The No. 4 seed New York Knicks and the No. 5 seed Atlanta Hawks will meet in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs Sunday.
Game 1 (7 p.m. ET start time) will be televised nationally on TNT, while the rest of the games in the series will be on either ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, TNT or NBA TV. But if you don’t have cable, here are some different ways you can watch a live stream of the entire Knicks vs Hawks series online:
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AT&T TV
Note: You can watch a live stream of every NBA playoff game with AT&T TV
AT&T TV has four different channel packages: “Entertainment”, “Choice”, “Ultimate” and “Premier.” ESPN, ESPN2, TNT and ABC are included in every one, while NBA TV is included in the “Choice” and above bundles, but you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free 14-day trial.
Note that the free trial isn’t advertised as such, but your “due today” amount will be $0 when signing up. If you watch on your computer, phone or tablet, you won’t be charged for 14 days. If you watch on a streaming device on your TV (Roku, Fire Stick, Apple TV, etc.), you will be charged for the first month, but you can get still get a full refund if you cancel before 14 days:
Once signed up for AT&T TV, you can watch the Knicks vs Hawks live on the AT&T TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung Smart TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the AT&T TV website.
You can also watch the ABC and ESPN games live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a TV provider to watch this way, but you can use your AT&T TV credentials to do that.
If you can’t watch live, AT&T TV also comes with 20 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to unlimited hours).
Sling TV
Note: You can watch a live stream of every NBA playoff game with Sling TV
ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3 (which will simulcast ABC games) and TNT are included in Sling TV’s “Sling Orange” bundle, while NBA TV is in the “Sports Extra” add-on. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest long-term streaming service with all the channels for the NBA playoffs, and you can get $25 off your first month:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch the Knicks vs Hawks 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, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, Android TV, 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 the ABC and ESPN games live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a TV provider to watch this way, but you can use your Sling TV credentials to do that.
If you can’t watch live, Sling TV comes included with 50 hours of cloud DVR.
Hulu With Live TV
Note: NBA TV isn’t included with Hulu, so you’ll need another option for those games
You can watch a live stream of ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, ABC and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch the Knicks vs Hawks live on the Hulu app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website.
You can also watch the ABC and ESPN games live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a TV provider to watch this way, but you can use your Hulu credentials to do that.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu with Live TV also comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
Knicks vs Hawks Preview
The Knicks were 3-0 against the Hawks during the regular season, including two games in New York, one of which went to overtime. This will be the first postseason appearance for New York since 2013 and the first appearance for Atlanta since 2016, so both teams have fervent fan bases ready for a contender heading into this one.
“Basically, I’ve gone as far as saying the league wants this. They need this, New York, this is a big market for the league, and New York has been out of the playoffs for a number of years. And this is a team that our league, they want to see—there’s a huge fanbase—and they want to see New York in the playoffs,” Hawks head coach Nate McMillan said about the Knicks.
McMillan was fined by the league for the wording of this statement, as he suggested a bias from the league, and he has since said his comments were taken out of context. “We are excited about playoff basketball,” McMillan said, via Yahoo Sports. “It’s an exciting time for the NBA. But unfortunately my comments were taken out of context. My intentions were never to suggest any type of bias as it relates to the league and our upcoming playoff series.”
The Hawks have gone 27-11 since interim coach McMillan took over. Led by Trae Young, who averaged 25.3 points, 9.4 assists and 3.9 rebounds a game, Atlanta averaged 113.7 points per contest while allowing 111.4 points to opposing teams.
On the other side, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau has silently created one of the best defensive teams in the NBA. New York’s 104.7 points a game is tops in the league, but it’s 107.0 points per contest is 26th out of 30 teams, so there will be room for Atlanta to exploit the Knicks on offense.
Lackluster offense aside, the Knicks have been entertaining to watch this year, and with the team’s first postseason appearance in eight years, the excitement surrounding the squad is palpable. “We know what basketball means to the city and so hopefully we can give them something to be proud of,” Thibodeau said. “We’ve got a special group of guys that have worked extremely hard all year long to put us in this position and now the challenge starts all over again.”
Julius Randle has led the way for the Knicks all season, averaging 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. “I’ve just got to be prepared for whatever comes at me,” Randle said. “Whatever they throw my way, I’ll be prepared for it and it’s really not about what’s happened in the past. Whatever happens in the game, throughout the game, I’ve got to make the right plays, be aggressive and still make the right plays.”