The Dallas Mavericks and the OKC Thunder meet tonight for Game 6 of the teams’ NBA Playoffs series. Luka Doncic’s Mavericks team leads the series 3-2 and hopes to close out the series tonight, but the upstart Thunder team will aim to force a Game 7.

Keep reading to find out how and when to watch this crucial Game 6 of the Thunder vs. Mavericks NBA Playoffs series tonight.

How and when to watch OKC Thunder vs. Dallas Mavericks Game 6

Game 6 of the OKC Thunder vs. Dallas Mavericks NBA Playoffs series will be played on Saturday, May 18, 2024 at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT). The game will air on ESPN and stream on Sling TV and the platforms featured below.

How to watch OKC Thunder vs. Dallas Mavericks Game 6 without cable

If your cable provider doesn’t carry ESPN or you’ve cut the cord with your cable company, you can still watch today’s game. Below are the platforms on which you can watch today’s game live. 

Save $25 on Sling TV: The most cost-effective way to stream the Thunder vs. Mavericks game

If you don’t have cable TV that includes ESPN, one of the most cost-effective ways to stream today’s game is through a subscription to Sling TV. To watch today’s game, you’ll need a subscription to the Orange tier, which includes access to ESPN and TNT. To level up your coverage and get access to NBA playoff games and the NBA Finals broadcast on ABC, subscribe to the Orange + Blue tier plan.

The Orange tier is $4o per month. The Sling’s Orange + Blue tier costs $60 per month, but the platform is currently offering $25 off the first month of any pricing tier, making the Orange + Blue tier $35 for the first month.

Note: Because Sling TV doesn’t carry CBS, you won’t be able to watch CBS-aired programming like next year’s NFL games on CBS. To watch these games, plus PGA golf, UEFA Champions League and more live sports, we recommend you also subscribe to Paramount+ with Showtime. Paramount+ with Showtime costs $12 per month after a one-week free trial.

Note: CBS Essentials and Paramount+ with Showtime are both subsidiaries of Paramount.

Top features of Sling TV Orange + Blue tier:

• Sling TV is our top choice to stream the NBA Playoffs.
• There are 46 channels to watch in total, including ABC, NBC and Fox (where available).
• You get access to NBA games airing on TNT.
• All subscription tiers include 50 hours of cloud-based DVR storage.

Watch the Thunder vs. Mavericks game for free with Fubo

You can also catch today’s game on Fubo. Fubo is a sports-centric streaming service that offers access to ABC and ESPN, in addition to almost every NFL game next season.

To watch the NBA Playoffs without cable, start a seven-day free trial of Fubo. You can begin watching immediately on your TV, phone, tablet or computer. In addition to NBA basketball, you’ll have access to NFL football, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and international soccer games. Fubo’s Pro Tier is priced at $80 per month after your free seven-day trial.

Sports fans will want to consider adding on the $7.99 per month Fubo Extra package, which includes MLB Network, NBA TV, NHL Network, Tennis Channel, SEC Network and more channels with live games. Or upgrade to the Fubo Elite tier and get all the Fubo Extra channels, plus the ability to stream in 4K, starting at $90 per month ($70 for the first month).

Top features of FuboTV Pro Tier:

• There are no contracts with Fubo, you can cancel anytime.
• The Pro tier includes over 180 channels, so there’s something for everyone to enjoy. 
• Fubo includes most channels you’ll need to watch live sports, including CBS (not available through Sling TV).
• All tiers come with 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR recording.
• Stream on your TV, phone, tablet and other devices.

Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle: Watch the Thunder vs. Mavericks game live

You can watch today’s game with the Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle. The bundle features 95 channels, including ABC, TNT, local network affiliates and ESPN. It also includes the ESPN+ streaming service. Unlimited DVR storage is also included. Watch today’s game, the 2024 NBA playoffs, MLB this season and network-aired NFL games next season with Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle.

Hulu + Live TV comes bundled with ESPN+ and Disney+. It’s priced at $77 per month after a three-day free trial.

The best place to get NBA Playoffs fan gear: Fanatics

Rooting from home is more fun while repping your team with the latest NBA fan gear. Fanatics is our first stop for the newest NBA fan gear, our go-to for the latest drop of NBA Playoffs and NBA Finals merch like jerseys, commemorative T-shirts, hats and more. Fanatics also has just-released NFL Draft jerseys, like No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams’ new Chicago Bears jersey. Shipping is free with code 24SHIP ($24 minimum order required).

