It’s been a season like no other, and we’re now down to the last two teams – read on for our guide to watching a LA Lakers vs Miami Heat live stream today and catch all the 2020 NBA Finals action online over the next week – no matter where you are win the world.
The Los Angeles Lakers confirmed their place in the Finals after finishing off the Denver Nuggets in Game 5 bringing to an end the battling Nuggets’ streak of coming back from 3-1 deficits. While the Miami Heat had to wait until Game 6 to book their place at the NBA bubble in Orlando for the Finals, eventually seeing off the Boston Celtics to take the Eastern Conference crown.
LA Lakers vs Miami Heat live stream
The seven-game 2020 NBA Finals series between the LA Lakers vs Miami Heat begins on Wednesday, September 30, at 9pm ET / 6pm PT, with the potential seventh and final game set to be played on Tuesday, October 13 at the same time.
It’s being shown by ABC in the US and full streaming details can be found below – take your preferred NBA coverage wherever you are with ExpressVPN and get 30-day money back guarantee.
It marks the first time the Lakers have appeared in the finals since their title-winning 2010 season, and sees LeBron James back in the finals after a one-season hiatus. King James must now face his former team Miami Heat, whom he led to consecutive NBA titles back in 2012 and 2013.
The Heat come into the series as heavy underdogs, but its a billing that has suited them so far this campaign, going in as a No. 5 seed on their against-the-odds run to the Finals.
As it did in the ‘regular’ season and playoffs, all the action is taking place without fans at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, Florida – part of Disney World, yes, but certainly no holiday given the circumstances.
It’s set to be a fascinating and unique NBA Finals series, so read on as we explain how to watch a LA Lakers vs Miami Heat live stream and catch it from anywhere in the world today.
How to watch the 2020 NBA Final playoffs from outside your country
We have watching options for the US, Canada, UK and Australia below (as well as key information about the NBA League Pass), but if you’re abroad you may not be able to watch a Lakers vs Heat live stream using your usual cable TV or streaming service, due international geo-blocking restrictions.
When this is is the case, the simplest and most reliable solution is to use a VPN service, which lets you change 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 may pay for it.
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Plus, you can try it out for free with a 30 day money-back guarantee, so if you’re not sold on being able to watch sports from around the world you can always claim your cash back. There’s a massive range of supported devices on offer, from Smart TVs, Fire TV Stick, PC, Mac, iPhone, Android phone, iPads, tablets etc. And if you subscribe to ExpressVPN now, you’ll also get 49% off the usual price as well as 3-months extra FREE if you take out an annual plan (the best value option).
VPNs are good for more than watching NBA abroad, however. You’re securing your online activity with a range of safety net features that keep your data private while also getting you into geo-blocked websites or Netflix regions.
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2020 NBA Finals full schedule
Game 1: Heat at Lakers – Wednesday, Sept. 30, 9pm ET / 6pm PT
Game 2: Heat at Lakers – Friday, Oct. 2, 9pm ET / 6pm PT
Game 3: Lakers at Heat – Sunday, Oct. 4, 7.30pm ET / 4.30pm PT
Game 4: Lakers at Heat – Tuesday, Oct. 6, 9pm ET / 6pm PT
Game 5: Heat at Lakers – Friday, Oct. 9, 9pm ET / 6pm PT
Game 6: Lakers at Heat – Sunday, Oct. 11, 77.30pm ET / 4.30pm PT
Game 7: Heat at Lakers – Tuesday, Oct. 13, 9pm ET / 6pm PT
LA Lakers vs Miami Heat live stream: how to watch Game 1 in the US
The entire LA Lakers vs Miami Heat series is being shown nationally on ABC – for start times, check out the Finals schedule above. That means that you’ll also be able to watch online at ABC.com and via the broadcaster’s mobile apps.
There are also other TV streaming services like AT&T Now that should give you access to ABC’s NBA coverage and a whole lot more content as well.
Here’s a quick rundown of the main options – just remember that if you already subscribe to one of these services or normally have access to ABC on your TV at home, all you need is a good VPN and you can watch the LA Lakers vs Miami Heat series live just like you would from your sofa – and our top pick, ExpressVPN, will give you 3-months free if you sign up for an annual deal.
- AT&T Now: Has numerous plans, the cheapest being $65 p/m for over 40 channels, which includes ABC as well as HBO. As ABC is only available in select markets you should check to ensure you have access to the channel’s live stream.
- Hulu + Live TV: One basic plan with over 65 channels and On Demand content for $54.99 p/m. Numerous add-ons are available. Check to see if ABC is available in your area.
- YouTube TV: $44.99 for over 70 channels. The service also offers ABC content On Demand and live, though double check ABC is available to stream in your area by entering your zip code.
How to watch LA Lakers vs Miami Heat: live stream in Canada
TSN has the rights to show the 2020 NBA Finals playoffs live and in full across Canada.
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 Lakers vs Nuggets online with NBA League Pass. If you’re out of the country you can use a VPN to easily swap your location so you can still live stream it all.
All times are the same as in the US as per the schedule above.
2020 NBA Finals live stream in the UK
There’s a lot of late nights in store for UK hoops fans looking to follow this year’s NBA Finals live – but Sky Sports has you covered.
Sky Sports Main Event will be the channel to head to, with coverage of Game 1 beginning at 1.45am BST in the early hours of Thursday morning.
As well as being available via Sky, you can also watch the channel with BT and Virgin Media TV packages.
For those who don’t fancy the full commitment of a Sky contract, there are other options.
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 – but we’d highly recommend the better value Monthly Pass for the majority of viewers. It 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 now comes in at a reduced price of £24.99 for the FInals.
If you’re looking to watch Lakers vs Heat 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 get a Lakers vs Heat live stream in Australia
There are two options for Australian viewers wanting to tune in to the NBA Final playoffs this year.
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.
Coverage of Game 1 of the Lakers vs Heat series is confirmed for both ESPN and Kayo, with tip off set for 11am AEST on Thursday morning.
Is NBA League Pass the best way to live stream basketball?
If you’ve been shopping for ways to pick up a Lakers vs Heat 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, the NBA League Pass won’t show you any of the Finals action live. That’s because it’s being broadcast on national TV, rendering your League Pass effectively useless.
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 £24.99 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.