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How to watch the NBA conference finals for free tonight

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Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves reacts to his basket against the Denver Nuggets in the first quarter of Game Four of the Western Conference Second Round Playoffs at Target Center on May 12, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Nuggets defeated the Timberwolves 115-107. Getty Images

Down to just four teams, the NBA conference finals have arrived. If you've bid your cable company a fond farewell -- or you're considering cutting the cable cord -- not only can you save money every month by ditching cable and subscribing to a live TV streaming platform, you can watch tonight's 2024 NBA Conference finals game for free. 

If you like saving money as much as you like watching NBA basketball, NHL hockey, MLB baseball, NASCAR, awards shows and your favorite network programming, you'll want to keep reading. Not only can you catch all the amazing basketball being played in the postseason for free, you can watch so much more.


How and when to watch the 2024 NBA conference finals

The conference finals are scheduled to begin Tuesday, May 21, 2024 when the Indiana Pacers face the Boston Celtics for Game 1 of the teams' playoffs series. Eastern Conference games will be broadcast on ESPN and ABC, while Western Conference games will air on TNT. You can stream the NBA conference finals for free on Fubo (Eastern Conference only), Hulu + Live TV (both conferences) and Max with the B/R add-on (Western Conference only). 

Watch the Eastern Conference finals for free with Fubo

You can catch the Indiana Pacers vs. Boston Celtics series on Fubo for free tonight by taking advantage of the streamer's seven-day free trial. Fubo is a sports-centric streaming service that offers access to ABC and ESPN, in addition to almost every NFL game next season.

To watch the NBA Eastern Conference finals without cable, start a seven-day free trial of Fubo. You can begin watching immediately on your TV, phone, tablet or computer. In addition to NBA basketball, you'll have access to NFL football, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and international soccer games. Fubo's Pro Tier is priced at $80 per month after your free seven-day trial.

Sports fans will want to consider adding on the $8 per month Fubo Extra package, which includes MLB Network, NBA TV, NHL Network, Tennis Channel, SEC Network and more channels with live games. Or upgrade to the Fubo Elite tier and get all the Fubo Extra channels, plus the ability to stream in 4K, starting at $90 per month ($70 for the first month).

Top features of FuboTV Pro Tier:

  • There are no contracts with Fubo, you can cancel anytime.
  • The Pro tier includes over 180 channels, so there's something for everyone to enjoy. 
  • Fubo includes most channels you'll need to watch live sports, including CBS (not available through Sling TV).
  • All tiers come with 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR recording.
  • Stream on your TV, phone, tablet and other devices.

Max subscribers can watch the Western Conference finals for free with the B/R Sports add-on

Max, formerly known as HBO Max, is known for streaming top-tier HBO content like "Succession" and "House of the Dragon". Now, NBA fans can enjoy NBA Playoffs games airing on TNT (Western Conference finals) on the streamer with the B/R Sports add-on. You'll need a Max subscription to access B/R sports content like the NBA Playoffs and the NHL Playoffs. Some blackouts do apply.

Note that a subscription to Max starts at $10 per month. Only the B/R Sports add-on is currently free.


Watch the NBA conference finals for free: Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle

You can watch the Eastern Conference finals and the Western Conference finals with the Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle. The bundle features 95 channels, including ABC, TNT, local network affiliates and ESPN. It also includes the ESPN+ streaming service. Unlimited DVR storage is also included. Watch the 2024 NBA playoffs, MLB this season and network-aired NFL games next season with Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle.

Hulu + Live TV comes bundled with ESPN+ and Disney+. It's priced at $77 per month after a three-day free trial.


Who's playing in the 2024 NBA conference finals?

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Boston Celtics center Al Horford and forward Jayson Tatum talk on the court in the fourth quarter.  Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

This season's conference finals promise two terrific matchups from four teams hungry for a win. In the East, the Boston Celtics face the Indiana Pacers, who haven't been in the conference finals since 2014 when they lost to the Miami Heat. In the Western Conference, it's the Minnesota Timberwolves vs. the Dallas Mavericks. It's been 20 years since the Wolves last made an appearance in the Western Conference finals, while the Mavericks made the cut in 2022.


When are the 2024 NBA conference finals?

The conference finals are scheduled to begin on May 21, 2024.

Conference finals schedule

Below is the schedule for the NBA conference finals. All times Eastern.

Eastern Conference

(1) Boston vs. (6) Indiana

• Game 1: Pacers vs. Celtics, Tuesday, May 21 (8:00 ET, ESPN)
• Game 2: Pacers vs. Celtics, Thursday, May 23 (8:00 ET, ESPN)
• Game 3: Celtics vs. Pacers, Saturday, May 25 (8:30 ET, ABC)
• Game 4: Celtics vs. Pacers, Monday, May 27 (8:00 ET, ESPN)
• Game 5: Pacers vs. Celtics, Wednesday, May 29 (8:00 ET, ESPN)*
• Game 6: Celtics vs. Pacers, Friday, May 31 (8:00 ET, ESPN)*
• Game 7: Pacers vs. Celtics, Sunday, June 2 (8:00 ET, ESPN)*

* = if necessary

Western Conference

3) Minnesota vs. (5) Dallas

• Game 1: Mavericks vs. Timberwolves, Wednesday, May 22 (8:30 ET, TNT)
• Game 2: Mavericks vs. Timberwolves, Friday, May 24 (8:30 ET, TNT)
• Game 3: Timberwolves vs. Mavericks, Sunday, May 26 (8:00 ET, TNT)
• Game 4: Timberwolves vs. Mavericks, Tuesday, May 28 (8:30 ET, TNT)
• Game 5: Mavericks vs. Timberwolves, Thursday, May 30 (8:30 ET, TNT)*
• Game 6: Timberwolves vs. Mavericks, Saturday, June 1 (8:30 ET, TNT)*
• Game 7: Mavericks vs. Timberwolves, Monday, June 3 (8:30 ET, TNT)*

* = if necessary


NBA Finals schedule

The 2024 NBA Finals will begin June 6, airing on ABC.

  • Sunday, June 9: Game 2
  • Wednesday, June 12: Game 3
  • Friday, June 14: Game 4
  • Monday, June 17: Game 5 (if necessary)
  • Thursday, June 20: Game 6 (if necessary)
  • Sunday, June 23: Game 7 (if necessary)

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