Thousands of fans in Colorado won’t be able to watch the Denver Nuggets’ playoff game tonight with their regular TV subscriptions.
Game 3 of the Clippers-Nuggets series is blacked out in Colorado and surrounding areas, meaning it will only be available to Altitude Sports subscribers. The game will be available on the NBA TV channel for people outside the Altitude broadcast region, but hometown viewers will get a “not available” message.
There is, however, a way to watch the game for free. As of Thursday afternoon, Altitude Sports is offering a free trial of its Altitude+ streaming service.
Entering the promo code “alt3free” will get you three days of Altitude broadcasts. It worked for me, but signing up still required entering my credit card information, so don’t forget to cancel before the trial ends if you don’t want to pay. Altitude+ is $20 a month normally.
Blackouts typically cover Altitude's broadcast region, which extends beyond Colorado into neighboring states such as Kansas, Nebraska and Wyoming.
Why isn’t the game on national TV?
For whatever reason, TNT declined to pick up the game for its Thursday slate, according to Altitude host Vic Lombardi.
Instead, TNT will be airing the third game of the Thunder-Grizzlies series.
It’s odd, because that game has way less at stake. The Thunder have dominated the first two games and they are the top seed in the West.
By contrast, the Nuggets and the Clippers are tied with one game each, and both games have come down to the very end.
The decision didn’t fly with the guys on TNT’s Inside the NBA.
“Are y’all serious right now? Are y’all serious? Y’all got the Clippers, the best series going, on NBA TV instead of here? Who made that decision? [The Nuggets and the Clippers] had the two best games by far and we ain’t going to be there. C’mon, man,” Charles Barkley complained.
Shaq agreed. So do I. The best thing about the playoffs is that more hometown fans can watch the games.
When’s the next Nuggets playoff game?
The Nuggets and the Clippers are tied up 1-1 going into Thursday’s 8 p.m. game in Los Angeles.
That means the best-of-seven series will run for at least two more games beyond Thursday.
The next games are:
- Saturday, April 26, 4 p.m. at Los Angeles, airing on Altitude and TNT
- Tuesday, April 29, 8 p.m. at Denver, airing on Altitude. National broadcast plans for this game haven’t been announced yet.
There shouldn’t be any blackouts after this first round of the playoffs. Local broadcasters like Altitude aren’t involved in the second round and beyond, so every game is broadcast nationally on ABC, ESPN, TNT or the NBA TV channel.
Playoff games are not included in NBA League Pass, the league’s direct-to-consumer platform.
Big changes are coming next year
Blackouts won’t be an issue next year.
The NBA is kicking regional broadcasters out of the playoffs next year, ending a decades-long practice of allowing them to broadcast first-round games.
That’s a bittersweet change. It should mean the end of blackouts, but it also could force viewers to add yet another subscription: Amazon will carry some games next year, and NBC is joining the fray too.
It also means Altitude subscribers can’t watch first-round broadcasts with local talent like Katy Winge or Chris Marlowe.
