The 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament has arrived with the Western Conference No. 8 Los Angeles Lakers facing the No. 7 New Orleans Pelicans today in a single-elimination game. The winner of today’s game will face the winner of today’s No. 10 Golden State Warriors vs. No. 9 Sacramento Kings game.  

Keep reading for how and when to watch the Lakers vs. Pelicans game today, even if you don’t have cable.

When is the 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament?

The NBA Play-In Tournament will be played April 16-19, 2024.  The Western Conference will kick off the play-in tournament on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. The Eastern Conference will begin competition on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.

The Western Conference play-in games will air on TNT. The Eastern Conference play-in games will air on ESPN.

Western Conference

• 7/8 Game: L.A. Lakers vs. New Orleans, Tuesday, April 16 (7:30 ET, TNT)
• 9/10 Game: Golden State vs. Sacramento, Tuesday, April 16 (10 ET, TNT)

Eastern Conference 

• 7/8 Game: Miami vs. Philadelphia; Wednesday, April 17 (7 ET, ESPN)
• 9/10 Game: Atlanta vs. Chicago; Wednesday, April 17 (9:30 ET, ESPN)

NBA Play-In Tournament: How and when to watch the Lakers vs. Pelicans game

The Lakers vs. Pelicans game will be played on Tuesday, April 16, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT). The game will air on TNT and stream on SlingTV and the streaming platforms featured below. 

How to watch the Lakers vs. Pelicans game without cable

If your cable subscription doesn’t carry TNT, or you’ve cut the cord with your cable company, know that not all live TV streaming platforms carry the channels airing today’s play-in game. Below are the platforms on which you can watch today’s Lakers vs. Pelicans game live. 

Save $40 on Sling TV: The most cost-effective way to stream the Lakers vs. Pelicans game

If you don’t have cable TV that includes TNT, one of the most cost-effective ways to stream today’s game is through a subscription to Sling TV. To watch today’s game, you’ll need a subscription to the Orange tier. The streamer also offers access to your local network affiliate’s live feed (excluding CBS) and also includes the NFL Network and ESPN with its Orange + Blue tier plan. Also worth noting: Sling TV comes with 50 hours of cloud-based DVR recording space included, perfect for recording today’s championship game.

The Orange tier is normally $40 per month, but right now Sling TV has an offer for new subscribers. You can save $40 when you prepay $120 for four months of the Sling TV Orange tier. The Sling’s Orange + Blue tier costs $60 per month, but the platform is currently offering $10 off the first month of any pricing tier, making the Orange + Blue tier $50 for the first month.

Note: Because Sling TV doesn’t carry CBS, you won’t be able to watch CBS-aired programming like next year’s NFL games on CBS. If you’re looking for one live TV streaming platform to watch all your favorite sports, we suggest a subscription to Hulu + Live TV. 

Top features of Sling TV Orange tier:

• There are 32 channels to watch in total, including ESPN, TNT and TBS.
• You get access to NFL games airing on ESPN next season at the lowest price.
• All subscription tiers include 50 hours of cloud-based DVR storage.

Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle: Watch the Lakers vs. Pelicans game live

You can watch the Lakers vs. Pelicans game with the Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle. The bundle features 95 channels, including TNT, local network affiliates and ESPN. It also includes the ESPN+ streaming service. Unlimited DVR storage is also included. Watch the Lakers vs. Pelicans game, 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 after a three-day free trial.

2024 NBA Playoffs: Full playoff schedule

The first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs will start April 20.

First round schedule

Below are the dates, times and networks airing each game of the first round of the NBA Playoffs.  All times Eastern.

Eastern Conference

(1) Boston vs. No. 8 Seed**

• Game 1: TBD vs. Celtics; Sunday, April 21 (TBD, TBD)
• Game 2: TBD vs. Celtics; TBD (TBD, TBD)
• Game 3: Celtics vs. TBD; TBD (TBD, TBD)
• Game 4: Celtics vs. TBD; TBD (TBD, TBD)
• Game 5: TBD vs. Celtics; TBD (TBD, TBD)*
• Game 6: Celtics vs. TBD; TBD (TBD, TBD)*
• Game 7: TBD vs. Celtics; TBD (TBD, TBD)*

** = Winner of Game between Loser of 7/8 Game and Winner of 9/10 Game
* = If necessary

(2) New York vs. No. 7 Seed**

• Game 1: TBD vs. Knicks; Saturday, April 20 (TBD, TBD)
• Game 2: TBD vs. Knicks; TBD (TBD, TBD)
• Game 3: Knicks vs. TBD; TBD (TBD, TBD)
• Game 4: Knicks vs. TBD; TBD (TBD, TBD)
• Game 5: TBD vs. Knicks; TBD (TBD, TBD)*
• Game 6: Knicks vs. TBD; TBD (TBD, TBD)*
• Game 7: TBD vs. Knicks; TBD (TBD, TBD)*

