Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images Devin Booker and the Suns open up a series with the Mavericks on Monday night.
The top-seeded Phoenix Suns host the upstart Dallas Mavericks in the opening game of the best-of-seven Western Conference Semifinals at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona on Monday night.
Game 1 (10 p.m. ET start time) will be televised on TNT (the rest of the games in the series will be on ABC, TNT, ESPN or NBA TV). But if you don’t have cable, here are some different ways you can watch a live stream of the Mavericks vs Suns online:
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DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” ABC, ESPN and TNT are included in every one, while NBA TV is in “Choice” and up, but 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 Mavericks vs Suns live on the DirecTV Stream app, which is available on your 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. Or you can watch on your computer via the DirecTV Stream website.
You can also watch games via the ESPN or TNT apps or websites. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your DirecTV Stream credentials to log in and watch.
Sling TV
ESPN, ESPN3 (which simulcasts the ABC games) and TNT are included in Sling TV’s “Sling Orange” bundle, while NBA TV is in the “Sports Extra” add-on. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest long-term streaming service with the channels needed to watch the NBA playoffs, plus you can get $10 off your first month:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch the Mavericks vs Suns live on the Sling TV app, which is available on your 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. Or you can watch on your computer via the Sling TV website.
You can also watch games via the ESPN or TNT apps or websites. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your Sling credentials to log in and watch.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of ABC, ESPN, TNT and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which now also includes both ESPN+ and Disney+ as part of the bundle:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch the Mavericks vs Suns live on the Hulu app, which is available on your 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. Or you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website.
You can also watch games via the ESPN or TNT apps or websites. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your Hulu credentials to log in and watch.
Mavs vs Suns Game 1 Preview
The Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks both overcame injuries to their star players in the first round and now meet with a trip to the Western Conference Finals up for grabs, as they begin their best-of-seven second-round series on Monday night.
The Suns survived a tough first-round series against the upstart, scrappy New Orleans Pelicans, outlasting them in six games. Meanwhile, the Mavericks won their first playoff series since 2011 by taking down the Utah Jazz in six hotly-contested games.
The Suns’ Devin Booker missed three games in the opening series after suffering a hamstring injury in the second half of Game 2. The three-time All-Star returned for Game 6, where he scored 13 points in 32 minutes of play.
Like Booker, the Mavericks’ Luka Doncic also missed three games in the first round, after suffering a calf strain in the regular-season finale. The 23-year-old two-time All-NBA First Teamer returned and averaged 29 points while shooting 46.9 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from three-point range in the series’ final three games.
Twelve-time All-Star Chris Paul made history in the Suns’ Game 6 clincher when he scored 33 points on 14-of-14 shooting, which was an NBA postseason record for most field goals made without a miss. The 36-year-old held down the fort in the absence of Booker and tallied 68 assists and only nine turnovers in the series.
The Mavericks’ Jalen Brunson had a breakthrough series against the Jazz, where he averaged 27.8 points. The 25-year-old scored a career-high 41 points, along with eight rebounds and five assists in a Game 2 win.
The winner of the Suns-Mavs’ best-of-seven series will take on the winner of the other Western Conference Semifinal matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies.
Here’s a look at the tale of the tape heading into Game 1 of this second-round series:
No. 1 Phoenix Suns
- 64-18, finished first in the Pacific Division
- NBA’s best record in the regular season
- Beat the Pelicans in six games in the first round
- Devin Booker led the team in scoring during the regular season at 26.8 ppg
- Chris Paul averaged 14.7 points and 10.8 assists per game
- Deandre Ayton averaged 17.2 points and a team-best 10.2 rebounds per game
No. 4 Dallas Mavericks
- 52-30, finished second in the Southwest Division
- Defeated the Jazz in six games in the first round
- Luka Doncic led the team in scoring during the regular season at 28.4 ppg and also averaged 9.1 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game
- Jalen Brunson averaged 16.3 ppg, 4.8 apg and 3.9 rpg
Suns vs Mavericks Western Conference Semifinals Schedule
- Game 1: Mavericks at Suns, Mon. 5/2 (10 p.m. ET, TNT)
- Game 2: Mavericks at Suns, Wed. 5/4 (10 p.m. ET, TNT)
- Game 3: Suns at Mavericks, Fri. 5/6 (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
- Game 4: Suns at Mavericks, Sun. 5/8 (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
- Game 5: Mavericks at Suns, Tues. 5/10 (TBD, TNT) – if necessary
- Game 6: Suns at Mavericks, Thurs. 5/12 (TBD, ESPN) – if necessary
- Game 7: Mavericks at Suns, Sun. 5/15 (TBD) – if necessary