Getty LeBron James and Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers.
LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers open up their title defense on Tuesday as they face off against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on the opening night of NBA action.
The game starts at 10 p.m. ET and will be nationally televised on TNT. But if you don’t have cable, here’s how you can watch a live stream of the Clippers vs Lakers online for free:
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Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of TNT and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which you can try out for free with a seven-day trial:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch the Clippers vs Lakers live on the Hulu app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website.
You can also watch the game live via TNTDrama.com or the TNT app. You’ll need to sign in to a TV provider to watch this way, but you can use your Hulu credentials to do that.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu with Live TV also 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
You can watch a live stream of TNT and 40-plus other TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Blue” or “Sling Orange” bundle. It comes with a free three-day trial, but if you bypass that, you can get $10 off your first month, and get Showtime, Starz, and Epix included for free:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch the Clippers vs Lakers live on the Sling TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, Android TV, airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Sling TV website.
You can also watch the game live via TNTDrama.com or the TNT app. You’ll need to sign in to a TV provider to watch this way, but you can use your Sling credentials to do that.
If you can’t watch live, Sling TV comes included with 10 hours of cloud DVR.
YouTube TV
You can watch TNT and 80-plus other TV channels via YouTube TV:
Once signed up for YouTube TV, you can watch the Clippers vs Lakers live on the YouTube app, which is available on your your Roku, Roku TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the YouTube website.
If you can’t watch live, YouTube TV comes with included DVR.
Clippers vs Lakers Preview
The Los Angeles Lakers will raise their championship banner and get their rings at Staples Center on Tuesday with one of their biggest threats at repeat standing on the other side of the court in the Kawhi Leonard-led Clippers.
The Staples Center co-inhabitants are the favorites to win the Western Conference and get a nice measuring stick matchup on the opening night of the NBA season.
The Lakers had probably the best offseason of any contending squad, upgrading the roster with names like Dennis Schroder, Marc Gasol, Wes Matthews and Montrezl Harrell — a former Clippers. The Lakers also locked up LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Kyle Kuzma with extensions.
“We don’t just look at this at all as a one- or two-year window,” said Lakers GM Rob Pelinka. “We want to stay competitive for the long term and make decisions that allow us to do just that and not just shoot all of our bullets to try and defend for one year. We want to be in a position of being a sustainable contender.”
James is entering his 18th season and will be turning 36 later this month. With a shortened offseason and a deep roster, James could choose to take more time off than normal for load management.
“Obviously, every game matters, but we’re competing for something that’s high,” James said. “We don’t ever want to shortchange our stuff. For me personally, that’s a fine line with me, but understanding that it’s a shortened season. I think it’s 71 days that the offseason is going to be, the shortest season for any professional sport ever. We’re very conscientious about what we’re going to do going forward as far as me personally.”
The Clippers saw some changes come in the offseason, with long-time head coach Doc Rivers stepping down and his former assistant Ty Lue taking the reins. Lue, who previously coach James in Cleveland, gets a big test for his first game as the Clipper skipper.
The Clippers are trying to erase the taste of an unceremonious exit from last year’s playoffs, blowing a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Semifinals.
“I’m definitely motivated. Physically, I feel good. I want to get back out there,” Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard said. ”The road going to a championship is hard. I love the process.”
The Lakers are a 3-point favorite for the matchup, with the total set at 221 points.