The NBA is back and tonight’s action sees two of the best teams from the Eastern Conference tip-off in what’s potentially a preview of this year’s playoffs. That’s right, it’s Celtics vs Bucks time again as the decorated Boston team take on Milwaukee and ‘Greek Freak’ Gannis Antetokounmpo in the first of both teams’ seeding games. Don’t miss a second of the action – read on as we explain how to watch a Celtics vs Bucks live stream and catch today’s NBA game online from anywhere on earth.
Celtics vs Bucks live stream
Tonight’s Celtics vs Bucks game gets under way at 6.30pm ET/3.30pm PT in the US – or 11.30pm BST in the UK. It’s being aired on ESPN and national TV, so regional sports networks won’t carry it – though anyone who finds their coverage blacked out can always go down the VPN route as described below.
It’s a fascinating matchup for a number of reasons, not least because while Antetokounmpo leads and arguably carries the Bucks, the Celtics don’t have a single superstar they rely on to quite the same extent – though they’re not short on talent.
The C’s 2020 team features decorated veterans like Kemba Walker and Gordon Hayward, exceptional young players such as Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, and one damn gritty baller in the form of defensive standout Marcus Smart. Any one of them can explode for a big night – or all of them can struggle to get it going. That’s just life as a Boston sports fan for you – Beantown being the city where every Dunkin’ coffee comes spiked with a triple shot of pessimism.
Entering tonight’s game, the Celtics occupy 3rd place in the Eastern Conference and have 43 wins to their name this season. The Bucks, however, are the top team in the East with 53 victories and look like the team most likely to get themselves a ticket to the 2020 NBA Finals when all’s said and done. They nearly did just that last year, but were ultimately derailed by some superhuman performances from Toronto’s Kawhi Leonard – now a member of the LA Clippers.
Can’t wait for tip-off tonight and to see how two of basketball’s best teams restart their seasons down in Disney World? Follow our guide as we tell you how watch the Celtics vs Bucks this Friday and enjoy a premium NBA live stream, no matter where you are in the world right now.
How to watch NBA blackout games and stream basketball abroad
Scroll down for a guide to NBA live streaming services all over the world, but first, know that if you can’t watch an NBA game on your usual TV channel or streaming service, it might be due to a coverage blackout (in the US) or a geo-blocking restriction (in international markets).
Both can stop you from watching the coverage you want and most likely pay for, including today’s Celtics vs Bucks game for fans residing in the Greater Boston and Milwaukee areas.
When this is the case, the simplest and most reliable solution is to use a VPN service to change your IP address to a difference location. This will generally let you tune in to your local coverage, just as you would from home, and means you don’t have to trawl the sketchier corners of the internet for an illegal stream.
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Celtics vs Bucks live stream: watch the NBA online tonight in the US
In order to watch the NBA on TV in the US, you’ll need either cable TV or access to the right streaming service.
This season’s remaining nationally televised games are being aired across ESPN, ABC, TNT and NBA TV, while other matchups will exclusively be shown on regional sports networks – so covering all angles can be tricky, especially if you don’t want the commitment (or expense) of a cable package.
Tonight’s Celtics vs Bucks game is on ESPN from 6.30pm ET/3.30pm PT. The channel is widely available on over-the-top streaming services as well as cable, with probably the best value deal right now being Sling TV’s Orange package and FREE trial.
After the offer ends, it’s priced at $30 a month, but it essentially means you can get a free Celtics vs Bucks live stream today. You might end up keeping it, though, as Sling Orange doesn’t only just come with ESPN, but also TNT for coverage of even more NBA games – plus the option to add NBA TV as part of its Sports Extra bundle for an additional $10 p/m.
As it’s being nationally broadcast, regional sports networks in the Boston and Milwaukee areas won’t be airing today’s game locally. The only other way to watch the Celtics vs Bucks, therefore, is to combine an NBA League Pass with an NBA TV subscription.
This can be done for under $50 (for the rest of the season), but there’s a significant caveat in that n-market games are subject to the NBA’s blackout restrictions. In other words, you’ll also need to grab a quality VPN if you live in the same region as your team and want to get around the league’s archaic TV regulations.
Bucks vs Celtics live stream: how to watch the NBA online in the UK
UK basketball fans can watch the NBA and live stream this season’s biggest games (as well as those of the WNBA) on Sky Sports – available on Sky of course, as well as with BT and Virgin Media TV packages.
Multiple games are being shown live every day, with today’s Bucks vs Celtics matchup airing on both Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Arena from 11.30pm BST.
Top value UK NBA live stream deal
Not interested in the commitment or cost of a full-fat Sky Sports subscription, but still want to watch the NBA live in the UK? Don’t worry, as you can also purchase a Now TV Sky Sports Pass. This will get you access to all 11 Sky Sports channels, so you’ll be able to watch loads of football, cricket, golf, F1 and more in addition to the NBA.
