DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks are set to take on the Utah Jazz in Game 3 of the first round of the NBA Playoffs on Thursday. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. CST.
The game will air on the following networks:
For many residents in North Texas, however, will struggle to find the game on TV. Here's why.
Why can't I find the Dallas Mavericks game on TV?
The game is being aired nationally on NBA TV, but even if you pay for the streaming service, it will black out the game for users located in North Texas because it's being broadcasted regionally.
This is where the problem comes in. The reason why NBA TV blacks out the game for Dallas-area customers is because it's also aired on the other four channels listed above. In North Texas, the game will be available on Bally Sports Southwest.
However, Bally Sports Southwest is not available for some TV providers, including Dish, YouTubeTV, and other streaming providers.
When you click the "watch" button on the top right-hand corner of the website, you'll be prompted to enter your TV provider credentials. Some of the more popular options listed are Xfinity, Spectrum, DirecTV, DirecTV Stream, Cox, SuddenLink, etc.
So, the only way you'll be able to watch the Mavericks game in the Dallas area is if you are a customer of a TV provider that carries Bally Sports Southwest.
Mavs' fans are unfortunately familiar with this issue. Game 2 against the Jazz was also on NBA TV and subject to blackout restrictions. The Mavs also had games in its playoff series against the Clippers last year that were aired on NBA TV but not available to many North Texans.
Why is Bally Sports Southwest access limited?
Bally, which is owned by Sinclair, used to be available on Dish Network but a dispute between the two companies led to Dish dropping Bally.
As for streaming services, Bally has not been available on YouTubeTV, Hulu and others.
Bally plans to launch its own streaming app later this year, according to the website Awful Announcing, which covers sports broadcasting news. The Bally app will feature access to five MLB teams' games, but the Rangers are not reportedly one of them.
Earlier this year, Sinclair reached a deal with the NBA for digital rights to stream games on its Bally app, according to Bloomberg. But for now, the app is not yet available, unless you're a subscriber to a cable service that offers Bally.