Finding a clean stream of an NBA game in 2026 feels like trying to crack a safe. You’ve got regional blackouts, the new NBC/Peacock deal, and the fact that Bally Sports is now FanDuel Sports Network. If you're trying to figure out where to watch Atlanta Hawks vs Toronto Raptors, the answer isn't just "turn on the TV." It depends entirely on whether you're sitting in a high-rise in Midtown Atlanta, a condo in Liberty Village, or somewhere completely different like Seattle or London.
The 2025-26 season has fundamentally changed how we consume basketball. TNT is out. NBC and Amazon Prime Video are in. If you aren't careful, you’ll end up staring at a "This content is not available in your area" screen while Trae Young is already deep into the first quarter.
The Local TV Situation: How to Catch the Hawks and Raptors
If you live in the "in-market" zones, your options are pretty locked in. For the Atlanta crowd, FanDuel Sports Network Southeast (FDSSE) is your home base. Don't go looking for Bally Sports; the name changed, but the channel position on your cable or satellite guide likely stayed the same.
Up north, the Raptors are a bit of a different beast. Because they are Canada’s team, their games alternate between TSN (The Sports Network) and Sportsnet. If you have a standard Canadian cable package, you’re usually covered, but you have to check the specific night’s schedule to see which network won the coin toss for that game.
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Streaming locally is where it gets pricey. In Atlanta, if you’ve cut the cord, your best bets for FDSSE are:
- Fubo: They’ve become the go-to for regional sports networks (RSNs), though they keep hiking the "regional sports fee."
- DirecTV Stream: Pricey, but it’s the most reliable way to get the local broadcast without a traditional cable box.
- FanDuel Sports Network App: You can subscribe directly to the RSN now, bypass the middleman, and just stream the Hawks through their proprietary app.
Watching the Hawks and Raptors Outside Their Markets
If you aren't in Georgia or Ontario, life is actually a lot simpler. NBA League Pass remains the king of out-of-market viewing. However, the 2026 version of League Pass has a new best friend: Amazon Prime Video.
You can now subscribe to League Pass directly through your Prime account. It’s honestly the most seamless way to watch. It keeps all your sports in one app, and the interface is significantly less buggy than the standalone NBA app often is.
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Important Note: Even with League Pass, if the game is being broadcast on a national network like NBC, ESPN, or Prime Video, it will be blacked out on the League Pass feed. You have to go to the national broadcaster for those specific nights.
The National TV Schedule: NBC, Peacock, and Prime
The NBA’s new media deal has scattered games across the week. If the Hawks vs. Raptors matchup lands on a Monday or Tuesday, there’s a high probability it’s on Peacock. This is the part that trips people up. NBC now holds the rights that TNT used to have, and they are pushing a lot of exclusive content to their streaming service.
- Monday Nights: Often exclusive to Peacock.
- Friday Nights: Look for the game on Amazon Prime Video.
- Sunday Nights: Once the NFL season wraps up, NBC’s "Sunday Night Basketball" becomes the premier destination.
If the game is on ESPN, you can find it through the new ESPN Unlimited service or any live TV streamer like YouTube TV. Just remember that the old "ESPN+" subscription usually won't get you the main NBA broadcasts; you need the full-fat ESPN cable channel or their new direct-to-consumer tier.
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The International Viewing Hack
For fans outside of North America, the NBA International League Pass is actually a better product than what we get in the states. There are zero blackouts. Whether the game is on national TV or local, international subscribers see everything. If you're traveling abroad, this is your best friend.
What to Watch For: The Matchup Dynamics
When these two teams meet, it’s a contrast in styles. The Hawks, led by Trae Young and Jalen Johnson, want to run. They want high-variance, high-possession games. The Raptors, under Darko Rajaković, have leaned into a high-IQ, "point-forward" style with Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram (who joined the Raptors in the 2025 offseason).
The 2025-26 season has seen Jalen Johnson emerge as a legitimate All-Star candidate for Atlanta, often leading the team in both points and rebounds. On the Toronto side, the addition of veteran scoring has balanced out their young core, making them one of the tougher outs in the Eastern Conference.
How to Avoid the "Blackout" Headache
- Check your Zip Code: Go to the NBA League Pass website and use their blackout identifier before you pay. If you live in a "shared" market, you might be surprised who owns the rights.
- Use a Single Login: If you have a cable provider, use those credentials to log into the FanDuel Sports Network app or the TSN/Sportsnet apps directly. The third-party apps often have better bitrates than the cable boxes.
- Radio is the Backup: If you’re stuck in the car, 92.9 FM The Game in Atlanta or Sportsnet 590 The Fan in Toronto provide world-class radio broadcasts. You can also stream the audio through the NBA app, which usually doesn't have the same geographical restrictions as the video.
To ensure you don't miss tip-off, verify whether the game is a "National Exclusive." If it's on Peacock or Prime Video, your local RSN won't have it. If it’s a standard regular-season night, stick with your local sports network or League Pass for out-of-market viewing.
Check the official NBA app or your service provider's schedule at least two hours before the game to see if there have been any last-minute "flex" changes to the broadcast schedule.