Heat-Celtics Game 5 live stream (5/25): How to watch online, TV, time

The Boston Celtics look to continue to defy the odds Thursday, May 25, when they host the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals series. The game will be live streamed on Sling, which offers half off the first month, and on DirecTV Stream (free trial).

The Celtics’ season didn’t end in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference finals matchup with the Heat, and now there is a flicker of hope.

Whether Boston’s 116-99 victory on Tuesday night was the start of a miraculous revival or simply a momentary reprieve from what NBA history suggests is still inevitable remains to be determined.

At the very least, the Celtics’ win made their chances of becoming the first NBA team in 151 tries to overcome a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series move from insurmountable to iffy heading into Game 5 at TD Garden on Thursday.

That’s good for a team that had spent most of this series looking nothing like the one that earned the conference’s second seed.

So much of what made the Celtics one of the league’s top scoring and defensive teams during the regular season was eviscerated in three straight losses to Miami to open the series.

The Heat befuddled Boston in those games. It took away top scoring threats Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, while outshooting a Celtics team that usually has demolished opponents at the 3-point line.

Boston showed acumen on both ends in Game 4, rallying during a game-changing 18-0 run in the third quarter. Led by Tatum’s 33 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, the Celtics outscored the Heat by 30 points from beyond the arc and turned Miami’s 16 turnovers into 27 points.

While the win gave the Celtics a little life, the Heat can blame themselves for not finishing. The game was close for three quarters and Miami still just needs to win one of the final three games to make it back to the NBA Finals for the first time since its run in 2020 in the Florida bubble. Denver is waiting to play the winner after sweeping the Lakers.

Boston won three times on the Heat’s home floor last year in the East finals. With a win on Thursday, Miami would accomplish the same feat on Boston’s floor this year.

The Celtics are 4-5 at home this postseason.

When is Celtics-Heat Game 5?

The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat play Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals at 7:30 p.m. (8:30 p.m. ET) on Thursday, May 25.

Streaming options

Sling

Sling is also one of the cheaper live streaming services. It offers three different channel packages for its users: Sling Orange, Sling Blue and Sling Orange + Blue.

All three packages are offering half off the first month.

Sling Blue and Sling Orange are both $40 per month ($20 for the first month), but offer different channel selections.

The main difference between the two packages is the line of ESPN channels offered with Sling Orange as opposed to channels such as Fox News, MSNBC, Discovery and Bravo offered with Sling Blue.

Meanwhile, Sling Orange + Blue is both packages combined for $55 a month ($27.50 the first month).

DirecTV Stream

DirecTV Stream offers a free trial.

There are four options of DirecTV Stream. Price guaranteed for first two years.

The Entertainment Package, which consists of 65+ channels, is $64.99 until the promotion runs out April 30. It’s the basic package for can’t-miss entertainment - including ESPN, TNT, Nickelodeon and HGTV.

The Choice Package has more than 90 channels and is $84.99 during the promotion. The channels in ENTERTAINMENT, plus MLB Network, NBA TV, college sports networks, and more. Enjoy Regional Sports Networks with no additional fees.

The Ultimate Package has more than 130 channels and is $109.99 during the promotion. Everything in CHOICE, plus Oxygen, Golf Channel, NHL Network, Universal Kids and more.

The Premier Package has more than 140 channels and is $154.99 during the promotion. Everything in ULTIMATE, plus HBO Max, SHOWTIME, STARZ, Cinemax and more.

DirecTV Stream offers a free trial that doesn’t require much effort.

To sign up, enter a phone number, email address and credit card, and you’ll receive five days of the service without charge.

In addition, enhance your experience with the DirecTV Stream device. While it doesn’t include a free trial, it give you access to thousands of apps like Netflix and more on Google Play. You can search using the voice remote with Google Assistant, and you can enjoy a traditional live TV channel guide. It is sold separately.

What TV channel is game on?

The Heat and Celtics will be broadcast on TNT.

Injury Watch

The Heat are preparing for Game 5 with two key players on the mend.

Gabe Vincent, who has been a sparkplug through the series and had 17 points in Game 4, left the game in the fourth quarter after turning his left ankle.

Kyle Lowry also took an awkward fall, leaving the condition of Miami’s point guards up in the air.

“Whenever you ask these guys, they are like, ‘Yeah, I’m fine.’ So we’ll see,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after Game 4.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.