Getty Images PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 12: Terry Rozier #3 of the Charlotte Hornets gestures during the third quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on October 12, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
The San Antonio Spurs’ expected season of tanking begins Wednesday night when they meet a Charlotte Hornets team that will have to open the year without LaMelo Ball.
The game (8 p.m. ET start time) will be televised locally on Bally Sports Southeast (in Hornets market) and Bally Sports Southwest (in Spurs market), while anyone out of market can watch on NBA League Pass.
If the game is in your market, you can watch a live stream of the game on DirecTV Stream, which comes with a free trial and is the only streaming service to include Bally Sports Southeast or Bally Sports Southwest.
If the game is out of your market, you can watch a live stream of the game on FuboTV, which offers NBA League Pass with a free trial.
Here’s a full rundown on how you can watch a live stream of the Hornets vs Spurs, including options for both in-market and out-of-market viewers:
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If the Game is in Your Market
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” All local sports networks, including Bally Sports Southeast and Bally Sports Southwest (local markets), are included 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 Hornets vs Spurs 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, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
If the Game is out of Your Market
FuboTV
NBA League Pass, which lets you watch every out-of-market NBA game, is available as a separate add-on to FuboTV’s main package, but every package and add-on can be included with your free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch the Hornets vs Spurs 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.
Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime subscribers (Prime comes with a 30-day free trial) can watch every out-of-market NBA game via Prime Channels. You can try both Amazon Prime and the NBA League Pass channel at no cost with a free trial:
NBA League Pass on Amazon Prime
Once you’re signed up for the Prime Paramount+ Channel, you can watch the Hornets vs Spurs live on the Amazon Video app or Amazon website.
Compatible devices for the Amazon Video app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, various smart TV’s, Xiaomi, Echo Show or Echo Spot, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
NBA League Pass
This is ultimately the same as the Amazon Prime option above, only you’ll watch on NBA’s digital platforms rather than Amazon’s. You can watch all out-of-market NBA games on NBA League Pass, which comes with a free trial:
Once signed up for NBA League Pass, can watch the Hornets vs Spurs live on the NBA app or NBA website
Compatible devices for the NBA app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), Xbox One or Series S/X, PlayStation 4 or 5, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
Hornets vs Spurs Preview
As the season gets underway both of these teams are facing a ton of questions. The Hornets are coming off of a dreadful offseason where they did nothing in free agency and lost Miles Bridges due to his pending domestic violence case.
The Hornets will have to replace Bridges production as a unit. The team will also be without LaMelo Ball in this game as he’s been ruled out with an ankle injury.
Charlotte is expected to be healthy besides Ball so that will likely be a big dose of Terry Rozier on the offensive end of the floor. Rozier was third on the team in scoring last season with 19.3 points per game.
After Rozier, the offense will likely be up to Gordan Hayward, Kelly Oubre Jr, and PJ Washington. Young players like Mark Williams, Kai Jones, and Jalen McDaniels could also play a role for Charlotte.
The Spurs have their share of questions as well after trading Dejounte Murray to the Hawks during the summer. San Antonio has five of their top eight scorers back from last season with Keldon Johnson leading the way at 17 points per game.
Jakob Poeltl is a sturdy big man coming off of 13.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game last season. Devin Vassell chipped in 12.3 points per game while Josh Richardson and Doug McDermott averaged a little over 11 points.
The Spurs also have several young players that could play roles this season including Malaki Branham, Tre Jones, Romeo Langford, Josh Primo, Blake Wesley, and Jeremy Sochan. If a few of those players can play well then the Spurs could surprise some people this season.
It’s really hard to know what to expect from both teams in this game as there are so many questions. The Hornets are currently a slight favorite at -1.5 despite Ball being ruled out.
The total is currently sitting at 225.5 which indicates that both teams are expected to put up some points. Both teams are in similar spots as they have a few veterans and are just hoping that some guys will break through to help lighten the load.