Getty AJ Griffin #14 of the Atlanta Hawks grabs a rebound against Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat.
The Miami Heat and the Atlanta Hawks will clash on Tuesday, April 11 in one of two Eastern Conference play-in games.
The game (7:30 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 Hawks 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 Hawks 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 Hawks 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 Hawks 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.
Hawks vs Heat Preview
The winner of this game will take the No. 7 playoff seed in the East and will move on to face the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics. The loser of this game will face the winner of the No. 9 seed Toronto Raptors vs. No. 10 seed Chicago Bulls matchup with the hopes of nabbing the eighth and final seed in the East.
Atlanta finished the regular season with a 41-41 record. Led by 24-year-point guard Trae Young, who averaged a double-double this season (26.2 points, 10.2 assists), the Hawks averaged 118.5 points a game while shooting 48.3% from the floor and 35.3% from downtown.
The Heat finished as the No. 7 seed in the East with a 43-38 mark. Forward Jimmy Butler led Miami in scoring with 22.9 points a game, and Butler also led the team in assist, dishing out 5.3 per contest. Miami was an NBA-best 33-22 in clutch games this year, and after going to the conference finals last year, their up and down campaign has been a bit of a disappointment. Still, the Heat are never a team to overlook.
“Maybe this is the path for this group,” Heat head coach Eric Spoelstra said about competing in the play-in. “That’s the way I look at it. We’re a dangerous team. We’re finding our health, we’re getting a confidence about how we’re playing. So when you say you want to embrace this type of competition and this opportunity, that’s what it means. It’s competition at it’s highest form and it’s a new experience. That’s the way I’m looking at it.”
The Hawks closed out their regular season by resting all five of their starters and losing in overtime to the Philadelphia 76ers, 136-131. Atlanta committed 20 turnovers and shot just over 30% from downtown in the loss, which head coach Quin Snyder says didn’t accurately represent who his team is on the court.
“Obviously, the postseason is where your focus is,” Snyder said, per ESPN. “We need to make sure we do what we need to do as far as our guys being rested. At the same time, we shouldn’t let tonight’s game be some dramatic statement about where we are.”
The Hawks and the Heat met in the first round of the playoffs last year, with Miami winning the series, 4-1. Atlanta won the season series this year, though, beating Miami three out of four times.