Pricing starts at £9.99 for a day’s access, which is great if you just want to catch one or two big games – though we highly recommend the better value Monthly Pass for most fans, as for just £33.99 it will get you coverage of the rest of the regular season, early playoff games, and loads more sport including all of this summer’s England cricket matches, F1 racing, Australian throwy-ball stuff and more.
Plus, it lets you stream on three screens simultaneously, so if you split it with friends or family, it works out at just over a tenner each – or essentially the same as a day pass.
How to watch every NBA game online in the UK
Your final option is an NBA League Pass, which is available in the UK and will get you every single game left in the 2019/20 season (including the playoffs and Finals) for a one-off payment of £42.99. As Britain is exempt from US TV blackout malarkey, this is also well worth considering.
Watch an NBA live stream from anywhere in 2020
Should you need to travel and want to take your preferred UK streaming service with you, simply add a good VPN to your software arsenal and you’ll be able to live stream basketball and more no matter where you are in the world.
How to watch Celtics vs Bucks: live stream the NBA in Canada
Basketball fans in Canada are well covered by Sportsnet and TSN, which air the biggest games as well as providing comprehensive coverage of the Toronto Raptors. For tonight’s Celtics vs Bucks showdown, it’s Sportsnet you want – and more specifically SN1.
It’s showing the game from 6.30pm ET/3.30pm MT (PT), with the channel readily available on cable. Subscribers simply need to log-in on the Sportsnet website with their pay TV deets – but there’s also a streaming-only option for those who can’t.
Sportsnet Now offers plan from $9.99 and includes live NBA, MLB and NHL games – making it a pretty good pick-up at the moment.
The other good option is an NBA League Pass – available in Canada as it is nearly everywhere else in the world. Only Raptors game are subject to blackouts, so watching games like the Celtics vs Bucks should be a breeze.
Plus, when it does come time to tune in to the Raptors, there’s always the option of deploying a VPN to get around those archaic blackout restrictions.
How to watch Celtics vs Bucks: live stream NBA games online in Australia
If you plan on watching the NBA on TV this season in Australia, then you’ll need a cable package that gives you access to ESPN, as the network owns the country’s NBA broadcast rights.
You can get the channel by subscribing to the right sports package through Aussie pay TV behemoth Foxtel – but if you don’t want that kind of cost and commitment, then great value over-the-top service Kayo Sports has you covered as it will allow you to stream all of ESPN’s NBA coverage including the Celtics vs Bucks.
It costs between $25 and $35 a month, depending on which option you choose, and new customers can test it out for themselves thanks to the service’s 14-day FREE TRIAL. It also lets stream on multiple screens simultaneously, meaning you can save even more by splitting the cost of a subscription with a fellow NBA fan.
NBA League Pass is also available in Australia and is a great option for true NBA fanatics who want to watch every game of their favourite team and other action from around the league that might not always be on ESPN’s broadcast schedule.
Coverage of the Boston Celtics vs Milwaukee Bucks starts at 8.30am AEST on the morning of Saturday, August 1.
NBA League Pass: the best way to live stream the NBA online?
When it comes to live streaming NBA games like the Celtics vs Bucks, one option that keeps cropping up is NBA League Pass, the league’s official streaming service.
If you want to follow your favorite team all season long or even if you want to keep up with every team in the league, it’s a great way to watch the NBA from all over the world.
In the US, an NBA League Pass subscription is now down to $28.99 for the rest of the season, but this doesn’t include any nationally televised games (shown on ESPN, ABC, NBA TV or TNT) – including those aired during the playoffs. For the full works, you’ll need to add NBA TV, priced separately at $19.99 for the rest of the campaign – so $49 for the full works. You can also upgrade to League Pass Premium to cut out commercials for $39.99, or bundle Premium with NBA TV for $59.98.
Note that NBA League Pass and NBA TV subscriptions are subject to blackout rules, meaning that if you live in the same area as your favorite team, you won’t be able to watch them – unless you utilize the VPN workaround as explained above, of course.
The service offers a variety of different packages for international markets, but as an example, in the UK, a flat fee of £42.99 gets you an NBA live stream for every single game remaining in the 2019/20 regular season – seeding games, playoffs, NBA Finals and anything else that happens to crop up. Obviously, local blackout restrictions don’t apply internationally, either, so it’s a pretty good offer – and one that’s far more straightforward than what’s on offer in the States.
As ever, if you’re out of the country you subscribed to NBA League Pass in, it’s likely you can use a VPN to get around these restrictions – based on comprehensive testing, we rate ExpressVPN as the best and it offers a free trial so you can check it out, no strings attached.
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