Bulls-Heat NBA play-in live stream (4/14): How to watch NBA playoffs online, TV, time
The NBA’s play-in tournament wraps up Friday, April 14, with a pair of elimination games, including the Chicago Bulls at the Miami Heat for the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. The game will be live streamed on Sling, which offers half off the first month, and on DirecTV Stream (free trial).
“We’ve had a lot of ups and downs this season,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Nothing about this season has been easy.”
Chicago has already won a road game to stay alive to become one of the first No. 10 seeds to win on the road in the three-year history of the play-in tournament — and if they do it again Friday, they’re going to the postseason.
“We know going there, it’s another great road test against a team that’s seasoned and is coming off a loss and will look to rebound and play to their identity and their style,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “We have a lot to get ready for.”
The Bulls were 3-0 against Miami in the regular season.
The winner plays Milwaukee in Game 1 on Sunday, while the loser’s season is over.
Miami is trying to avoid becoming the first team to go 0-2 at home in a play-in tournament. Chicago had the NBA’s best scoring defense after the All-Star break, and Miami had the NBA’s lowest scoring offense all season.
The matchup pits Heat guard Kyle Lowry against Bulls guard DeMar DeRozan, longtime teammates and backcourt standouts in Toronto. Other ties that bind: Heat star Jimmy Butler faces his former team, Heat forward Udonis Haslem facing his college coach in Donovan, and Bulls guard Patrick Beverley facing a team that he nearly made back during Miami’s Big 3 era in the early 2010s; he was an end-of-camp cut.
When is Bulls-Heat?
The Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat play in an NBA play-in game at 6 p.m. (7 p.m. ET) on Friday, April 14.
Streaming options
Sling
Sling is also one of the cheaper live streaming services. It offers three different channel packages for its users: Sling Orange, Sling Blue and Sling Orange + Blue.
All three packages are offering half off the first month.
Sling Blue and Sling Orange are both $40 per month ($20 for the first month), but offer different channel selections.
The main difference between the two packages is the line of ESPN channels offered with Sling Orange as opposed to channels such as Fox News, MSNBC, Discovery and Bravo offered with Sling Blue.
Meanwhile, Sling Orange + Blue is both packages combined for $55 a month ($27.50 the first month).
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream offers a free trial.
There are four options of DirecTV Stream. Price guaranteed for first two years.
The Entertainment Package, which consists of 65+ channels, is $64.99 until the promotion runs out April 30. It’s the basic package for can’t-miss entertainment – including ESPN, TNT, Nickelodeon and HGTV.
The Choice Package has more than 90 channels and is $84.99 during the promotion. The channels in ENTERTAINMENT, plus MLB Network, NBA TV, college sports networks, and more. Enjoy Regional Sports Networks with no additional fees.
The Ultimate Package has more than 130 channels and is $109.99 during the promotion. Everything in CHOICE, plus Oxygen, Golf Channel, NHL Network, Universal Kids and more.
The Premier Package has more than 140 channels and is $154.99 during the promotion. Everything in ULTIMATE, plus HBO Max, SHOWTIME, STARZ, Cinemax and more.
DirecTV Stream offers a free trial that doesn’t require much effort.
To sign up, enter a phone number, email address and credit card, and you’ll receive five days of the service without charge.
In addition, enhance your experience with the DirecTV Stream device. While it doesn’t include a free trial, it give you access to thousands of apps like Netflix and more on Google Play. You can search using the voice remote with Google Assistant, and you can enjoy a traditional live TV channel guide. It is sold separately.
What TV channel is game on?
The Heat and Bulls will be broadcast on TNT.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.