2024 NBA Playoffs: Full playoff schedule

Conference semifinals schedule

The conference semifinals is a best-of-seven series beginning on May 4, 2024.

Eastern Conference

(1) Boston vs. (4) Cleveland

• Game 1: Celtics 120, Cavaliers 95
• Game 2: Cavaliers 118, Celtics 94
• Game 3: Celtics 106, Cavaliers 93
• Game 4: Celtics 109, Cavaliers 102
• Game 5: Celtics 113, Cavaliers 98

Boston wins series 4-1

(2) New York vs. (6) Indiana

• Game 1: Knicks 121, Pacers 117
• Game 2: Knicks 130, Pacers 121
• Game 3: Pacers 111, Knicks 106
• Game 4: Pacers 121, Knicks 89
• Game 5: Knicks 121, Pacers 91
• Game 6: Knicks vs. Pacers, Friday, May 17 (8 p.m., ESPN)
• Game 7: Pacers vs. Knicks, Sunday, May 19 (TBD, TBD) *

New York leads the series 3-2

* = If necessary

Western Conference

(1) Oklahoma City vs. (5) Dallas

• Game 1: Thunder 117, Mavericks 95 
• Game 2: Mavericks 119, Thunder 110
• Game 3: Mavericks 105, Thunder 101
• Game 4: Thunder 100, Mavericks 96
• Game 5: Mavericks 104, Thunder 92
• Game 6: Thunder vs. Mavericks, Saturday, May 18 (8:30 ET, ESPN) 
• Game 7: Mavericks vs. Thunder, Monday, May 20 (8:30 ET, TNT) *

Dallas leads the series 3-2

* = If necessary

(2) Denver vs. (3) Minnesota

• Game 1: Timberwolves 106, Nuggets 99
• Game 2: Timberwolves 106, Nuggets 80
• Game 3: Nuggets 117, Timberwolves 90
• Game 4: Nuggets 115, Timberwolves 107
• Game 5: Nuggets 112, Timberwolves 97
• Game 6: Timberwolves 115, Nuggets 70
• Game 7: Timberwolves vs. Nuggets, Sunday, May 19 (TBD, TBD) 

Denver leads the series 3-2

* = If necessary

First round schedule

Below are the results for the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

Eastern Conference

(1) Boston Celtics vs. (8) Miami Heat

• Game 1: Celtics 114, Heat 94
• Game 2: Heat 111, Celtics 101
• Game 3: Celtics 104, Heat 84
• Game 4: Celtics 102, Heat 88
• Game 5: Celtics 118, Heat 84

(2) New York Knicks vs. (7) Philadelphia 76ers

• Game 1: Knicks 111, 76ers 104
• Game 2: Knicks 104, 76ers 101
• Game 3: 76ers 125, Knicks 114
• Game 4: Knicks 97, 76ers 92
• Game 5: 76ers 112, Knicks 106 (OT)
• Game 6: Knicks 118, 76ers 115

(3) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (6) Indiana Pacers

• Game 1: Bucks 109, Pacers 94
• Game 2: Pacers 125, Bucks 108
• Game 3: Pacers 121, Bucks 118
• Game 4: Pacers 126, Bucks 113
• Game 5: Bucks 115, Pacers 92
• Game 6: Pacers 120, Bucks 98 

(4) Cleveland vs. (5) Orlando

• Game 1: Cavaliers 97, Magic 83
• Game 2: Cavaliers 96, Magic 86
• Game 3: Magic 121, Cavaliers 83
• Game 4: Magic 112, Cavaliers 89
• Game 5: Cavaliers 104, Magic 103
• Game 6: Magic 103, Cavaliers 96 
• Game 7: Cavaliers 106, Magic 94

Western Conference

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (8) New Orleans Pelicans

• Game 1: Thunder 94, Pelicans 92
• Game 2: Thunder 124, Pelicans 92
• Game 3: Thunder 106, Pelicans 85
• Game 4: Thunder 97, Pelicans 89

