Is there no NBA app you can download on the TV itself? Or is it not new enough?
I have league pass and that is what I do.

Like you the NBA app was crap on my 2016 Sony Bravia Android TV so had to do the laptop connect via HDMI setup to get it to play seamlessly. Kayo app also flaky on the tv at times but recently I installed a Ubiquity WIFI access point on my ceiling and Kayo is now blazin'

Yep the TV is an android TV with Google Play so I use the app on the TV. But continues to have a 'general error audio track' when streaming which is hit and miss.

Welcome to the League Pass woes... I have struggled for years. This year though its been the a lot better than the past.

I use a media tower (PC connected to my TV) and go through Google Chrome. Other option would be to use the NBA App on your phone and stream it to your TV.

I found the apps to be pretty bad in the past, used to use my XBox and run the app from there but it wasnt the best.

Another thing I found - it works better watching games live as opposed to delayed.

Following as I use a Chromecast to stream to non-smart TV from the app on my phone and it isn't very satisfactory (frequent buffering).
Was thinking of buying an Android TV but sounds like it might not solve the problem.

Admittedly the NBN is not great at my house, but I don't have the same issue streaming other live sport from the Foxtel or WNBA apps so I feel that it is an NBA app specific problem.

Used to have Apple TV and that was excellent but my model is now not supported. I think a new generation Apple TV would be the gold standard but pricey.

Chromecast was very average last season, I've found it decent this year, the NBA app is buggy when watching games tho, plenty of resetting

Yeah the NBATV app has trouble on every platform.

i use the googletv dongle (4k) which GENERALLY works well. Biggest issues I usually get are pausing or skipping through a game where it will often stop or fail when you hit play again. This is a bigger problem than it should be because often when I hit "join from live" it will join from the start so you have to manually skip through however long the telecast has been going for and does often result in a failure only to have to start again.

I used my folks apple tv over the break and found that was even worse - couldnt fast forward at all in a live game. Probably just a glitch

Have been using Apple TV for a long time.

Generally fairly good experience. Very rarely a game will have connectivity issues but that's pretty much it.

NBA overhauled the app just prior to start of last season. Super buggy and caused plenty of issues. Lot of pissed off subscribers. Everything seems to have since settled down. Occasionally an update will be released and here are audio issues with feeds, but they get fixed in a week or so.

As ridiculous as it sounds pirated streams via a web browser work far better and smoother.

Do yourself a favour and de-app your life with a HTPC or HDMI to TV.

I just use the NBA app either via AirPlay or Chromecast and it is pretty much perfect every time, have a few buffering issues every now and again but overall the app works great for me

NBA app on Google TV/dongle, also ps5. Start of the year was horrible, just a blur of pixels now it streams ok but i find the interface laggy. Once MS got involved its been worse for me.