Getty The Celtics and the Knicks will clash at MSG Wednesday.
The New York Knicks will host the Boston Celtics in an Eastern Conference showdown at Madison Square Garden on October 20 in what will be the season opener for both teams.
The game (7:30 p.m. ET start time) will be televised nationally on ESPN. But if you don’t have cable, here are some different ways you can watch a live stream of the Celtics vs Knicks online:
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FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN 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 Celtics vs Knicks live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your 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. Or you can watch on your computer via the FuboTV website.
You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your Fubo credentials to log in and watch.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” ESPN is included in every one, but 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 Celtics vs Knicks live on the DirecTV Stream app, which is available on your 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. Or you can watch on your computer via the DirecTV Stream website.
You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your DirecTV Stream credentials (may still be listed as AT&T on the list of cable providers) to log in and watch.
Sling TV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN and 30-plus other live TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Orange” package. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest long-term streaming service with ESPN, and you can get your first month for just $10:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch the Celtics vs Knicks live on the Sling TV app, which is available on your 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. Or you can watch on your computer via the Sling TV website.
You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your Sling credentials to log in and watch.
Vidgo
You can watch a live stream of ESPN and 90+ other TV channels on Vidgo. This option doesnt include a free trial:
Once signed up for Vidgo, you can watch the Celtics vs Knicks live on the Vidgo app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Vidgo website.
You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your Vidgo credentials to log in and watch.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which now also includes access to ESPN+ and Disney+:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch the Celtics vs Knicks live on the Hulu app, which is available on your 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. Or you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website.
You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your Hulu credentials to log in and watch.
Celtics vs Knicks Preview
Both teams kick their respective seasons off with injury concerns. Nerlens Noel will likely miss the game due to knee pain, as Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau confirmed this week. Thibodeau, the reigning Coach of the Year, says his unit is excited to build on a 2020-21 campaign that saw them go 41-31.
“I think getting established as a team last year, getting credibility by the degree of how hard, how smart and how together, it makes it appealing for other people to look at us,” Thibodeau told The News Observer. “And we have to win.”
“For me, for our team, it’s getting better every day; continuing to develop as individuals and as a team,” Knicks star Julius Randle said, via The Associated Press. “Last year … we did the right things every day. Because we created those good habits, (we) had a belief we could win every night, so it doesn’t change.”
The Knicks had the stingiest defense in the NBA last year, allowing just 104.7 points a game to opponents, and they’ll be going up against a Celtics squad that finished 7th in the East with a 36-36 mark.
Like New York, Boston will also be without a key contributor in Al Horford, who has been out.
“Al’s doing okay,” Celtics head coach Ime Udoka said, per Mass Live. “Obviously, nobody wants to be in this situation, so there’s no real positive about it. But health-wise overall, he’s doing okay.”
Jaylen Brown is also questionable against the Knicks, as he was placed in COVID-19 protocols this week.
The first-year Celtics coach also discussed a bit about his plans for the team over its first few games this season. “Just improvement with our young guys,” Udoka said. “This is going to be a different situation that they’re in, obviously, not playing with the starters. We were looking at the first two or so games balancing them playing with some of the starting guys in different rotations.”
Here’s a look at the predicted starting lineups for both teams heading into this matchup:
Knicks Projected Lineup: Kemba Walker (G), Evan Fournier (G), RJ Barrett (F), Julius Randle (F), Taj Gibson (C)
Celtics Projected Starting Lineup: Dennis Schroder (G), Marcus Smart (G), Jaylen Brown (F, questionable) Jayson Tatum (F) Robert Williams III (C)