NBA All-Star Game, Slam Dunk contest: Start time, schedule and how to watch without cable

After an unprecedented 2019-2020 NBA season due to the pandemic, the 2020-2021 season has reached its midpoint with today’s All-Star Game. Unlike past years when the festivities ran the whole weekend, the 2021 edition will consolidate all the in-person action to a single Sunday. Televised on TNT, the game will take place at State Farm Arena in Atlanta in an effort to be closer to Turner Sports’ production facilities and limit travel. Fans will not be able to attend in person, though some vaccinated front-line workers will be in the stands. Leading vote-getters LeBron James and Kevin Durant are the captains for the game and full rosters can be found on the NBA’s site.

While COVID-19 didn’t shut down the game, its impact was very apparent on Sunday when the NBA announced that Joel Embiid (Team Durant) and Ben Simmons (Team LeBron) of the Phiadelphia 76ers will be held out of the contest due to contact tracing. The two stars had contact with a barber who has since tested positive for coronavirus. ESPN reports that New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson will be taking Embiid’s place in the starting lineup for Team Durant. 

Here’s the schedule for today, Sunday March 7, all of which will air on TNT: 

• 6:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. PT): Taco Bell Skills Challenge and MTN Dew 3-Point Contest
• 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT): All-Star Game
• Halftime of All-Star Game: AT&T Slam Dunk Contest

Read more: NBA streaming: Best ways to watch the 2021 season without cable

What is the format for this year’s game? 

The format for the 2021 All-Star Game will mirror that of the 2020 game. Like last year, the teams will begin each of the first three quarters at 0-0 and play for 12 minutes. The team that scores the most in that quarter wins the period. The fourth quarter will be untimed with the goal being to hit the target score, ensuring the game ends on a basket as opposed to the clock hitting zeros.

The target score is determined by adding up each team’s first three scores and adding 24 — in honor of the late Kobe Bryant’s jersey number — to the leading team’s total.   

When does the regular season resume? 

The second half of the NBA regular season will begin on Wednesday, March 10. 

How can I watch the NBA on TV live without cable?

Four of the five major live TV streaming services offer ESPN, TNT and ABC (all but Sling TV), but not every service carries your local ABC station, so check the links below to make sure it’s available in your area. 

For All-Star Sunday you’re only going to need TNT, so if you have FuboTV you’ll need something else to catch the game. 

If you want maximum coverage, especially for the rest of the regular season, you’ll also want to make sure you have NBA TV (which also airs some games nationally each week) and your regional sports network (which air the bulk of a team’s local games). Most regional sports networks are only widely available via streaming on AT&T TV, which starts at $85 per month for the Choice package with no annual contract. 

At that price, you may want to consider just getting regular cable.  

Read more: How to cut the cable TV cord