depend on that team's local broadcaster.

How can I watch the NBA playoffs in 2027?

The 2027 postseason splits across the same national homes. Prime Video has all six Play-In Tournament games, select first and second round games, and the Eastern Conference Finals. NBC and Peacock have playoff coverage and All-Star Weekend. ABC and ESPN have the Western Conference Finals and the NBA Finals.

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