Getty Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic and Washington Wizards' John Wall
The Miami Heat have already kicked off their season with a tough 104-101 loss to the Orlando Magic on the road. Now, they become the first NBA team on a back-to-back Thursday while traveling to take to the Washington Wizards.
The game is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on Fox Sports Sun (in Heat markets) and NBC Sports Washington (in Wizards 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 Heat vs Wizards Online if You’re in Market
Fox Sports Sun (local markets) and NBC Sports Washington (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 Fox Sports Sun (local markets) and NBC Sports Washington (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).
Fox Sports Sun (local markets) and NBC Sports Washington (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 Heat vs Wizards Online if You’re Out of Market
If you live outside of the Heat or Wizards 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
Going into Washington will be no easy task for the Heat, as the Wizards have built an impressive core entering the season. Tack on the fact that these two teams were separated by just one game last season, with Miami finishing 44-38 (No. 6 in the East) and the Wizards at 43-39 (No. 8).
Last season’s four games between these two resulted in an even split, with the two sides flipping back-and-forth between wins and losses. The Heat finished the series with an impressive 27 point win on March 10, though. This game would have been headlined by a matchup between two talented big men in Hassan Whiteside and Dwight Howard, but it seems the latter could be on a minutes limit. The Wizards added Howard this offseason to pair with their dynamic guard duo of John Wall and Bradley Beal.
Wall should be a name to watch this season, as he’s made five-straight NBA All-Star games and when healthy, is one of the most explosive players in the game. In 2016-17, the last time he played over half a season, the 28-year-old averaged 23.1 points, 10.7 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game.
On the Heat’s side, there’s no shortage of talent, but they may have a shortage of healthy bodies on Thursday. Dion Waiters and James Johnson have both been ruled out, while Justise Winslow is doubtful and Wayne Ellington is questionable. All four players missed the opener, which led to big minutes for a few other players.
Goran Dragic, Josh Richardson and the aforementioned Whiteside look primed to be the go-to options for the Heat this season. Dragic tallied 26 points with four assists and four rebounds, while Richardson scored 21 points with five rebounds and three assists. Whiteside was impressive while dominating on the boards and finishing with 12 points and 18 rebounds.
Early-season battles between teams looking to prove they’re among the elites in their conference are always fun, and that’s exactly what we have on tap for Thursday. The Heat vs. Wizards game could be one of the best of the night, which is surprising considering LeBron James will make his Los Angeles Lakers debut as well.