The semifinals of the 2022 WNBA playoffs start today, as the best women basketball players on the planet battle for the championship. Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, A’Ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces take on WNBA legend Sue Bird and the Seattle Storm for a spot in the WNBA Finals. Game 1 begins at 4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. PT) on ESPN.
The second game of the night features a rematch of last year’s semifinalists: the Connecticut Sun and the defending WNBA Champions Chicago Sky. Brionna Jones and the Sun lost to the Sky last year and hope to flip the script in 2022. Game 1 of that series airs at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) on ESPN 2.
Those looking to follow the drama will need access to ABC, ESPN, ESPN 2 and ESPNU to watch every game. We’ve broken down everything you need to know in order to stream the WNBA playoffs live without cable.
WNBA legend Sue Bird and the Seattle Storm are set to start their semifinal matchup against the Las Vegas Aces tonight.
Steph Chambers/Getty ImagesWhat does the second round of the playoffs look like?
In a change from previous seasons, all teams played a best-of-three first-round matchup. The winners have now moved on to a best-of-five semifinal, followed by a best-of-five WNBA Final.
Here’s the entire second-round schedule, with all times in ET:
WNBA semifinal playoff schedule
| Date and time | Matchup | Network |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, Aug. 28 (4 p.m) | Seattle Storm at Las Vegas Aces, Game 1 | ESPN |
| Sunday, Aug. 28 (8 p.m) | Connecticut Sun at Chicago Sky, Game 1 | ESPN 2 |
| Wednesday, Aug. 31 (8 p.m.) | Connecticut Sun at Chicago Sky, Game 2 | ESPN 2 |
| Wednesday, Aug. 31 (10 p.m) | Seattle Storm at Las Vegas Aces, Game 2 | ESPN 2 |
| Sunday, Sept. 4 (1 p.m) | Chicago Sky at Connecticut Sun, Game 3 | ESPN 2 |
| Sunday, Sept. 4 (3 p.m) | Las Vegas Aces at Seattle Storm, Game 3 | ABC |
| Tuesday, Sept. 6 (8 p.m.)* | Chicago Sky at Connecticut Sun, Game 4 | ESPN 2 |
| Tuesday, Sept. 6 (10 p.m.)* | Las Vegas Aces at Seattle Storm, Game 4 | ESPN 2 |
| Thursday, Sept. 8 (8 p.m.)* | Connecticut Sun at Chicago Sky, Game 5 | ESPN 2 |
| Thursday, Sept. 8 (10 p.m.)* | Seattle Storm at Las Vegas Aces, Game 5 | ESPN 2 |
* if necessary
Best options for streaming without cable
The remaining games in the 2022 WNBA playoffs will air on the Disney family of networks, namely ABC, ESPN, ESPN 2. To catch every second on the basketball action, cord-cutters will need to subscribe to a live TV streaming service. Here’s how they break down.
You can catch the WNBA playoffs with a subscription to YouTube TV, our favorite live TV streaming service. ABC, ESPN and ESPN 2 are all included in the package, which means you’ll have all the channels you need in order to watch every second of the action.
Hulu Plus Live TV is a little more expensive than YouTube TV, but it also offers all the channels you need to watch the WNBA playoffs. As an added bonus, Hulu Plus Live TV comes with the rest of the Disney Bundle, which includes a subscription to Disney Plus, as well as ESPN Plus. The WNBA playoffs don’t air on ESPN Plus, but the service offers a ton of other content for die-hard sports fans.
Sling TV’s $35 Orange plan might be a good choice for casual WNBA fans who don’t need to watch every game. This plan is one of the cheapest ways to get access to ESPN and ESPN 2. Sling TV lacks ABC, which could be a problem for fans hoping to catch some of the biggest games.
