How to watch Miami Heat: live stream every 2020/21 NBA game online from anywhere
Can Jimmy Butler and the Heat rule the East again?
Basketball is officially back and Heat fans in Miami can now watch their favorite team play again in the 2020/21 season. As is the case with the rest of the league, the Heat will play 72 games - and while the schedule for the first half of the campaign has been released, the schedule for the second half won't get revealed until early 2021. Read on as we have all the details on how you can get a Heat live stream and watch the Miami Heat online throughout the new NBA season.
Everything you need to know to watch the Miami Heat online for every game of the 2020/21 NBA season is below, from TV channel details to live streaming options - and you can take your preferred Heat coverage with you wherever you are by drafting a rock-solid VPN.
Last season, the Miami Heat finished in fifth place in the NBA’s Eastern Conference with 44 wins and 29 losses. In the postseason, the team defeated the Indiana Pacers in the first round, the Milwaukee Bucks in the conference semifinals and the Boston Celtics in the conference finals.
While the Heat then went on to face off against the Lakers in the NBA Finals, unfortunately Miami won two out of six games and Los Angeles took home the Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy.
The 2020/21 NBA season is just beginning and what better jumping off point to start keeping track of your favorite team. Lucky for you, you won’t have to miss any of the Heat’s 72 regular season games with our guide - here's how to watch the Miami Heat online and get an NBA live stream from anywhere in the world - even during NBA blackouts.
- Related: how to watch an NCAA college basketball live stream
How to watch a Miami Heat live stream from outside your country
You may not be able to watch the Miami Heat play using your cable TV or streaming service subscription due to coverage blackout rules in the US or international geo-blocking restrictions.
When this is the case, the simplest and most reliable solution is to use a VPN service, which masks your IP address - and therefore your location - when you visit a website.
On top of that, it gives you the ability to reroute your device's internet connection through a server in a different country or state, thereby getting you access to coverage that might not otherwise be available - even though you probably pay for it.
Use a VPN to get a Heat live stream abroad
ExpressVPN is the world's top VPN right now
We've taken the time to try out all the biggest VPN providers and we found ExpressVPN to be the pick of the bunch. It works with lots of devices and offers super fast connections across its many servers.
Throw in its robust set of security features and ExpressVPN is the best all-round VPN for streaming - and perhaps best of all, it has a 30-day money back guarantee plus 3 months FREE when you subscribe for a year.
Access ExpressVPN via your laptop, iPhone, tablet, Android phone, PlayStation, Xbox and plenty more. Express is a do-it-all service that also benefits from 24/7 customer support.
How to watch a Miami Heat live stream: catch every NBA game online in the US
Heat fans in the US that want to be able to watch every single game this season will need either a cable package or a subscription to a streaming service that gives you access to ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN 3, ABC, TNT, NBA TV - plus Fox Sports or NBC Sports regional sports networks (RSNs) as appropriate.
Of all the streaming services currently available, this means AT&T TV NOW is the first one to consider for Heat fans, as it's the only that offers Miami's RSN, Fox Sports Sun - as well as most of the national channels listed above.
The cheapest way to live stream Heat NBA games
If you only want to watch the biggest games and are less concerned about RSN coverage, you can watch the NBA online for less with great value OTT streaming service Sling TV.
Its Orange package costs just $30 a month and gets you ESPN and TNT, while a $10 p/m Sports Extra add-on nets you NBA TV. This combo will give you an NBA live stream for many nationally televised games, with ABC the only channel not on offer.
Plus, Sling offers a FREE TRIAL period so you can check it out for yourself - and unlike cable, cancel your subscription at any time. Its RSN offering is limited, however.
More cable replacement options for Miami Heat fans
FuboTV covers most of the bases required and is also worth considering for Miami Heat fans.
In order to watch every Heat game this season, you’ll need to sign up for FuboTV’s Family Plan for $64.99 per month. The service’s Family Plan gives you access to almost all of the channels you’ll need to watch the NBA live this season as it includes ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, Fox Sports, NBC Sports, NBA TV - though not TNT.
However, FuboTV doesn’t offer access to the Miami Heat’s local broadcaster Fox Sports Sun- so that's a big minus point in our view.
How to watch Heat games out of market in the US
The NBA has its own streaming service called NBA League Pass that will allow you to follow either your favorite team or teams all season long. With NBA Team Pass, you get access to every live game for one team with full replays for $119.99 a year.
