The 2020 NBA playoffs are now under way in Orlando, as the 16 best teams from around the league look to put any restart jitters behind them and find their feet at the right time to make a run at the Larry O’Brien Trophy this year. Over in the Eastern Conference, that means it’s time for the No. 3 seeded Boston Celtics to tip-off against No. 6 seed, the Philadelphia 76ers, in their best-of-seven round 1 series. Follow our guide to watch a Celtics vs 76ers live stream and catch all the NBA playoff action online this week, no matter where you are in the world today.
Celtics vs 76ers live stream
Game 1 of the Celtics vs 76ers is on Monday, August 17 and the best-of-seven series will last until at least game 4 on Sunday, August 23. Games take place every other day in the NBA’s Disney World bubble this week, with a potential game 7 set for Friday, August 29. Full TV and streaming details are below – and you can enjoy your preferred coverage wherever you are with ExpressVPN – get 3-months FREE with this deal.
With the Red Sox and Patriots both crowned world champions just two seasons ago, Boston’s reputation as America’s Titletown isn’t exactly up for debate just yet – though the city’s most decorated franchise, the Celtics, haven’t lifted the NBA’s Larry O’Brien trophy since back in 2008. That’s something this year’s young Cs team will be hoping to bring to an end, as the likes of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum continue to thrive under the tutelage of coach Brad Stevens.
There’s a long road ahead of them if they want to add an 18th banner to the rafters at the Garden, though – one that starts with this tough first round matchup against the gritty Philadelphia 76ers. While Philly’s star point guard, former No. 1 draft pick Ben Simmons, is out for the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery, they still have a ferocious presence up front in big man Joel Embiid, who could cause serious problems for the Celts’ smaller lineup.
How Boston copes with the 76ers’ physical style of play will be key to determining the outcome of the series, which is one of the obvious highlights of this year’s first round 2020 NBA playoff action. Don’t miss a second of the action – read on as we explain how to watch the Celtics vs 76ers online and get an NBA live stream for this East Coast grudge match.
How to watch NBA blackout games and stream basketball from abroad
You may not be able to watch the Celtics vs 76ers series using your usual cable TV or streaming service, due to coverage blackout rules in the US or international geo-blocking restrictions.
When this is is the case, the simplest and most reliable solution is to use a VPN service, which masks your IP address – and therefore your location – when you visit a website. On top of that, it gives you the ability to reroute your device’s internet connection through a server in a different country or state, thereby getting you access to coverage that might not otherwise be available – even though you probably pay for it.
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Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia 76ers: round 1 schedule and TV channel details
Here’s how the Boston vs Philly series looks this August.
- Game 1: Monday, August 17 at 1.30pm ET/10.30am PT on ESPN
- Game 2: Wednesday, August 19 at 4pm ET/1pm PT on TNT
- Game 3: Friday, August 21 at 4pm ET/1pm PT on TNT
- Game 4: Sunday, August 23 at 9pm ET/6pm PT on ABC
- Game 5*: Tuesday, August 25 at TBD on TBD (*if necessary)
- Game 6*: Thursday, August 27 at TBD on ESPN (*if necessary)
- Game 7*: Friday August 29 at TBD on TNT (*if necessary)
Celtics vs 76ers live stream: how to watch round 1 of the NBA playoffs in the US
The Celtics vs 76ers series is being shown nationally, with games on ESPN, TNT and ABC as per the schedule above. But in something of a rarity, regional sports networks (RSNs) are also getting a slice of the action, meaning local fans can also watch the NBA playoffs on NBC Sports Boston (Celtics) and NBC Sports Philadelphia (76ers).
If you’ve got cable, that means it’s easy, as in addition to those RSNs, you can stream Celtics vs 76ers games online with ESPN and TNT , as well as the one game on ABC – just log in with details of your TV provider for access.
If you don’t have cable, then you’ll need to look at accessing these channels another way – namely, via an over-the-top streaming service service. Of these, Sling TV is easily your best option.
A Sling Orange package costs just $30 a month and gets you both TNT and ESPN, meaning you’re covered for six out of the potential seven games of the series – plus there’s currently a FREE Sling TV trial up for grabs, which means you’ll be able to watch a couple of Celtics vs 76ers games without dropping a dime.
For complete coverage, you can consider YouTube TV, which offers all four channels – ESPN, TNT, ABC and NBA TV – but it’s not the cheapest option around at $64.99 a month.
