A thriller between two of the highest profile teams in the NBA attracted big numbers on ESPN Monday.
The Heat/Celtics NBA regular season game earned 3.8 million viewers on ESPN Monday night, up 117% from Bulls/Magic on TNT last year (1.7M), and up 39% from Spurs/Heat on ESPN in 2011 (2.7M).
Heat/Celtics ranks as the fifth-most viewed NBA regular season game on ESPN since the network resumed airing games in 2002. Sixteen of the 20 most-viewed games on the network have taken over the past three seasons, including four this season.
For the season, Monday’s game ranks as the third-most viewed game on cable — trailing only TNT’s Opening Night doubleheader of Celtics/Heat (5.4M) and Mavericks/Lakers (4.3M).
Monday’s Knicks/Jazz nightcap drew 1.6 million viewers, up 9% from Mavericks/Nuggets on TNT last year (1.5M), but down 43% from Magic/Lakers in 2011 (2.8M).
20 Most-Viewed NBA Regular Season Games on ESPN
Since the net resumed airing games in 2002
| # | Date | Away | Home | Viewers |
Notes
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Fri., 1/17/03 | Lakers | Rockets |
4.9M
|
Shaq-Yao I
|
|
2
|
Sat., 12/25/04 | Pistons | Pacers |
4.3M
|
Christmas Day
|
|
3
|
Sun., 2/27/11 | Knicks | Heat |
4.2M
|
Opposite Oscars
|
|
4
|
Sat., 12/25/10 | Bulls | Knicks |
4.0M
|
Christmas Day
|
|
5
|
Mon., 3/19/13 | Heat | Celtics |
3.8M
|
Heat streak
|
|
6
|
Fri., 10/29/10 | Magic | Heat |
3.8M
|
|
|
7
|
Tue., 12/25/12 | Celtics | Nets |
3.7M
|
Christmas Day
|
|
8
|
Wed., 2/20/08 | Lakers | Suns |
3.6M
|
|
|
9
|
Sun., 3/25/12 | Thunder | Heat |
3.5M
|
|
|
10
|
Wed., 1/11/12 | Heat | Clippers |
3.5M
|
|
|
11
|
Wed., 3/14/12 | Heat | Bulls |
3.2M
|
|
|
12
|
Fri., 10/29/10 | Lakers | Suns |
3.2M
|
|
|
13
|
Fri., 1/4/13 | Lakers | Clippers |
3.1M
|
|
|
14
|
Fri., 11/2/12 | Clippers | Lakers |
3.1M
|
|
|
15
|
Wed., 10/29/03 | Cavs | Kings |
3.0M
|
LeBron debut
|
|
16
|
Mon., 3/12/12 | Knicks | Bulls |
3.0M
|
|
|
17
|
Sun., 12/25/11 | Clippers | Warriors |
3.0M
|
Christmas Day
|
|
18
|
Fri., 2/10/12 | Lakers | Knicks |
3.0M
|
|
|
19
|
Wed., 11/24/10 | Heat | Magic |
3.0M
|
|
|
20
|
Wed., 4/4/12 | Thunder | Heat |
3.0M
|
ESPN2
|
(Mon. numbers from TV By the Numbers)
