No LeBron, no problem — if just for one night.
Lakers-Thunder scored a 1.2 rating and 1.93 million viewers on the NBA on TNT Thursday night, up 20% in ratings and 29% in viewership from last year (T’Wolves-Rockets: 1.0, 1.50M) and up 63% and 60% respectively from 2017 (T’Wolves-Clippers: 0.75, 1.21M).
Thursday marked the Lakers’ fourth game on ESPN or TNT since LeBron James‘ Christmas Day injury. It was the highest rated and most-watched of the four, and excluding Christmas, ranks as the team’s top game overall since November 21 against Cleveland (2.1, 3.69M).
The Lakers’ win was the most-watched NBA game in a couple of weeks, since Rockets-Warriors on TNT January 3 (2.39M).
Earlier in the night, Sixers-Pacers had a 0.7 (-13%) and 1.07 million (-10%).
On Wednesday night, Raptors-Celtics scored a 1.1 and 1.78 million on ESPN — up 10% in ratings and 17% in viewership from last year (Lakers-Thunder: 1.0, 1.52M) and up 38% in both measures from 2017 (Bucks-Rockets: 0.8, 1.30M).
The Raptors have played six games on ESPN or TNT this season that can be compared to last year, and all but one has posted an increase in ratings and/or viewership. The lone exception was Raptors-Spurs on January 3, Kawhi Leonard‘s return to San Antonio. Though that game did well, it was no match for a strong performing Warriors-Rockets game a year earlier.
The Pelicans-Warriors nightcap had a 1.1 and 1.66 million, up 57% in both measures from last year (Nuggets-Clippers: 0.7, 1.05M) but down 31% and 37% respectively from Thunder-Warriors in ’17 (1.6, 2.65M).
Wrapping up the recent NBA action, ESPN drew a 0.9 (+6%) and 1.37 million (+6%) for Lakers-Jazz and a 0.7 (-42%) and 1.03 million (-43%) for Pacers-Knicks last Friday night.
[Numbers from Nielsen via Programming Insider 1.15, 1.17, 1.18]
