For the second time this season, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat attracted one of the largest NBA audiences on ESPN since the network resumed airing games in ’02.
Wednesday’s Heat/Magic game drew a 2.0 U.S. rating and 2.985 million viewers on ESPN, up 67% in ratings and 66% in viewership from the same matchup last year (MIA/ORL: 1.2, 1.804 mil).
The Heat’s loss ranks as the seventh-most viewed regular season NBA game on ESPN since the network resumed airing games in 2002.
This is the second Heat game of the season to rank among the top ten. Their October 29 game against the Magic drew ESPN’s third-largest NBA audience (3.774 mil).
Overall, three of the seven most-viewed NBA games on ESPN since ’02 have taken place this season — the two aforementioned Heat/Magic games and Lakers/Suns on October 29 (3.168 mil).
Four of the six most-viewed NBA games on ESPN and TNT this season have involved the Heat. The other two games involved the Lakers and had Heat games as lead-ins.
