Perhaps nothing moves the needle for the NBA more than LeBron James faltering in a close game.
The Cavaliers/Rockets NBA regular season game drew a 3.7 overnight rating on ABC, the network’s highest non-Christmas regular season overnight in almost exactly two years — since Thunder/Clippers on the comparable date in 2013 (3.8).
The Cavaliers’ overtime loss earned the second-highest overnight of the weekend for any sporting event, trailing only competing coverage of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race from Atlanta (5.1).
Earlier in the day, Clippers/Bulls drew a 2.2 overnight — up 10% from Knicks/Bulls last year (2.0) but down 41% from Heat/Knicks in 2013 (3.7). The 2.2 is tied as the third-lowest for an NBA game on ABC since 2011.
In other action, Thunder/Clippers drew a 1.1 overnight on ESPN. There was no comparable telecast last year. Thunder/Lakers was originally scheduled to air on ABC, but was flexed off of the network’s schedule in favor of Cavaliers/Rockets.
(Wknd. overnights via ShowBuzz Daily)
