Ratings: NBA, Stanley Cup, Blackhawks, Mets

Wednesday’s Jazz-Blazers NBA season finale pulled a 0.7 rating and 1.1 million viewers on ESPN, up 17% in ratings and 25% in viewership from last year (Pelicans-Blazers: 0.6, 874K). In the same window two years ago, the Warriors’ record-setting 73rd win of the season and Kobe Bryant‘s final game combined for a 4.3 and 7.1 million.

Earlier in the night, Bucks-Sixers had a 0.7 (flat) and 1.0 million (-2%). Airing in the same window on NBA TV, Nuggets-Timberwolves had 375,000 viewers.

The latter matchup, an overtime thriller that decided the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, pulled a 7.5 rating on Fox Sports North Plus in Minneapolis-St. Paul — the network’s highest T’Wolves rating ever in the regular season. The previous high was a 6.5.

In other final week NBA action, Celtics-Wizards had a 0.8 (+45%) and 1.2 million (+39%) on TNT Tuesday night, with the Rockets-Lakers nightcap earning a 0.8 (+14%) and 1.1 million (+3%). ESPN earned a mere 0.5 and 681,000 for Pelicans-Clippers on Monday night.

Wednesday’s Flyers-Penguins Stanley Cup first round Game 1 had a 0.38 rating and 632,000 viewers on NBCSN, up 41% in ratings and 42% in viewership from last year (Rangers-Canadiens: 0.3, 445K). Later in the night, Game 1 between the Kings and Golden Knights pulled a 0.33 (+10%) and 521,000 (+4%).

Over on CNBC, Wild-Jets Game 1 had 234,000 — down 57% from Blue Jackets-Penguins on USA Network last year (540K).

Buffalo led all markets for the first night of the playoffs, averaging a 1.75 rating for the three games. Ft. Myers, Fla., was second (1.05), followed by Nashville, Richmond, Va., and Boston (0.87 in each).

With the team missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade, Chicago Blackhawks regular season games averaged a 2.39 rating on NBC Sports Chicago — down 28% from last year (3.33), down 40% from two years ago (3.96) and the team’s smallest average since 2008-09 (1.26). Despite the lower numbers, the Blackhawks still outdrew the similarly-moribund Bulls (1.81). [NBC Sports]

Monday’s Mets-Marlins Major League Baseball game had a 4.5 rating on SNY in the New York City market, the team’s second-highest rating on the network since 2015 (Mets-Nationals: 4.52). A Mets-Braves game last April holds the top spot over that span (4.7).