Getty James Harden, Rockets
A shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers squad will take on the Houston Rockets on Thursday inside the bubble in Orlando.
The game is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. ET and will be televised on TNT. But if you don’t have cable, here’s how to watch a live stream of the game online:
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Hulu With Live TV
TNT is included in Hulu With Live TV, which comes with 60-plus live TV channels and Hulu’s extensive on-demand library of TV shows and movies. You can watch immediately with a seven-day free trial:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch the Lakers vs Rockets live 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.
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).
Sling TV
Both of Sling TV’s “Sling Orange” (32 channels) and “Sling Blue” (47 channels) packages come with TNT. They both cost $20 for the first month ($30 per month after that), which makes Sling the cheapest streaming service with TNT if you plan on keeping it long term:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch the Lakers vs Rockets live on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, Sling TV comes included with 10 hours of cloud DVR.
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 TNT:
Once signed up for AT&T TV Now, you can watch the Lakers vs Rockets live 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.
If you can’t watch live, AT&T TV Now — no matter what channel package you choose — comes with included cloud DVR.
Lakers vs Rockets Preview
The Lakers have locked up the top seed in the Western Conference, but it hasn’t come without some concerns about their play from inside the bubble. The Lakers have been unable to find their stride offensively and are shooting a miserable percentage from beyond the arc. The Lakers shot a season-worse 5 for 37 on 3-pointers against the Thunder in a 105-86 loss on Wednesday.
“I think we had some great possessions,” Lakers star LeBron James said. “I think sometimes we have some bad shot selection throughout the course of these games, but I think we got some great looks. Our defense is pretty good. We only allowed the Thunder to shoot 43% from the field. We’ll get our rhythm and start making some.”
Sure the games don’t matter right now for the Lakers, but they don’t want to head into the postseason on a major lull.
“We’ve just got to continue to work for better shot quality,” head coach Frank Vogel said. “We’re continuing to miss open looks, which is leading to some frustration and a shorter fuse for the patience necessary to work for great shots. It’s just a matter of time before shots start going in.”
The Lakers won’t have their full arsenal available against the Rockets, with James sitting out with groin pain. Backup guard Alex Caruso also will sit. James hinted that the Lakers have problems that are off the floor.
“It’s just some things that you can’t control that’s here, that I really don’t want to talk about, that’s off the floor,” he said.
The Rockets are looking were 2-0 in the bubble before running into the buzzsaw Blazers on Tuesday. Every win is valuable for the Rockets, who are currently sixth in the logjam of the Western Conference. A win against the Lakers could propel them all the was to No. 4.
The Rockets will be without star guard Russell Westbrook, who has played well in the bubble so far along side James Harden. He has a bruised right quad.
“We just don’t want to risk anything so it’s better that he doesn’t play,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “I think he felt it a little bit. We wanted to make sure it didn’t get any worse. We’re not going to risk anything going down the stretch. We’re just trying to get everybody physically ready for the No. 1 goal and there’s no use in pushing something. I don’t think he’s in any difficulty. We just want to make sure he’s 100 percent.