Khris Middleton returns for the Milwaukee Bucks as they face off with the Miami Heat in NBA playoff action Sunday, April 16. The game will be live streamed on Sling, which offers half off the first month, and on DirecTV Stream (free trial).

Milwaukee’s long wait for the start of the playoffs gave Middleton and other notable Bucks an opportunity to recover from late-season injuries.

The top-seeded Bucks hope it also didn’t create a rust factor that could cause them to fall behind the Miami Heat early in their Eastern Conference first-round series starting Sunday.

Middleton hasn’t played since exiting an April 5 victory over the Chicago Bulls after he aggravated a right knee injury, but the three-time All-Star said Saturday he’s feeling fine.

Bucks star and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since getting a triple-double in an April 4 victory at Washington. The Bucks’ other starters made their last regular-season appearances April 5, when they clinched the NBA’s top playoff seed.

The Heat, by contrast, will be opening this series less than 48 hours after winning a play-in game over the Bulls.

Miami coach Erik Spoelstra is fine with that. The way he sees it, the Heat had to dig deep just to get to the postseason. Now, he’d like to keep the momentum going against the Bucks.

When is Heat-Bucks?

The Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat play in an NBA playoffs at 3:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. ET) on Sunday, April 16.

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 Bucks will be broadcast on TNT.

Preview

FAMILIAR FOES: This marks the third time in four seasons that the Bucks and Heat have faced off in the playoffs. The Heat beat the top-seeded Bucks 4-1 in the 2020 Eastern Conference semifinals at the Walt Disney World playoff bubble. The Bucks swept the Heat in the first round the following season to launch their championship run.

The Heat and Bucks split four regular-season matchups this year, with the home team winning each game. Antetokounmpo didn’t play in either of the two losses at Miami and played only four minutes in one of the Bucks’ wins over the Heat before leaving with a right knee issue.

SWITCHING SIDES: Milwaukee’s Jae Crowder, Goran Dragic and Meyers Leonard all played on the 2019-20 Heat team that beat the Bucks in the playoffs.

The Bucks added Crowder at the trade deadline, hoping his playoff experience could pay off as they seek their second title in three years. Crowder has appeared in 107 career postseason games and made Finals appearances with Miami in 2020 and Phoenix in 2021.

LOWRY’S KNEE: Heat guard Kyle Lowry was limited in the play-in finale against Chicago with a knee issue, but insisted afterward that he will be ready for Game 1 against the Bucks.

“Just a little tweak, Lowry said. “It’s OK. I’m good. I’m all good. Ready to go on Sunday.”

Lowry didn’t appear in any of the Heat’s four regular-season matchups with the Bucks.

HERRO’S HOMECOMING: Heat guard Tyler Herro is a Wisconsin native who graduated from Whitnall High School in the Milwaukee suburb of Greenfield before playing collegiately at Kentucky.

Herro isn’t the only Heat player with ties to Milwaukee. Jimmy Butler played for Marquette from 2008-11. Butler is one of three former Marquette players in this series along with Crowder and Bucks guard Wesley Matthews.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.