(2) Denver Nuggets vs. (7) Los Angeles Lakers

• Game 1: Nuggets 114, Lakers 103
• Game 2: Nuggets 101, Lakers 99
• Game 3: Nuggets 112, Lakers 105
• Game 4: Lakers 119, Nuggets 108
• Game 5: Nuggets 108, Lakers 106

(3) Minnesota Timberwolves vs. (6) Phoenix Suns

• Game 1: Timberwolves 120, Suns 95
• Game 2: Timberwolves 105, Suns 93
• Game 3: Timberwolves 129, Suns 109
• Game 4: Timberwolves 112, Suns 116

(4) LA Clippers vs. (5) Dallas Mavericks

• Game 1: Clippers 109, Mavericks 97
• Game 2: Mavericks 96, Clippers 93
• Game 3: Mavericks 101, Clippers 90
• Game 4: Clippers 116, Mavericks 111
• Game 5: Mavericks 123, Clippers 93
• Game 6: Mavericks 114, Mavericks 101

Conference finals schedule

The conference finals will begin May 21-22, but can move up to May 19-20 if the prior round’s series ends early.

NBA Finals schedule

The 2024 NBA Finals will begin June 6, airing on ABC.

• Sunday, June 9: Game 2
• Wednesday, June 12: Game 3
• Friday, June 14: Game 4
• Monday, June 17: Game 5 (if necessary)
• Thursday, June 20: Game 6 (if necessary)
• Sunday, June 23: Game 7 (if necessary)

The Dallas Cowboys are gearing up for the 2024 NFL season, and their defense will need to be special if they will be contenders.

With several key players returning and some new faces in the mix, let’s look at the projected starters and rank them based on what we expect to see from their performance on the field.

Mazi Smith had a disappointing rookie season, so putting him any higher on this list wouldn’t feel right. The hope is that he thrives in Mike Zimmer’s system and can become the dominant run-stopper that they drafted him to be.

Unfortunately for Overshown, he tore his ACL during the preseason, and we never saw him play during his rookie season. Reports say Overshown has put on some extra muscle during the offseason and the coaches are impressed with how he attacked the recovery process.

I expect Overshown to be much higher on this list next year.

Clark missed a significant chunk of his rookie campaign recovering from a neck injury he suffered at LSU. Last season, he started all 17 games for the Cowboys and had a solid year.

He needs to improve at stacking and shedding blocks in the run game, but he brings sideline-to-sideline speed and toughness to this defense.

Malik Hooker joined the Cowboys in 2021, and he has been one of their better free-agent signings in recent memory.

While he’s not an all-pro type of safety, he is reliable and has done an excellent job playing coverage in the deep third of Dallas’ defense. Fortunately for the Cowboys, Hooker has been able to stay healthy, which he was never able to do during his time with the Indianapolis Colts.

Eric Kendricks isn’t quite the player he used to be for the Minnesota Vikings, but he is still a solid linebacker. He’s smart, tough, and has a great feel for zone coverage. He is the perfect kind of mentor who should do wonders for the development of the young linebackers on this team.

Donovan Wilson has been up and down over the past few seasons. But when he is healthy, he is a missile in the secondary.

Wilson is a pseudo-linebacker who plays like his hair is on fire and adds intensity to this team.

Odighizuwa doesn’t get much love from the national media, but the coaches and players on this team know that he is a force. Osa is as tough as nails and does a lot of the dirty work on the interior of this defense. Dallas’ run defense would be hard to watch without Odighizuwa.

Lawrence has been a cornerstone player for the Dallas Cowboys for a decade, and somehow, he is still criminally underrated. He is, arguably, the best run-defending EDGE in the entire NFL and has great versatility to play all over the defensive line.

Ranking him as the fourth-best defensive player felt too low, but Dallas has some dominant players on the defensive side of the ball.

On most teams, Diggs would be their best defensive player. He missed most of the 2023 season with an ACL tear in his left knee, but he is expected to be ready for training camp.

When healthy, Diggs is a star and is a massive difference-maker for the defense.

DaRon Bland followed up his stellar rookie season with an All-Pro year in 2023. Bland has quickly become one of the best young defensive backs in the league. He is the NFL record holder for interceptions returned for a touchdown in a season (5) and has 14 interceptions in his first two seasons. Bland is off to an all-time great start to his career.

There was no doubt that Parsons would be at the top of this ranking. Micah is a generational talent and one of the best defensive players in all of football. Nothing more needs to be said.