Rockets vs Mavericks live stream: How to watch the 2020 NBA season game

The NBA restart continues! Tonight we can watch the Rockets vs Mavericks live stream to see the Texas showdown. 

The NBA season resumed this week, with games played for the first time since March 11. The NBA bubble season is taking place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex, inside Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The Rockets vs Mavericks game is one of the "seeding games" to finish out the regular season, before the playoffs begin.

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The Rockets vs Mavericks game isn't just an intrastate rivalry, but could determine the playoffs status of both teams. Right now, the Houston Rockets are 40-24 at in sixth place in the Western Conference. The Dallas Mavericks are 40-27 and sit in seventh place. 

The Rockets are led by the superstar duo of James Harden and Russell Westbrook. However, guard Eric Gordon will not play due to an ankle injury he suffered during scrimmages. As for the Mavericks, they're led by Luka Doncic, who was making a case for NBA MVP before the break. According to FanDuel, the Mavericks are the 1.5-point favorites. 

 Here's everything you need to watch Rockets vs Mavericks live stream tonight:

How to avoid Rockets vs Mavericks blackouts with a VPN

If you've had to leave your own "bubble" -- or you've been hit by a dreaded local blackout -- and you can't watch Rockets vs Mavericks live streams on cable, you're not out of luck. With a virtual private network, or VPN, you can appear to be surfing the web from your home town (or somewhere that blackouts won't hit), and access the same streaming services you already paid for. 

Not sure which VPN is right for you? We've tested many different services and our pick for the best VPN overall is ExpressVPN. It offers superb speeds and excellent customer service. But you've got other VPN options as well. Here are our top picks.

We think speed, security and simplicity make ExpressVPN second to none. During our tests, we saw fast connection times, and we're impressed by the service's ability to access more than 3,000 services spread out across 160 locations in 94 countries. There's a 30-day money-back guarantee if you're not satisfied.

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Rockets vs Mavericks live streams in the US

For U.S. viewers, the Rockets vs Mavericks live stream will be broadcast on ESPN. The game is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. ET today (July 31). ESPN is included with most cable and satellite packages.

Basketball fans should also considering getting the NBA League Pass; packages start at $20 per year but you'll need to spend $29 per year for access to all teams — minus local and national blackout games.

If you've cut the cord and you're looking for an all-encompassing streaming option, TNT is available on Sling TV, one of the best streaming services around. ESPN is included in the Sling Orange package, which costs $30. But we think the $45 per month Sling Blue + Orange package may be the best best for a comprehensive streaming situation.

Sling TV offers more than 30 channels, including ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3 in the Sling Orange package. If you go with Sling Blue, you also get Fox and NBC affiliates, as well as NBC Sports Network and FX1. Basketball lovers can add on NBA TV, too.

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Rockets vs Mavericks live streams in the UK

British hoop fans can watch the Rockets vs Mavericks live stream on Sky Sports. Those without Sky Sports can pick it up from Now TV, with prices starting at £9.99.

NBA League Pass is also available in the U.K., at £42.99 for the rest of the year and serves up all of the games with no blackouts.

Rockets vs Mavericks live streams in Canada

Canada will watch Rockets vs Mavericks on Sportsnet ONE, which is available via cable packages.

NBA League Pass is also available in Canada.