Getty Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers will square off against the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the playoffs.
The Brooklyn Nets take on the Philadelphia 76ers in a Game 1 Eastern Conference showdown at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on April 15.
The game (1:10 p.m. ET start time) will be televised on ESPN, but if you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream on FuboTV or DirecTV Stream, which both come with a free trial.
Those are the two best live stream options if you’re cutting cable, but there are also some other alternatives, so here’s a full guide on the different ways to watch the Nets vs Sixers streaming live online:
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FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN and 100-plus other live TV channels on FuboTV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch the Nets vs Sixers live on the FuboTV app or FuboTV website.
Compatible devices for the FuboTV 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), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch the game live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Fubo credentials to do that.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” ESPN 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 Nets vs Sixers 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.
You can also watch the game live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your DirecTV Stream credentials to do that.
Sling TV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN and 40-plus other live TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Orange” bundle. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest long-term streaming service with the ESPN channels, and you can get your first month for half off:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch the Nets vs Sixers 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.
You can also watch the game live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Sling credentials to do that.
Nets vs Sixers Game 1 Preview
Philadelphia (54-28 record) secured the No. 3 seed in the East, and it has a ton of fire power, boasting the NBA’s best 3-point offense. Led by likely MVP Joel Embiid and assist leader James Harden, the 76ers scored an average of 115.2 points per game this season, which was ranked 14th in the league.
Embiid finished this season netting 33.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, also dishing out 4.2 assists. Harden averaged 21 points, 6.1 rebounds and an NBA-best 10.7 assists per game. The Nets enter this matchup as the No. 6 seed in the East. Brooklyn averaged 113.4 points per game this season (19th in the NBA)
Mikal Bridges has averaged 26.1 points a game points and 4.5 rebounds per game since coming over in the Kevin Durant trade and point guard Spencer Dinwiddie has been solid, scoring 16.5 points and dishing 9.1 assists per contest.
Philly beat Brooklyn three out of four times this season, but the Sixers aren’t about to take the Nets lightly. Sixers head coach Doc Rivers says his team is trying hard to prepare for the rotation-heavy Nets, who mix it up more with their lineup than most.
“The challenge is that you can get stagnant,” Rivers said. “That’s why people switch. … We’ve got to have quick rolls. We’ve got to have quick downhill actions. It’s a lot of what we do anyway. And then the decision they’ll make is they’ll switch some people with Joel and some they won’t, and we have to have the ability to see the difference.”
As for Brooklyn, the primary challenge will obviously be keeping Embiid in check, which is a tall task for any team.
“Embiid’s the likely MVP, so obviously, we’re gonna have to give it everything we’ve got in terms of stopping him,” Dinwiddie told Michelle Beadle heading into the matchup. “But to be honest, out of the major seeds, we probably match up with them the best if we can limit him and not foul him.”
Dinwiddie says the Nets will also be focused on slowing Harden down. “We focusing on Harden, too,” Dinwiddie added. “He’s an MVP, too. We talk about Embiid as MVP this year, but we are not lost or slept on Harden by any stretch. He’s a guy that can have 60 points. He’s a guy that can get 20 assists. He’s a guy that can get 25 free throws. He can completely change and alter a game at any point in time, and we’re not taking that lightly.”