** = Winner of 7/8 Game
* = If necessary

(3) Milwaukee vs. (6) Indiana

• Game 1: Pacers vs. Bucks; Sunday, April 21 (TBD, TBD)
• Game 2: Pacers vs. Bucks; TBD (TBD, TBD)
• Game 3: Bucks vs. Pacers; TBD (TBD, TBD)
• Game 4: Bucks vs. Pacers; TBD (TBD, TBD)
• Game 5: Pacers vs. Bucks; TBD (TBD, TBD)*
• Game 6: Bucks vs. Pacers; TBD (TBD, TBD)*
• Game 7: Pacers vs. Bucks; TBD (TBD, TBD)*

* = If necessary

(4) Cleveland vs. (5) Orlando

• Game 1: Magic vs. Cavaliers; Saturday, April 20 (TBD, TBD)
• Game 2: Magic vs. Cavaliers; TBD (TBD, TBD)
• Game 3: Cavaliers vs. Magic; TBD (TBD, TBD)
• Game 4: Cavaliers vs. Magic; TBD (TBD, TBD)
• Game 5: Magic vs. Cavaliers; TBD (TBD, TBD)*
• Game 6: Cavaliers vs. Magic; TBD (TBD, TBD)*
• Game 7: Magic vs. Cavaliers; TBD (TBD, TBD)* 

* = If necessary

Western Conference

(1) Oklahoma City vs. No. 8 Seed**

• Game 1: TBD vs. Thunder; Sunday, April 21 (TBD, TBD)
• Game 2: TBD vs. Thunder; TBD (TBD, TBD)
• Game 3: Thunder vs. TBD; TBD (TBD, TBD)
• Game 4: Thunder vs. TBD; TBD (TBD, TBD)
• Game 5: TBD vs. Thunder; TBD (TBD, TBD)*
• Game 6: Thunder vs. TBD; TBD (TBD, TBD)*
• Game 7: TBD vs. Thunder; TBD (TBD, TBD)*

** = Winner of Game between Loser of 7/8 Game and Winner of 9/10 Game
* = If necessary

(2) Denver vs. No. 7 Seed*

• Game 1: TBD vs. Nuggets; Saturday, April 20 (TBD, TBD)
• Game 2: TBD vs. Nuggets; TBD (TBD, TBD)
• Game 3: Nuggets vs. TBD; TBD (TBD, TBD)
• Game 4: Nuggets vs. TBD; TBD (TBD, TBD)
• Game 5: TBD vs. Nuggets; TBD (TBD, TBD)*
• Game 6: Nuggets vs. TBD; TBD (TBD, TBD)*
• Game 7: TBD vs. Nuggets; TBD (TBD, TBD)*

** = Winner of 7/8 Game
* = If necessary

(3) Minnesota vs. (6) Phoenix

• Game 1: Suns vs. Timberwolves; Saturday, April 20 (TBD, TBD)
• Game 2: Suns vs. Timberwolves; TBD (TBD, TBD)
• Game 3: Timberwolves vs. Suns; TBD (TBD, TBD)
• Game 4: Timberwolves vs. Suns; TBD (TBD, TBD)
• Game 5: Suns vs. Timberwolves; TBD (TBD, TBD)*
• Game 6: Timberwolves vs. Suns; TBD (TBD, TBD)*
• Game 7: Suns vs. Timberwolves; TBD (TBD, TBD)* 

* = If necessary

(4) LA Clippers vs. (5) Dallas

• Game 1: Mavericks vs. Clippers; Sunday, April 21 (TBD, TBD)
• Game 2: Mavericks vs. Clippers, TBD (TBD, TBD)
• Game 3: Clippers vs. Mavericks, TBD (TBD, TBD)
• Game 4: Clippers vs. Mavericks, TBD (TBD, TBD)
• Game 5: Mavericks vs. Clippers, TBD (TBD, TBD)*
• Game 6: Clippers vs. Mavericks, TBD (TBD, TBD)*
• Game 7: Mavericks vs. Clippers, TBD (TBD, TBD)*

* = If necessary

Conference semifinals schedule

The conference semifinals will begin May 6-7, but can move up to May 4-5 if the prior round’s series ends early.

Conference finals schedule

The conference finals will begin May 21-22, but can move up to May 19-20 if the prior round’s series ends early.

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)