BOSTON – The Cleveland Cavaliers continue their preseason campaign with a matchup against the Boston Celtics today – Sunday, Oct. 12 – at TD Garden in Boston, Illinois. This game is available on multiple streaming services for free.
How do I watch Cavs basketball for free today?
This game will broadcast live on ESPN and FanDuel Sports Network Ohio at 7 p.m. Eastern. Fans who have parted ways with their local cable provider can catch this game for free by utilizing a free trial from DIRECTV, which also offers $40 off your first month.
FuboTV has a free trial and up to $30 off your first month.
The most flexible option is Sling TV, which now offers new users a Day Pass for $4.99, Weekend Pass for $9.99, Week Pass for $14.99, Monthly for $45.99 and Season Pass for $199.99 for five months and $45.99 per month thereafter.
This game is also available on the ESPN app streaming service, which now offers an Unlimited Plan for $29.99 per month (or $299.99 for entire year) and the Select Plan for $11.99 per month (or $119.99 for entire year). The ESPN app replicates its previous coverage of select games and broadcasts on ESPN Plus.
Streaming serviceMonthly PriceFree trial LengthDiscountDIRECTV$74.99Yes5-day$40 off first monthFuboTV$64.99Yes5-day$30 off first monthSling TV$4.99-199.99 NoN/ANoESPN Streaming$11.99 No N/A NoWhat are the latest odds for Cavs vs. Celtics preseason?
Spread: CLE: (+1.5), BOS: (-1.5)
Moneyline: CLE: (+102), BOS: (-118)
Point total: 229
Here’s more information on how to watch Cavs vs. Celtics preseason on TV and streaming services.
What: NBA preseason: Cavs vs. Celtics
When: Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025
Time: 7 p.m. Eastern
Where: TD Garden | Boston, Mass.
Channel: ESPN, FanDuel Sports Network Ohio
Best streaming options: FuboTV (free trial and $30 off your first month), DIRECTV (free trial and $40 off your first month), Sling TV and ESPN Streaming
Here is a recap of the Cavs’ previous preseason game from cleveland.com Cavs beat writer Chris Fedor:
CHICAGO — Halfway through the preseason, some of the Cavs’ most important players look regular-season ready.
Cleveland lost its second consecutive exhibition to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night, 119-112. The Cavaliers have still yet to win a preseason game in the Kenny Atkinson era.
Prior to Tuesday’s opener, Atkinson told cleveland.com that he had previously mapped out how to handle exhibition season, with a general plan to sit many of his starters Sunday night in Boston. But that was before expected starting shooting guard Sam Merrill suffered a minor adductor injury that kept him out of both games against the Bulls.
While his original proposal may be slightly different, Thursday could be the most extended action Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, De’Andre Hunter and Jarrett Allen see before the Oct. 22 opener in New York.
Those guys don’t appear to need much more fine tuning.
Mitchell, the perennial MVP candidate, erupted for a game-high 22 points on 8 of 16 from the field and 3 of 5 from 3-point range to go with six rebounds, four assists and three steals in 25 minutes.
Hunter added to his eyebrow-raising offseason, tallying 20 points on 6 of 12 shooting, including 4 of 5 from beyond the arc.
Another guy who enters 2025-26 with big goals, including his first All-NBA first-team selection, Mobley looked the part, with 21 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks in 26 minutes.
Unlike the exhibition opener where Atkinson used hockey-like line changes, he opted to mix and match Thursday night, experimenting with lineups, rotations and combinations. Each of Cleveland’s five starters played deep into the third quarter, including Jaylon Tyson, who once again filled in for the banged-up Merrill.
In all, Atkinson used 14 players, sprinkling in a few of his end-of-bench non-regulars — two-way Australian Luke Travers, rookie Tyrese Proctor, camp invite Killian Hayes and Thomas Bryant, the last player signed in free agency this summer — to close out the highly competitive matchup.
For the second straight game, the deep and talent-rich Cavs got off to a fast start, scoring on their first five possessions and building a double-digit lead less than three minutes into the game. Despite that, the game was tied at the end of one quarter and then a sloppy, turnover-filled second led to the Bulls taking a narrow three-point lead into the halftime break.
There were nine lead changes and eight ties. The game came down to the final minute — again.
With the Bulls ahead by three points and 9.9 seconds left, Atkinson drew up a play for Proctor to get a look at a game-tying triple. Only it was off the mark — and Chicago sealed another victory at the free-throw line.
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