Ratings: NBA Playoffs, racing, MLB and more

Wednesday’s Nuggets-Warriors first round NBA playoff Game 5 averaged 4.02 million viewers on TNT, the most-watched first round clincher thus far (pending results for Friday’s Grizzlies-Timberwolves Game 6) and up as much as 20% from Mavericks-Clippers last year (3.36M*). Compared to Clippers-Warriors Game 5 in the same window three years ago — Golden State’s previous trip to the playoffs — viewership slipped 2% from 4.09 million. The Bulls-Bucks lead-in drew a 1.6 rating (-2%) and 2.72 million (-5%*).

In other action, Suns-Pelicans concluded with 3.47 million viewers on Tuesday and a 1.6 and 2.65 million opposite the NFL Draft Thursday — both down from last year but up from 2019. Mavericks-Jazz finished with 3.21 million Thursday night, down sharply from last year’s Suns-Lakers clincher, which aired in June and did not face the NFL Draft (4.53M*).

Rounding out the recent TNT slate, Timberwolves-Grizzlies Game 5 scored a 1.8 and 2.90 million on Tuesday — topping both last year (Celtics-Nets: 1.7, 2.78M*) and 2019 (Nets-Sixers: 1.5, 2.28M). Figures for Friday’s clinching Game 6 will not be available until Monday.

Shifting to NBA TV, first round action averaged 571,000 viewers — up 44% from last year and the network’s highest average since 2014. Its coverage concluded with Sixers-Raptors at a 0.34 and 627,000 opposite the NFL Draft on Thursday and Hawks-Heat at a 0.37 and 613,000 two nights earlier

NASCAR Cup Series racing from Talladega (Ala.) averaged a 2.6 rating and 4.68 million viewers on FOX last Sunday, down slightly from last year (2.6, 4.70M**) but still the most-watched Cup Series event since the Daytona 500 (8.87M). The corresponding Xfinity Series race averaged a 1.3 and 2.06 million, the series’ largest audience at any track in five years.

Earlier Sunday, the Formula 1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix averaged a 0.7 and 1.00 million on ESPN — the sixth-largest F1 audience ever on U.S. cable television. It also ranks as the most-watched F1 race from Italy since 2006 and the fourth-most watched overall, regardless of network. ESPN is now averaging 1.1 million viewers for F1 coverage, up 22% from the first four races last year (909K).

The Cup, Xfinity and F1 races peaked at 6.0, 2.8 and 1.2 million viewers respectively.

Brewers-Phillies averaged a 0.7 rating and 1.11 million viewers on last weekend’s edition of ESPN Sunday Night Baseball, down sharply from Padres-Dodgers on ESPN and ESPN2 on the same weekend last year (2.01M*). With ESPN’s regular season coverage now consisting almost solely of Sunday night games, no other MLB window over the past two weeks has cracked the 300,000 viewer mark. FS1 drew a 0.12 and 202,000 for White Sox-Twins last weekend, while TBS drew 206,000 and 234,000 for its two Tuesday night games over that span (Mets-Cardinals this past week and Braves-Dodgers the week prior) — an actual improvement over its season premiere (Padres-Giants: 173K).

Outside of Sunday Night Baseball, no MLB game over that two-week time period has averaged as many viewers as ESPN’s Virginia Tech-Tennessee college softball game on April 21 (343K) — which aired in the window once occupied by Wednesday Night Baseball.

The second weekend of the USFL averaged 661,000 viewers according to Sports Business Journal, down 57% from Week 1 (1.57M). That compares to a 69% decline from Week 1 to Week 2 of the Alliance of American Football in 2019 (from 1.95M to 607K) and a 34% drop from Week 1 to Week 2 of the XFL reboot two years ago (from 3.12 to 2.05M). … Rangers-Bruins drew a 0.45 rating and 774,000 viewers in the season finale of ABC Hockey Saturday last weekend, marking the eighth-straight NHL game on broadcast television with fewer than one million viewers. ABC will not carry another NHL game until Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final June 18. TNT drew a 0.26 and 433,000 for its Penguins-Flyers season finale the following day. ESPN wrapped up its regular season slate with 337,000 for Oilers-Penguins and 335,000 for Blues-Avalanche on Tuesday. … Final round coverage of the PGA Tour at New Orleans averaged a 1.2 and 1.80 million on CBS last Sunday, preceded by third round coverage at a 1.0 and 1.48 million the previous day, both down from last year (1.4, 2.16M*; 1.1, 1.60M*).