In the NBA’s first second round since 1994 sans LeBron James, Stephen Curry or Shaquille O’Neal, the streaking Suns may have an argument as the league’s best draw left.
Sunday’s Suns-Nuggets NBA second round Game 4 averaged a 2.25 rating and 4.22 million viewers on TNT, marking the largest audience of the second round thus far (through Monday). Ratings and viewership fell 22% from the comparable window in the “bubble” last year, but that was a Laker game on ABC (2.9, 5.43M). Compared to 2019 (Nuggets-Blazers), ratings fell 9% (from 2.5) but viewership increased 4% (from 4.06M).
The Suns’ series-clinching win ranks fifth for the playoffs overall. The Suns have played in four of the top five games, with the caveat that three of those came against the Lakers.
It was also the top sportscast of the week on any network.
Earlier in the day, Nets-Bucks Game 4 averaged 4.03 million viewers on ABC — up 13% from the “bubble” (Bucks-Heat: 3.58M) but down 13% from 2019 (Raptors-Sixers: 4.63M). ABC also drew 4.11 million for Jazz-Clippers Game 3 on Saturday night, up 39% from Nuggets-Clippers on TNT last year (2.96M) but down 43% from Warriors-Rockets on ABC in ’19 (7.23M).
In other action, Suns-Nuggets Game 3 averaged 3.96 million on ESPN Friday night — down 2% from Rockets-Lakers Game 1 in the “bubble” (4.04M) but up 8% from the four-overtime Nuggets-Blazers Game 3 in ’19 (3.65M).
Sixers-Hawks Game 3 pulled 3.51 million earlier in the night, up 58% from the “bubble (Bucks-Heat: 2.22M) but down 13% from ’19 (Bucks-Celtics: 4.06M).
Game 4 of that series pulled 3.89 million on TNT Monday, per John Ourand of Sports Business Journal, up 44% from the “bubble (Celtics-Raptors Game 5: 2.71M) and up 5% from ’19 (Bucks-Celtics: 3.72M).
The Jazz-Clippers nightcap drew 3.35 million, actually down 3% from the “bubble (Clippers-Nuggets: 3.45M) and down 52% from Warriors-Rockets in ’19 (6.97M). It delivered the second-smallest audience of the second round, ahead of only Bucks-Nets Game 2. Not coincidentally, both of those games were particularly uncompetitive routs.
[Nielsen estimates from ESPN, Spoiler TV 6.15 a, b, c, Ourand/Twitter 6.15]
