Ratings: Nets-Sixers, NASCAR, NHL and more

Thursday’s Nets-Sixers NBA regular season game, which marked the teams’ first game since the James Harden for Ben Simmons trade last month, averaged 2.49 million viewers on TNT — the network’s largest regular season audience outside of Opening Night since Lakers-Bucks in December 2019 (2.78M). Brooklyn’s blowout win delivered the third-largest cable audience of the season behind Warriors-Lakers on TNT Opening Night (3.39M) and Hawks-Knicks on ESPN Christmas Day (2.92M).

It also ranked as Thursday’s top primetime program on all of television in adults 18-49 (0.9) and 18-34 (0.8) and tied the CBS series “Young Sheldon” for top honors in 25-54 (1.0).

The Warriors-Nuggets nightcap drew 1.99 million. TNT also drew 1.12 million for Clippers-Warriors and 1.06 million for Pelicans-Grizzlies on Tuesday. ESPN pulled 1.12 million for Suns-Heat and just 760,000 for Blazers-Jazz on Wednesday, the latter ranking as the network’s least-watched game all season.

Last weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race from Las Vegas averaged a 2.7 rating and 4.54 million viewers on FOX, up 5% in ratings and 3% in viewership from the same race last year (2.6, 4.4M), but down 15% and 17% from two years ago, when it took place on the weekend after the Daytona 500 (3.2, 5.50M). Compared to last year’s third race of the season at Homestead, ratings increased 9% (from 2.5) and viewership 6% (from 4.3M). Last year’s figures include revised, corrected out-of-home data.

Alex Bowman’s win, which peaked with 5.4 million viewers, was the top sporting event of last weekend.

In other NASCAR action, the corresponding Xfinity Series race drew a 0.6 and 1.06 million on FS1 — down a tick in ratings and at least 18% in viewership from last year (0.7, 1.25M pending revision).

Blackhawks-Flyers drew a mere 0.39 rating and 664,000 viewers on last weekend’s edition of ABC Hockey Saturday, marking the third-lowest NHL rating ever on broadcast television. NBC’s final two NHL regular season windows last year generated ratings of 0.34 and 0.31. In other NHL action, TNT drew a 0.15 and 292,000 for Stars-Wild last Sunday, down 12% in ratings and at least 8% in viewership from the equivalent Devils-Bruins “Hockey Day in America” window on NBCSN last year (0.17, 317K).

TNT also chipped in 290,000 for Capitals-Oilers on Wednesday night, with figures unavailable for the Canadiens-Canucks nightcap.

Tuesday’s Gonzaga-St. Mary’s men’s WCC Tournament final averaged 1.07 million viewers on ESPN, down at least 12% from last year (1.21M, pending revision). … Leading out of Duke-North Carolina, UFC 272 prelims averaged a 0.6 and 1.53 million viewers on ESPN last Saturday night — the most-watched UFC event on ESPN since the Conor McGregor-boosted UFC 264 prelims last July (1.62M). … Last weekend’s final round of the PGA Tour Arnold Palmer Invitational averaged a 1.7 rating and 2.83 million viewers on NBC, down 28% in ratings and at least 27% in viewership from last year (2.4, 3.86M pending revision), but up 2% and 9% respectively from two years ago (1.7, 2.59M). Third round coverage the previous day had a 1.2 (-22%) and 1.96 million (-22%, pending revision). … Primetime MLS on FOX (Charlotte-LA Galaxy) averaged a 0.26 and 475,000 viewers last Saturday night, up from the previous week (Portland-New England: 0.25, 436K), but no match for afternoon Premier League action on NBC earlier in the day (West Ham-Liverpool: 0.51, 900K).