Getty Frank Vogel and the Los Angeles Lakers will face Steve Nash and the Brooklyn Nets in the first preseason game this year.
The Los Angeles Lakers host the Brooklyn Nets at Staples Center in preseason action on Sunday, October 3.
The game (3:30 p.m. ET start time) will be televised on Spectrum SportsNet (in local markets; Lakers broadcast) and will stream live on the YES Network app (in local markets; Nets broadcast). It will also be available on NBA League Pass for all out-of-market viewers.
Here’s a full rundown of how to watch a live stream of the Nets vs Lakers online:
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If You’re in the Lakers Market
DirecTV Stream
Note: This is currently the only streaming service with Spectrum SportsNet
DirecTV Stream (formerly AT&T TV) has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” Spectrum SportsNet (live in local markets) is included in “Choice” and up, 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 DirecTV Stream, you can watch the Nets vs Lakers 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.
If you can’t watch live, DirecTV Stream also comes with 20 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to 500 hours).
If You’re in the Nets Market
DirecTV Stream
Note: This is currently the only streaming service with YES Network
DirecTV Stream (formerly AT&T TV) has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” YES (live in local markets) is included in “Choice” and up, 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 DirecTV Stream, you can watch the Nets vs Lakers live on the YES app (not the DirecTV Stream app) or the YES website.
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.
If the Game is Out of Your Market
Amazon Prime’s NBA League Pass Channel
Note: This is ultimately the same as regular NBA League Pass (more info on that below), but with this option you’ll be able to watch games on Amazon’s app, which tends to be available on more devices than the NBA app
Amazon Prime subscribers (Prime comes with a 30-day free trial) can watch every out-of-market, non-nationally televised NBA preseason and regular season game via Prime Channels. You can try both Amazon Prime and the NBA League Pass channel at no cost with a free trial:
NBA League Pass on Amazon Prime
Once you’re signed up for the Prime NBA League Pass channel, out-of-market viewers can watch the Nets vs Lakers live or on-demand on the Amazon Video 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), Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, various smart TV’s, Xiaomi, Echo Show or Echo Spot, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch on your computer via the Amazon website.
NBA League Pass
Again, this is mostly the same as the Amazon Prime option above, with the big difference being you’ll watch on NBA’s platforms rather than Amazon’s:
Once signed up for NBA League Pass, out-of-market viewers can watch the Nets vs Lakers live or on-demand on the NBA app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 or 5, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, Android tablet or other compatible device.
You can also watch on your computer via the NBA website.
Nets vs Lakers Preview
The Lakers will be without LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony and Trevor Ariza in this one, while Anthony Davis will see limited minutes. Lakers head coach Frank Vogel noted heading into the preseason that he was going to use the six games leading up to the regular season to help him determine his lineup.
Thus, Kendrick Nunn, Austin Reaves, Talen Horton-Tucker and Malik Monk should see increased minutes in this one as a result.
“I would say we’re certainly not going to have any decisions made before the last two preseason games,” Vogel said about his team’s lineup. “Hopefully, we’ll have some direction at that point but we still could be looking at those last two games we’ll try one one way and the other the other way. The first four games we’ll probably have a lot of guys in and out of lineup We won’t be whole in those games. Hopefully we will be the last two. But like I said, I’m not putting a real timeline on it but hopefully we should have some direction by then.”
The Lakers finished 7th in the Western Conference last season with a 42-30 mark. They were ravaged by injuries the bulk of the season, and wound up exiting the playoffs in the first round, losing to the Phoenix Suns. They’re hoping the addition of Westbrook will give them that championship edge back.
On the other side, the Nets finished 2nd in the East last year with a 48-24 record. They fell in the conference semifinals to eventual the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks. The additions of James Harden and Blake Griffin last year gave the team an extra boost. New this year are James Johnson and Paul Millsap, and together with veterans Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, Nets coach Steve Nash is going to have one loaded lineup.
Considering the talent they have, expectations are high for a Nets team that finished 2nd in the NBA in scoring last year with 118.6 points per game.
“Outside pressure really doesn’t matter much,” Durant said, via USA TODAY. “We all internally put pressure on ourselves because we hold ourselves to a high standard. We want to play well every time we step out there. That’s who we are as competitors. But as far as outside noise? No disrespect to you guys or family and friends or even our fans expecting us to do so much and if we don’t live up to those. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter.”