Getty Blake Griffin and the Detroit Pistons will take on the Chicago Bulls.
Blake Griffin kicked off his first full Detroit Pistons season off with a victory, and he’ll look to relay that success into a winning streak against Zach LaVine and the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night.
The game is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on NBC Sports Chicago (in Bulls markets) and Fox Sports Detroit (in Pistons markets). If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can still watch a live stream of the game (or DVR it) on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
How to Watch Pistons vs Bulls Online if You’re in Market
NBC Sports Chicago (local markets) and Fox Sports Detroit (local markets) are included in the main Fubo bundle, which has 85 total channels and is tailored towards sports. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of Cloud DVR (with the ability to upgrade to 500 hours), as well as a “72-Hour Lookback” feature, which allows you to watch games up to three days after they air even if you forgot to record them.
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 50-plus live TV channels, including NBC Sports Chicago (local markets) and Fox Sports Detroit (local markets). You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, “Hulu with Live TV” 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).
NBC Sports Chicago (local markets) and Fox Sports Detroit (local markets) are included in the “Sling Blue” channel package. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial right here, and you can then watch the game live on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, you can get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage as an additional add-on.
How to Watch Pistons vs Bulls Online if You’re Out of Market
If you live outside of the Pistons or Bulls area, all out-of-market, non-nationally televised games can be watched through NBA League Pass. You can sign up and watch through a number of different platforms:
You can sign up for either NBA League Pass, which lets you watch all out-of-market games, or NBA Team Pass, which lets you watch all of one team’s games if they’re out of market. Once signed up, you’ll be able to watch games on your computer via the NBA.com website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the NBA app.
If you have FuboTV or sign up for a new subscription, you can add NBA League Pass to your channel bundle. After signing up, you’ll be able to watch games on your computer via the Fubo website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Fubo app.
If you have Sling TV or sign up for a new subsription, you can add NBA League Pass or NBA Team Pass to your channel bundle. Once signed up, you’ll be able to watch games on your computer via the Sling website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling app.
Preview
The Bulls opened their season as one might expect from a team in full rebuild mode, getting demolished 127-108 by NBA Finals hopefuls the Philadelphia 76ers. Despite the devastating defeat, Bulls fans found excitement in the form of an efficient 30-point performance from Zach LaVine, one of the central returns in last year’s Jimmy Butler trade.
“I expect that out of myself,” LaVine said after the defeat, according to the Chicago Tribune.
But Embiid had 30 too, plus 12 boards. Simmons collected a triple-double.
“They got those two dudes,” LaVine said. “Joel is like the second-biggest dude in the NBA and he can shoot and move his feet and block shots and get to the rim. And Ben Simmons is a 6-10 point guard who throws backward passes to people. It’s tough.”
This offseason, the former Minnesota Timberwolves guard and two-time dunk contest champion signed a $78 million extension to remain in Chicago, not far removed from an ACL tear and subsequent surgery in February 2017.
“I don’t have to validate anything,” the guard told the Tribune in September. “I feel I’ve earned everything I’ve gotten. … Added pressure? Man, I’m the hardest critic out of everybody on my own side. I’m just excited because I know I’ve had a really good summer. I know how good we can be.”
Scoring big man Lauri Markkanen and defensive-minded point guard Kris Dunn couldn’t play in Chicago’s season opener; the former is dealing with an elbow injury and the latter was excused due to a personal matter.
Markkanen, the seventh overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft, averaged 15.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in his first season, earning All-Rookie first team honors.
In their season opener, the Pistons eked out a 103-100 win over the Brooklyn Nets, but the victory was hardly impressive — the Nets’ top three scorers among those who played at least 50 games a season ago were all out with injuries.
“We’ll take it,” said head coach Dwane Casey, in his first season with the Pistons. “In this league, you’ve got to celebrate the wins. I’ve said it all along. We’ve got to have fun. We can’t have the gloom-and-doom situations. There’s going to be adversity in the NBA.”
Griffin’s 26 points and six assists led Detroit, and he pitched in eight rebounds. All-Star center Andre Drummond scored 24 points and secured a game-high 20 rebounds.