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The Los Angeles Lakers are back in LA on Friday night and looking for a rebound showing against the visiting Milwaukee Bucks. The game is scheduled to start at 10:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. PT) with TV coverage on NBA TV and streaming on-demand.
How to watch Lakers vs. Bucks on TV and stream without cable:
When: Friday, Jan. 9 at 10:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. PT)
Where:Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, Calif.
TV channel: NBA TV
Streaming on:FuboTV (free trial) | DirecTV (free trial) | SlingTV (low intro rate)
Lakers vs. Bucks: The matchup
The Lakers played without 41-year-old LeBron James on Wednesday night against the San Antonio Spurs, falling in the second leg of back-to-back games (107-91) to snap three-game winning streak. Los Angeles enters the weekend sitting atop the West’s Pacific Division and owns the fourth-best record in the conference (23-12) while playing through a season-opening injury to James and a recent ailment to third scorer Austin Reaves.
See also:More NBA coverage on PennLive
The Bucks continue their West Coast swing by moving down the coast to Los Angeles after splitting road contests with the Golden State Warriors (120-113 loss) and Sacramento Kings (122-121). Milwaukee stays on the road while fighting to remain in contention and facing a potential long-term decision to make with superstar face-of-the-franchise Giannis Antetokounmpo. While the Bucks have been unable to make a run thus far in 2025-’26, they have inspired hope with a 5-3 mark in their past eight games to improve to 16-21 overall, good for 11th-best in the East.
Lakers vs. Bucks: Know your live streams
FuboTV (free trial): FuboTV offers the most extensive package of live sports with rates competitive with DirecTV. The FuboTV Pro Package ($54.99) includes ESPN Unlimited. The Elite with Sports Plus package ($74.99) is required for NFL Red Zone. Monthly rates rise to $84.99 and $104.99 after the trial.
DirecTV (free trial): DirecTV offers a 5-day free trial and $49.99 first month ($89.99 after) with a current offer for $40 off the first full month. DirecTV’s Entertainment package ($49.99) carries ESPN Unlimited and NFL Red Zone on its channel lineup.
SlingTV (low intro rate): Full month of streaming runs as low as $45.99 with day passes available for 24 hours ($4.99), three-day ($9.99) and seven-day access ($14.99). The service’s most noteworthy omission is CBS, which carries college basketball and football, NBA and NFL games.