Golden State took a backseat to Celtics-Nets in the first round, but the Warriors have reclaimed their place as the NBA’s dominant draw in the second round of the playoffs.
Saturday’s Grizzlies-Warriors second round NBA playoff Game 3 averaged a 3.2 rating and 6.10 million viewers on ABC, marking the third-largest audience of the postseason thus far. Golden State has played in four of the six most-watched games this postseason, with their series against Memphis accounting for half the list — including a playoff-high 7.71 million for Game 1 on May 1.
Figures for Monday’s Game 4 on TNT were not immediately available.
Ratings increased 46% and viewership as much as 48% from Jazz-Clippers in the same window last year (2.2, 4.11M), but declined 27% and 16% from Warriors-Rockets in 2019, Golden State’s previous semifinal series (4.4, 7.23M).
Earlier in the day, Celtics-Bucks drew a 2.4 and 4.65 million. ABC aired a Saturday afternoon game instead of its usual Sunday window to accommodate Formula 1. Compared to last year’s Sunday afternoon Bucks-Nets Game 4, ratings increased a tick (from 2.3) and viewership as much as 15% (from 4.03M).
With ABC occupied by F1, the usual Sunday afternoon playoff window aired on ESPN. The network pulled a 2.2 and 4.36 million for Suns-Mavericks, down 5% in ratings but up as much as 8% in viewership compared to last year’s aforementioned Bucks-Nets game. Game 3 of the series last Friday night was stronger at a 4.4 (+9%) and 4.48 million (+13%*).
Rounding out the recent action, Heat-Sixers pulled a 2.1 (+6%) and 3.83 million (+9%*) on ESPN Friday and a 2.4 (+7%) and 4.63 million (+10%*) on TNT Sunday. TNT was averaging 3.5 million viewers through Sunday’s games, its highest average at this point of the postseason since 2018.
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 5.10, Turner Sports]
