You're sitting on your couch, jersey on, wings ready, and you hit the power button only to realize the game isn't where you left it last season. Honestly, it’s frustrating. The 2025–2026 season has completely flipped the script on how we watch basketball. If you're frantically clicking through your guide wondering what channel is the game on NBA today, you're not alone. The old days of just checking TNT or ESPN are gone. We’ve entered a new era where Amazon and NBC are calling the shots, and if you don't have the right app downloaded, you might miss tip-off.
For tonight, Saturday, January 17, 2026, the schedule is packed, but the "channel" depends entirely on who’s playing. If you’re looking for the marquee national matchups, NBA TV is taking the lead with a double-header. First, you've got the Phoenix Suns at the New York Knicks at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers visiting the Portland Trail Blazers at 10:00 p.m. ET. But that's just the tip of the iceberg.
The New Hierarchy: NBC, Amazon, and the Death of TNT
If you haven't heard, the NBA's media rights deal changed everything this season. TNT is officially out of the rotation after over two decades. In its place, NBC and Peacock have taken over a massive chunk of the schedule. On most Tuesdays and Sundays, you’ll find games on NBC. Mondays are the "Peacock Exclusive" days.
Amazon Prime Video is the other big player now. They’ve grabbed the Thursday and Friday night slots that used to be the bread and butter of cable TV. It’s a lot to keep track of. Basically, the league decided to spread the games across as many platforms as possible to maximize revenue, leaving fans to play a nightly game of "find the broadcast."
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What Channel Is the Game on NBA Tonight? (Jan 17, 2026)
Since it's Saturday, the national television schedule is a bit more focused. While NBA TV handles the Knicks-Suns and Lakers-Blazers games, several other matchups are strictly on local Regional Sports Networks (RSNs). Here is a breakdown of the specific channels for the most popular games tonight:
- Dallas Mavericks at Utah Jazz (5:00 PM ET): This one is on KFAA and KJZZ. It’s also streaming on Jazz+ and MavsTV.
- Atlanta Hawks at Boston Celtics (7:30 PM ET): You'll find this on FDSSE (FanDuel Sports Network Southeast) and NBCS-BOS.
- Miami Heat at Oklahoma City Thunder (8:00 PM ET): Look for FDSSUN or FDSOK.
- San Antonio Spurs at Minnesota Timberwolves (8:00 PM ET): This is airing on FDSN and FDSSW.
- Golden State Warriors at Charlotte Hornets (8:30 PM ET): Catch this on NBCS-BA or FDSSE.
If you're out-of-market for any of these, NBA League Pass is your best friend, though blackouts still apply if you live in the same city as the team.
The Streaming Puzzle
Streaming has made "what channel" a complicated question. We used to just mean "what number on the remote." Now, it means "which monthly subscription." For the 2026 season, you really need a "Big Three" of streaming to see every national game: Peacock (for Monday/Tuesday/Sunday NBC games), Amazon Prime Video (for Thursday/Friday/Saturday games), and ESPN Unlimited (for Wednesday games).
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Disney launched ESPN Unlimited as a direct-to-consumer service recently, meaning you don't need a cable login anymore to watch the games on ESPN or ABC. It’s $29.99 a month, which sounds steep until you realize it’s still cheaper than a full cable package.
Why Finding the Game Is So Hard Lately
The reason people keep asking what channel is the game on NBA is the fragmentation of local rights. Most teams are still tied to Regional Sports Networks, but those networks are changing names and owners constantly. Last year, everything was "Bally Sports." Now, most of those have transitioned to FanDuel Sports Network.
Some teams, like the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz, have gone "over-the-air." This means you can actually watch them with a cheap digital antenna for free if you live in the area. It’s a throwback to the 90s, and honestly, it’s a relief for local fans. But if you’re a Lakers fan in Los Angeles, you’re still stuck with Spectrum SportsNet, which usually requires a cable or a specific streaming bundle like DIRECTV STREAM or Fubo.
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Actionable Tips for This Season
Don't wait until five minutes before tip-off to figure this out. The league is much more strict about its "exclusive" windows now. If a game is on Peacock on a Monday night, it won't be on your local cable channel at all.
- Download the NBA App: Even if you don't pay for League Pass, the app's schedule tab is the most accurate way to see exactly which local or national channel has the rights to a specific game based on your GPS location.
- Check for "Plus" Services: Many teams now offer a standalone streaming service (like ClipperVision, Suns+, or MavsTV) for about $15–$20 a month. If you only care about one team and live in their city, this is usually the cheapest path.
- Audit Your Subscriptions: If you're paying for cable just for the NBA, you might be overspending. A combination of a digital antenna (for ABC/NBC), Peacock, and Amazon Prime covers about 70% of the marquee matchups.
- Use the Prime Video Hub: Amazon has integrated NBA League Pass and some RSNs directly into their interface. It's often easier to manage your billing through one app than having five different logins.
The landscape is messy, but once you know the "Days of the Week" rule—Mondays on Peacock, Wednesdays on ESPN, Thursdays on Prime—it gets a little easier to navigate. Just remember that for the rest of tonight, NBA TV is your primary destination for the heavy hitters.
To get the most out of your viewing tonight, check your local listings for FanDuel Sports Network if you’re following a mid-market team, or fire up the NBA App to verify your specific regional blackout status before committing to a stream. Knowing the broadcast schedule ahead of time is the only way to avoid the last-minute scramble.