USA Today Sports Russell Westbrook and James Harden celebrate the Houston Rockets' record-setting victory.
What was expected to be a meeting between two Western Conference contenders has turned into something entirely different as the surging Houston Rockets take on the bottom-dwelling Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.
The game is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. ET and will be televised on ABC. If you don’t have cable, you can watch the game live on your computer, phone, Roku, Fire TV Stick, Xbox One, PS4 or other streaming device via one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
AT&T TV Now
AT&T TV Now (formerly DirecTV Now) offers six different channel bundles. They range from 45 to 125 live TV channels, and they all include ABC (live in select markets). The “Plus” and “Max” bundles include a free seven-day trial:
Start Your AT&T TV Now Free Trial
Once signed up for AT&T TV Now, you can watch a live stream of the Rockets vs Warriors on your computer via the AT&T TV Now website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, or other compatible streaming device via the AT&T TV app. You can also watch the game on the ESPN app if you sign in using your AT&T TV Now credentials.
If you can’t watch live, AT&T TV Now — no matter what channel package you choose — comes with included cloud DVR.
Hulu With Live TV
ABC (live in select markets) is one of 60-plus live TV channels included with Hulu With Live TV, which also comes with Hulu’s extensive on-demand library of TV shows and movies.
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch a live stream of the Rockets vs Warriors on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Echo Show, or other streaming device via the Hulu app. You can also watch the game on the ESPN app if you sign in using your Hulu credentials.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu With Live TV comes with 50 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as the option to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of space and the ability to fast-forward through commercials.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV comes with 70-plus live TV channels, including ABC (live in select markets).
Once signed up, you can then watch the Rockets vs Warriors live on your computer via the YouTube website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or other compatible streaming device via the YouTube app. You can also watch the game on the ESPN app if you sign in with your YouTube TV credentials.
If you can’t watch live, YouTube TV comes with included DVR.
ESPN Digital Platforms
The game is also on ESPN3, which you can watch on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone, tablet, or streaming device via the ESPN app.
You won’t need to log-in to a cable provider to watch this way as long as you are signed in to a participating Internet Service Provider (ISP). However, if you don’t have one of those, you can also sign up for one of the above options and then use your AT&T TV Now, Hulu or YouTube TV credentials to sign in and watch the game on the ESPN digital platforms.
Rockets vs Warriors Preview
The Golden State Warriors have been a fixture on Christmas Day since their dynastic title run. But the team that will suit up on Wednesday will be lacking some of the big names fans have grown used to like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
The Warriors are young and just looking to tread water until their stars return. Currently, Golden State sits at the bottom of the standings with just seven wins.
“The whole point of this year is: Let’s get healthy and let’s really try to develop these young guys and see if we can fortify our roster, and develop some players who can be a big part of our future, then bring back the healthy guys and make another run at it,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said.
Kerr has grown familiar with playing on Christmas day during his coaching career with Golden State, routinely being featured as the showcase matchup.
“Christmas is always a special day to play on,” Kerr said. “You know that everybody is watching. It’s got a different vibe and a different feel, and our players are going to be really excited, and it will be good to go into that game with a little momentum.”
The young Warriors, they are just trying to keep things in perspective.
“For me, honestly? It’s just another game,” rookie forward Eric Paschall told The Associated Press. “It’s cool to play on Christmas, knowing you’re going to play on it and you’ve been watching it your whole life. But you’ve been playing your whole life, you take it as another game.”
The Warriors have beat the Pelicans and Timberwolves in their last two games, marking their first win streak of the season.
Meanwhile, the Rockets are in third place in the West, winning six of their last seven. They’ve also won six straight on the road. Their latest triumph was a 113-104 win over the Kings where James Harden and Russell Westbrook combined for 62 points.
Over their last eight, Harden is averaging nearly 39 points per game, while Westbrook near 30.
“I thought we did a good job defending at a high rate, staying true to ourselves and leaning on our defense, not our offense,” Westbrook said after the win. “We lean on our defense every night. We have obviously a great offense, a lethal offense, but we lean on our defense.”
The Rockets are a whopping 11-point road favorite for the game, which has a total of 226.5.