Ho! Ho! Ho Hawks vs. Knicks live stream is here, but it's not the ball present fans were hoping to unleash; what was supposed to be the centerpiece of the NBA's big Christmas schedule is now a lesser deal. We all remember how loud Madison Square Garden got with NBA live streaming during the playoffs when Trae Young was the most hated man in the building, so the league couldn't have a better rivalry to revisit (to boost ratings) on Christmas Day. We thought, "What could be better?

Unfortunately, that dream the League envisions may just end up being a dream. On December 19, less than a week before the big game, Trae Young tested positive for Covid-19. Young needed to test negative twice, 24 hours apart, in order to fall outside the NBA's health and safety regulations. As a result, he had to miss the game.

Young did not appear to have tested positive; on December 19, he tweeted "stay safe" along with several emojis, including a figure wearing a face mask. And on December 21, Young quoted and tweeted the message "#prayfornegativetests" with a prayer emoji in response to a question about whether he would miss the Christmas Day game, "praying I'm not #symptomatic.

On December 22, he posted an emoji of a face rolling its eyes. No one wants an NBA game preview to consist of reading tweets like tea leaves, but since it is mostly about Trey, and yesterday (December 24) Young couldn't get things cleared up in time? He tweeted, "Bs for real..." he tweeted, and I don't think he was referring to literal grades.

But Young is not the only one whose participation in this game is in question. On Thursday (December 23), the Knicks' RJ Barrett cleared NBA health and safety protocols, and teammate Obi Toppin was also cleared to return to the team. Immanuel Quickley cleared protocol yesterday.

However, the Knicks roster is still in tatters, with Quentin Grimes, Kevin Knox, Miles McBride, and Nerlens Noel still out. | to be able to you really come across it that you can in fact i promise with my partner, anyone can quickly forget about just how seemingly exactly {} these seemingly just ignore a person's.

If you've had to leave your "bubble" - or you've suffered the dreaded local blackout - and you can't watch the Hawks vs Knicks live stream on cable, you're not out of luck. With a virtual private network, or VPN, you can pretend you're surfing the web from your hometown (or anywhere else not hit by a blackout) and access the same streaming service you've already paid for.

Not sure which VPN is right for you? We tested a variety of services and chose ExpressVPN as the best VPN overall. They offer great speed and excellent customer service. However, there are other VPN options out there. Here are our top picks.

In the U.S., Hawks vs. Knicks airs on ESPN and tips off at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday (December 25).

If you are already disconnected and don't have a cable package, you can watch this game on Sling TV and FuboTV. But while we love Fubo for many sports, it doesn't have TNT, which is a big no-no for the NBA season.

Both ESPN and TNT are included in the $35 Sling Orange package; ABC games are simulcast on ESPN3, Sling Orange includes TNT, ESPN, and ESPN3, and the Sports Extras Pack includes NBA TV. Sling Orange includes TNT, ESPN, ESPN3, and NBA TV in the Sports Extra pack.

Sling and Fubo are two of the choices on our Best Streaming Services list, but since ABC games are broadcast on ESPN3, we choose Sling here despite the lack of ABC (although it is available on the best TV antenna).

UK basketball fans don't get every NBA game, but Sky Sports does have this match! The Hawks vs. Knicks game will be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Mix at 5 p.m. ET.

NBA League Pass is also available in the UK.

Canadian hoops fans can add to their cable package and catch the Hawks vs. Knicks live stream on TSN. The game is on TSN1.

NBA League Pass is also available in Canada.