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In the 2018-19 NBA regular season opener, the Boston Celtics will host the Philadelphia 76ers in a rematch of last year’s entertaining Eastern Conference semifinal.
The game is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET and will be broadcast nationally on TNT. If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can watch a live stream of the game (or DVR it) on your computer, phone or streaming device via one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
TNT is one of 85 channels included in the main Fubo bundle, which 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 TNT. 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).
TNT is included in both the “Sling Orange” and “Sling Blue” channel packages. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial of either, 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.
Preview
Heading into the season, Boston looks to have the edge on the 76ers, having pushed Philly out of contention in the playoffs last season. But the Sixers look like they’re out for blood– not just with the Celtics, but with everyone. When Ben Simmons was asked earlier in the week whether he viewed the Celtics to be a strong rival for the Sixers, he replied with classic nonchalance, “A rivalry for me is anybody that’s not a Sixer.”
Simmons’ teammate, Joel Embiid, did, however, seem to agree with the notion of a Sixers-Celtics rivalry, saying to press recently, “Last year, I thought we kind of made a mistake as far as playing against Boston. I wasn’t allowed to help off of (Aron) Baynes, especially when he was in the corner. We had a lot of times when Boston was driving to the paint and I wasn’t in there or I was stuck in the corner because I wasn’t allowed to help.”
As for Simmons’ backcourt mate, he’ll be joined by fellow No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz to start games, while veteran J.J. Redick is expected to start most second halves. If Fultz can get past last year’s rookie struggles and prove to be healthy, the Sixers’ already stacked young core gets even more enticing.
Coach Brett Brown recently said, “I think our future is amazing. I see a progressive growth. I think we’ve got a chance to be good for a decade, I think we have a chance to be good for a long time, and that’s what excites me the most.”
As for the Celtics, Kyrie Irving is back healthy and rad to go, as he’s set to start at point guard on Tuesday. Playing alongside him will be Jaylen Brown, with forwards Jayson Tatum and Gordon Hayward, and strongman Al Horford holding down the paint in center.
For now, the Celtics remain the strong favorite in the Eastern Conference, with NBC Sports predicting a Celtics-Warriors NBA finals where Boston eventually falls to the defending champion Golden State Warriors. But the Sixers are likely to be vastly improved from last season, with two All-Star level players in Simmons and Embiid, an excellent shooter in Redick, and a strong overall defense.
For Celtics coach Brad Stevens, the opening game will serve as a perfect reminder for something they’ve already been working on. He said to press, “We’ve used them, as examples quite a bit. The Brock Holt example last week of going for the cycle and getting a DNP the next day, is how you win, right? And being willing to take on those roles — both as the guy that did it and the guy that replaced him the next night in Kinsler — those things matter. They’ve set a great example for us as we move into a new year.”