Getty Zion Williamson
The New Orleans Pelicans are seeking a 2-0 start as they head to South Beach to take on Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat (0-1) in a Christmas Day showdown.
The game starts at Noon ET and will be televised on ESPN, while the other NBA Christmas games will be on either ESPN or ABC. But if you don’t have cable, here’s how you can watch a live stream of the Pelicans vs Heat–and every NBA Christmas game–online for free:
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FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of ABC (live in select markets), ESPN and 100-plus other TV channels on FuboTV, which you can use for free with a seven-day trial right here:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch the Pelicans vs Heat and all the other NBA Christmas games live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the FuboTV website.
You can also watch the games live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. ABC games can be watched for free without a cable log-in this way, but you’ll need to sign in to a TV provider to watch the games on ESPN. You can use your FuboTV credentials to do that.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV also comes with 250 hours of cloud DVR space.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of ABC (live in select markets), ESPN 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 Pelicans vs Heat and other NBA Christmas games 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 games live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. ABC games can be watched for free without a cable log-in this way, but you’ll need to sign in to a TV provider to watch the games on ESPN. 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).
Vidgo
You can watch a live stream of ABC (live in select markets), ESPN and 65+ other TV channels on Vidgo, which you can use for free with a seven-day trial:
Once signed up for Vidgo, you can watch the Pelicans vs Heat and all other NBC Christmas games live on the Vidgo app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Vidgo website.
You can also watch the games live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. ABC games can be watched for free without a cable log-in this way, but you’ll need to sign in to a TV provider to watch the games on ESPN. You can use your Vidgo credentials to do that.
Pelicans vs Heat Preview
The Miami Heat didn’t open up the season how they had imagined after a run to the NBA Finals last season, falling to the Orlando Magic 113-107 on Wednesday.
The Magic used a 34-point fourth quarter to come away with the win and it helped that the Heat threw the ball away 22 times — typical for the first game out of the gate.
“One, empty possessions. Two, we didn’t get the necessary ball movement … and thirdly, (the Magic) are a good defensive team,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.
The Heat are returning nearly their full roster from a season ago, with a few additions. One of the biggest adds was former Lakers guard Avery Bradley, who has been impressed with what he’s seen so far from his new teammates, specifically Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
“I mean, their IQ is absolutely amazing,” Bradley said of Butler and Adebayo standing as the Heat’s leaders on the court. “I think a lot of that stems from the coach. Coach Spo, he gives the players free will to go out there and coach each other and just play free and fun.
“And I feel whenever you’re playing for a coach like that, that is able to fuel you with that positive reinforcement, it makes the game easier for you. You can just go out there and play the game.”
The Pelicans managed a win in their first action of the season, looking like a contender with a strong 113-99 victory against Toronto. All-Star Brandon Ingram led the way, finishing one rebound shy of a triple-double with 24 points, 11 assists and 9 rebounds. New Orleans outscored Toronto 63-42 in the second half.
“I’d say that we fought very hard in a game that was very, very frustrating,” said Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy, who picked up his first win with New Orleans. “We were turning the ball over, we were in foul trouble, not a lot was going right for us. We hung in there and kept fighting and then made enough plays and enough shots to pull away.”
The Heat are 5-point favorites for the matchup, with the total set at 226 points.