The NBA’s nightly referee showcase attracted a larger-than-usual audience Saturday night.
Lakers-Celtics averaged a 2.05 rating and 3.69 million viewers on the latest edition of ABC’s NBA Saturday Primetime, up 12% in ratings and 16% in viewership from Nets-Warriors last year (1.8, 3.17M) and the most-watched NBA regular season game outside of Christmas in three years — since Blazers-Lakers on ESPN in January 2020, the first Laker game after the passing of Kobe Bryant (4.41M).
Excluding that anomalous circumstance, it was the most-watched since Lakers-Sixers on ABC in February 2019 (3.86M). (Keep in mind out-of-home was not included in viewership prior to the 2020-21 season.)
Outside of Christmas, it was the first NBA regular season game to crack a 2.0 rating since Lakers-Clippers on ABC in March 2020 (2.3), three days before the league would enter an unscheduled four-month hiatus.
The overtime thriller, largely overshadowed by a blown call at the end of regulation, ranks fifth for the NBA season behind four of the five Christmas Day matchups. The Lakers, whose faint playoff chances were dealt a major blow by the defeat, have played in three of the top six games — more than any other team. Zoom out further and the Warriors and Celtics have played in more (7) of the top 20 games, with the Lakers one behind (6).
Lakers-Celtics was the nightcap of an NBA tripleheader on ABC, the first on broadcast television since NBC in 2002. Earlier in the day, Knicks-Nets averaged a 1.3 and 2.45 million and Nuggets-Sixers a 1.0 and 1.76 million — ranking tenth and 18th for the season respectively.
In other recent NBA action, Grizzlies-Warriors averaged a 1.0 and 1.67 million viewers on ESPN last Wednesday — up 31% in ratings and 40% in viewership from Suns-Jazz last year (0.75, 1.19M) and the network’s most-watched game outside of Christmas since the night before Thanksgiving (Clippers-Warriors: 1.79M). Nets-Sixers led-in with a 0.9 (+39%) and 1.46 million (+37%).
The following night, TNT averaged a 1.0 and 1.64 million for Knicks-Celtics — on par with Lakers-Sixers last year. Mavericks-Suns drew a 0.7 (-28%) and 1.28 million (-24%) afterward.
(Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 1.31, Programming Insider 1.26, 1.27)