NBA League Pass gives you the same coverage but instead of having access to just one team’s games, you can watch live games for every team in the NBA for $199.99. Basketball fans who want the complete package though will have to sign up for NBA League Pass Premium which gives you access to all teams and in-arena streams for $249.99 a year.
NBA League Pass offers the most content by far but there is a catch, NBA blackouts still apply so you won’t be able to view local games live.
How to watch Miami Heat blackout games
If blackouts have become an issue for whatever reason, remember that having a good VPN on your software roster can help you get around this - just follow the guide above.
How to get a Miami Heat live stream: watch NBA games online in Canada
Canadian Heat fans that don’t want to miss a single game this season will need either a cable package or a subscription to a streaming service that gives them access to SportsNet, TSN 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 as well as NBA TV Canada. Although you could add these channels to your existing cable package, this can be quite costly as many of this season’s games will be shown on premium channels.
If you’d prefer to stream basketball online, you can subscribe to SportsNet Now for $19.99 per month and this will allow you to livestream over 200 NBA games including the NBA Playoffs. If you just want to watch a few basketball games, the service also offers a 7-day pass for $9.99. Alternatively, a TSN subscription will also set you back $19.99 per month.
However, neither of these options will get you the same coverage as NBA League Pass which allows you to stream one team, all the teams in the league or even all teams without commercials depending on which package you choose.
If you're a Heat fan in Canada, you largely won't be subject to blackout restrictions (unless the Raptors are involved), making it the most comprehensive option around.
Miami Heat live stream UK: how to watch NBA basketball online
If you’re in the UK, then Sky Sports is your TV option for watching the Heat this season. As a Sky Sports subscriber (or Now TV streaming subscriber), you’ll select coverage of the NBA including this year’s Christmas Day games and All-Star Week - but not dedicated coverage of your team, as only a few games get selected each week for broadcast.
For this reason, the best option for Heat fans in the UK is the NBA League Pass UK version. Unlike in the US, the International NBA League Pass doesn’t have any blackout or other restrictions so you’ll be able to watch a Miami Heat live stream for game this season as it happens.
Plus, with the help of a VPN, you can take your UK NBA coverage with you wherever you are -so you never have to miss a game, even if you briefly find yourself elsewhere for the next tip-off!
How to get a Miami Heat live stream and watch NBA basketball online in Australia
Miami Heat fans in Australia have a few options to watch the NBA this season as Foxtel, SBS and Kayo Sports will all broadcast live games.
Foxtel will broadcast live NBA games via ESPN but you will need to add the network’s Sports Package for $25 per month on top of the Foxtel Plus Pack at $49 per month to watch making it a hard option to recommend. While you won’t be able to watch every game on SBS, the network will show basketball games on Saturday and Sunday this season.
If you’ve already cut the cord, then the excellent value streaming service Kayo Sports also has you covered for all things ESPN and can be cancelled at any time - so we'd recommend looking into this option first.
It costs either $25 or $35 per month depending on which package you choose but it’s still far cheaper than Foxtel and you can grab a 14-day FREE TRIAL to test it out. Perhaps best of all, a single Kayo Sports subscription can be used simultaneously across multiple devices, meaning you can share one with family or friends and pay less.
Don’t forget that you can also grab a good VPN to ensure you can access your preferred streaming coverage from anywhere in the world, while NBA League Pass is available in Australia for those who don’t want to miss a single Heat game this season. As in the UK, you won't suffer from blackout restrictions so it's the top option for die-hard Heat fans Down Under!
Miami Heat: 2020/21 season team news
Ahead of the start of the 2020-21 season, the Miami Heat has retained 13 players from last season’s roster while also adding Avery Bradley and Moe Harkless in free agency during the offseason. The team also drafted power forward Precious Achiuwa in the first round. While Miami has been trying to add Houston’s James Harden to its roster this season, as of now the team is no longer engaging in trade talks with Rockets.
- More sports action: how to watch an NFL live stream
Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.
Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.
After working with the TechRadar Pro team for the last several years, Anthony is now the security and networking editor at Tom’s Guide where he covers everything from data breaches and ransomware gangs to the best way to cover your whole home or business with Wi-Fi. When not writing, you can find him tinkering with PCs and game consoles, managing cables and upgrading his smart home.