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The No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks take on the No. 8 seed Miami Heat in Game 1 of their Best-of-7 series on Sunday.
The game (5:30 p.m. ET start time) will be televised on TNT, but if you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream on DirecTV Stream, which includes TNT and comes with a free trial.
That’s the best live stream option if you’re cutting cable, but there are also some other alternatives, so here’s a full guide on the different ways you can watch a live stream of the Bucks vs Heat online:
Note: Heavy may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up via a link on this page
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” TNT is included in every one, and you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free five-day trial:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch the Bucks vs Heat live on the DirecTV Stream app or DirecTV Stream website.
Compatible devices for the DirecTV Stream app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
Sling TV
You can watch a live stream of TNT and 40-plus other live TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Orange” or “Sling Blue” bundle. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest long-term streaming service with TNT, and you can get your first month for half off:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch the Bucks vs Heat live on the Sling TV app or Sling TV website.
Compatible devices for the Sling TV app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of TNT and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which now also includes access to both ESPN+ and Disney+ at no added cost:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch the Bucks vs Heat live on the Hulu app or Hulu website.
Compatible devices for the Hulu app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, Nintendo Switch, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
Bucks vs Heat Game 1 Preview
The Miami Heat came back in dramatic fashion on Friday, April 14 to top the Chicago Bulls in the final play-in game to secure the No. 8 seed in the 2023 NBA playoffs. They will now face off with the Milwaukee Bucks, who finished the regular season atop the Eastern Conference with a league-leading record of 58-24.
During the regular season, the Bucks and Heat played each other four times and they split, 2-2. The Heat won the first two games, 108 to 102 and 111 to 95, then the Bucks took the next two games, 123 to 115 and 128 to 99, so it seems like the series has the potential to go six or seven games deep.
The schedule the Bucks vs Heat series is as follows:
Game 1: Bucks vs. Heat on Sunday, April 16 at 5:30 p.m. Eastern on TNT
Game 2: Bucks vs. Heat on Wednesday, April 19 at 9 p.m. Eastern on NBA TV
Game 3: Heat vs. Bucks on Saturday, April 22 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern on ESPN
Game 4: Heat vs. Bucks on Monday, April 24, tip-off time and channel TBA
Game 5: Bucks vs. Heat, Wednesday, April 26, tip-off time and channel TBA if needed
Game 6: Heat vs. Bucks, Friday, April 28, tip-off time and channel TBA if needed
Game 7: Bucks vs. Heat, Sunday, April 30, tip-off time and channel TBA if needed
Following their win over the Chicago Bulls to advance to play the Bucks, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said in a press conference that his team wants this very badly.
“I’ll start by saying this — our team has obviously not been perfect this year. but I do know one thing about the men in that locker room the last 48 hours. I know how categorically, unequivocally, how badly and desperately our group wanted to get into this damn thing. To get into the playoffs, to have an opportunity to compete for a title and that’s the part that I love about this group, even when there are some frustrating times during the season, I know how badly these guys want to win and how much they put into it and it was just great to see that competitive spirit,” said Spoelstra.
He added, “It feels like we’re in round 2 already and we just earned the right now to start the playoffs, but damn, we’re grateful for that. We wanted to get in this damn thing and we’re looking forward to the next challenge.”
Game 1 between the Bucks and Heat tips off on Sunday, April 16 at 5:30 p.m. Eastern time on TNT.