Or if you’re not too happy about picking up a Sling TV subscription just for sports, you can grab an NBA TV Pass for just $6.99 a month of $19.99 annually. This will get you coverage of all nationally televised games for a great price – but it is subject to blackout restrictions for in-market games when they apply.
However, you can get around this by grabbing a quality VPN if you live in the same area your favorite team is based.
Celtics vs 76ers live stream: how to watch NBA playoff basketball in the UK
If you’re in the UK, then Sky Sports is the home of everything NBA and is airing a game a night during the first round of the 2020 playoffs. The channel is operated by Sky, but you can also watch these channels with BT and Virgin Media TV packages.
For Celtics and Sixers fans, your turn is game 4 on Sunday, August 23 at 6pm BST on Sky Sports Arena.
However, if you’re only going to be watching the NBA, there are more cost effective options than signing up for the full commitment of a Sky contract.
A Now TV Sky Sports Pass offers all 11 Sky Sports channels to watch and can be cancelled at any time. As well as the NBA, there’s also loads of football, cricket, golf, and F1 action, with pricing that starts at £9.99 for a day’s use.
That’s fine if you just want to watch Sky tonight, but we’d highly recommend the better value Monthly Pass for the majority of viewers. £33.99 gets you coverage of the rest of the season as well as early playoff games as well as the full month of content from other sports as well.
If you’re really only interested in an NBA live stream, you could also consider an NBA League Pass, which is an all-in-one subscription that offers every game left in the season on a range of devices. An annual pass comes in at £42.99, which is far better value than the £24.99 monthly pass, but you can also grab a seven day free trial if you’re just looking to watch a Celtics vs 76ers live steam.
If you’re looking to watch Celtics vs 76ers from abroad, you might be geo-blocked out of some of these viewing options. Using a reliable VPN can easily get around this so you can get back to the game.
How to watch the Celtics vs 76ers: live stream the 3030 NBA playoffs in Canada
TSN is the place to turn for coverage of non-Raptors game NBA playoff basketball in Canada, and has confirmed it’s airing all seven games of the round 1 Celtics vs 76ers series.
With TSN widely available on cable, catching the NBA online shouldn’t be difficult for these Canadian viewers – simply enter the details of your TV provider into the network’s website to watch.
However, if you don’t subscribe through cable TV, you can also use TSN Direct, with a $19.99 monthly subscription cost.
You’ll also be able to watch the Celtics vs Sixers online with NBA League Pass, with only Raptors games being subject to blackouts. That’s not a problem, however, as a VPN can easily swap your location so when the Raptors do step out onto the court, you can still live stream it all.
All times are the same as in the US as per the schedule above.
Celtics vs 76ers live stream: how to watch the 2020 NBA playoffs online in Australia
There are two options for Australian viewers wanting to tune in to the 2019/20 NBA regular season restart.
The first is through cable and, more specifically, Foxtel. It offers ESPN, which is the home of NBA basketball Down Under, but will require you to commit to a contract.
If that’s not for you, then excellent value streaming service Kayo Sports also has you covered for all things ESPN and can be cancelled at any time – so we’d recommend looking into this option first.
Costing either $25 or $35 monthly, it’s far cheaper than Foxtel and you can grab a 14-day FREE TRIAL to test it out. Perhaps best of all, a single subscription can be used simultaneously across multiple devices, meaning you can share one with family or friends and pay less.
Games 1 and 2 of this week’s Celtics vs 76ers NBA playoffs series are confirmed for coverage on ESPN/Kayo – and we suspect others will follow – but fans of the two teams wanting to be 110% sure can always grab an NBA League Pass.
NBA League Pass: the best way to live stream the NBA online?
If you’ve been shopping for ways to pick up a Celtics vs 76ers live stream online, then you’ve likely come across the NBA League Pass. As the league’s official streaming service, it offers coverage of plenty of games and is available all around the world.
However, if you’re in the US, you’ll find a reduced-price subscription now available for $28.99. The caveat is that it doesn’t include any nationally televised games. That means you’ll still have to turn to ESPN, ABC, NBA TV or TNT.
The solution? Adding an NBA TV subscription to your account (available for $19.99) will give you access to full coverage, or you can bundle League Pass Premium with an NBA TV package for $59.98 for every game in all its commercial-free glory.
However, in the case of the playoffs, an NBA TV subscription alone will cover you for most games in the US, due to some clever scheduling by those in charge.
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.
NBA League Pass is an international service, so you’ll be able to find different packages to suit international markets as well. In the UK, for example, a £42.99 annual fee gets you access to every remaining NBA game, without blackout restrictions or qualms over nationally televised broadcasts.
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.