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Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat will head to Ball Arena to take on Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, June 1.
The game (8:30 p.m. ET) will be televised on ABC, but if you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream on FuboTV or DirecTV Stream, which both come with a free trial.
Those are the two best live stream options if you’re cutting cable, but there are also some other alternatives, so here’s a full guide on the different ways you can watch a live stream of the Heat vs Nuggets online:
Note: Heavy may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up via a link on this page
FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of ABC and 100-plus other live TV channels on FuboTV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch the Heat vs Nuggets live on the FuboTV app or FuboTV website.
Compatible devices for the FuboTV app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Fubo credentials to do that.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” ABC is included in every one, and you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free five-day trial:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch the Heat vs Nuggets live on the DirecTV Stream app or DirecTV Stream website.
Compatible devices for the DirecTV Stream app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your DirecTV Stream credentials to do that.
Sling TV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN3 (which simulcasts ABC games) and 40-plus other live TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Orange” bundle. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest long-term streaming service with the ESPN channels, and you can your first month for half off:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch the Heat vs Nuggets live on the Sling TV app or Sling TV website.
Compatible devices for the Sling TV app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Sling credentials to do that.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of ABC and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which now also includes access to both ESPN+ and Disney+ at no added cost:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch the Heat vs Nuggets live on the Hulu app or Hulu website.
Compatible devices for the Hulu app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, Nintendo Switch, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Hulu credentials to do that.
Heat vs Nuggets Game 1 Preview
Denver beat Miami in each of the two games these two teams played against each other this season. The Nuggets won on the road, 112-108, on February 13. Jokic had a game-high 27 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, while Jimmy Butler had 24 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in the loss.
The Nuggets also won at home on December 30, 124-119. Heat forward Tyler Herro led Miami in scoring in that loss with 26 points. Herro, who broke his hand in the first game of the playoffs, is expected to return around Game 3, but he likely won’t be ready before that.
Miami has been doing just fine without Herro, though, relying heavily on Butler, who has averaged 28.5 points a game throughout the playoffs. Butler is one of seven Heat players scoring in double figures this postseason, which has been a huge reason the team has made it this far. The No. 8 seed in the East, the Heat sent the 58-win Milwaukee Bucks and the 57-win Boston Celtics home, also beating the New York Knicks in the playoffs so far.
Now, Miami heads to Denver to face the top seed in the West.
“You get to the NBA Finals, it’s not about seeding anymore,” Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said heading into Game 1. “And for those who are thinking that this is going to be an easy series, I don’t even know what to say to you people. This is going to be the biggest challenge of our lives. This is the NBA Finals. You’re trying to win the first NBA championship in franchise history, and it’s going to be the hardest thing that we’ve ever done — which is the way it should be.”
The Heat are the underdogs again this series, but that may only serve as motivation for Butler and company.
“Everybody’s confidence is so high,” Butler said. “We got belief that we can do something incredibly special. So we’re gonna hit the ground running when we get to Denver, and I like our chances.”
“We have a bunch of guys that just love competition. Just drop us off anywhere and compete for it,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Put ourselves out there, open to all the criticism and everything… We don’t care what the rest of the world is saying. We don’t care who is criticizing who. You’ve got to line up between these four lines and let’s figure this out.”
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Heat vs Nuggets Game 1 Live Stream: How to Watch for Free