Sixers-Raptors: NBA playoffs schedule, channel, how to watch and stream

Can the Sixers make it all the way to the NBA Finals, or are fans destined to experience yet another early playoffs exit?

MVP candidate Joel Embiid will begin his fifth NBA playoff run Saturday, when the Sixers take on the Toronto Raptors at the Wells Fargo Center at 6 p.m. Game 1 will air on both NBC Sports Philadelphia and ESPN.

It’s the third time the Sixers have faced the Raptors in the playoffs. Philadelphia defeated Toronto in the second round of the 2001 playoffs, while Kawhi Leonard dropped the first Game 7 buzzer-beater in NBA playoffs history to send the Sixers home in 2019.

This time around, Ben Simmons is in Brooklyn (where he’s reportedly looking to return as soon as Game 3) and James Harden will take the court, with questions swirling about his recent shooting struggles with the Sixers. As Inquirer columnist David Murphy pointed out, Harden is still averaging as many points from the foul line (6.3) as he is from the three-point line (6.3 points on .288 shooting).

Another added headache for the Sixers is that guard Matisse Thybulle is ineligible to play in Toronto because he is not fully vaccinated against COVID-19, despite being encouraged to do so by Sixers head coach Doc Rivers.

“I told him I didn’t agree. But I told him I support him, and I will. And I’ll make sure, as much as I can, that his teammates support him,” Rivers said Tuesday. Tough spot for us to be in, but it is what it is.”

Here’s everything you need to know to watch or stream the Sixers’ first-round playoff matchup against the Toronto Raptors:

As in previous years, the Sixers’ first-round playoff games will air on NBC Sports Philadelphia locally (though if either Game 5 or Game 6 ends up airing on ABC, those will air locally on 6ABC). Nationally, the games will be divided across TNT, ESPN, and NBA TV.

Here’s the full schedule:

* - if needed

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NBC Sports Philadelphia will stream every Sixers-Raptors game it airs on both the NBC Sports app and the MyTeams app, but a subscription to a cable service is required. Fans in the Philadelphia metro area can also get NBC Sports Philadelphia on fuboTV, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, and Sling TV.

Game 1 and any other matchup of the series that airs on ESPN will stream on the ESPN app, though a cable subscription is required. ESPN is also available to stream on every skinny bundle listed above, as well as DIRECTV Stream.

The games that air on TNT will stream on the network’s website, but you’ll need to be a cable subscriber. As with ESPN and NBC Sports Philadelphia, TNT is also available on a host of streaming services. But if you happen to be a FuboTV subscriber, you’re out of luck — despite being a sports-focused cord-cutting option, the streaming service lost TNT and TBS in 2020.

» READ MORE: If this is James Harden’s new normal, the Sixers are an NBA Finals long shot

Beginning Monday, Philadelphia is once again requiring masks indoors in public spaces due to an increase of COVID-19 cases.

That means beginning with Game 2, fans ages 2 and older hoping to watch the Sixers at the Wells Fargo Center will need to mask up in order to enter. There is no longer a vaccine mandate, so fans won’t have to show proof of vaccination.

You can remove your mask while eating in your seat, but otherwise masks are required while in the arena.

» READ MORE: What to know about Philly’s newest mask mandate

Sixteen teams will face off during the playoffs — 12 from their regular season standings, and four from the league’s play-in tournament.

The Sixers are the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, and if they defeat the Raptors they’ll face either the Miami Heat or the Heat’s first-round opponent, which will be determined by the play-in tournament (as of Wednesday, it could be either the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, or Charlotte Hornets).

Here is the full seeding for the Eastern Conference:

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