However much longer it lasts, LeBron James and the Lakers are keeping the NBA ratings gravy train rolling into the conference finals.
Thursday’s Lakers-Nuggets NBA Western Conference Finals Game 2 averaged a 4.1 rating and 7.66 million viewers on ESPN (7.71M including ESPN Deportes), up 15% in ratings and 13% in viewership from Mavericks-Warriors on TNT last year (3.5, 6.77M) and the highest rated and most-watched conference final Game 2 since Blazers-Warriors on ESPN in 2019 (7.88M).
Compared to ESPN’s conference final Game 2 last year, Celtics-Heat, ratings increased 31% (from 3.1) and viewership 27% (from 6.05M).
Denver’s win, which peaked with 9.45 million from 11-11:15 PM ET, delivered the fifth-largest audience of the postseason. It was the 11th game of the playoffs to average at least seven million viewers, the most in any postseason prior to the NBA Finals since 2018 (13).
The Lakers have played in eight of the 11 most-watched games this postseason, tied with the Warriors as the most of any team. All six second round games between Golden State and the Lakers placed in the top 11.
Most-watched games of 2023 NBA Playoffs (through May 18)
As should be no surprise, viewership soared over the last time the Lakers and Nuggets met in the conference finals, three years ago in the “bubble.” Game 2 of that series, which aired on a Sunday night in September opposite the NFL, averaged 3.28 million viewers on TNT.
Game 2 was television’s most-watched program of the night and dominated in the key young adult demographics of 18-49 (2.6), 18-34 (2.25) and 25-54 (2.9). Compared to Mavericks-Warriors last year, ratings in those demographics increased 24%, 36% and 19% respectively.
All six games of Lakers-Warriors and the first two of Nuggets-Lakers have been the most-watched primetime program of their respective nights. While it is common for NBA games to dominate the rest of TV in the young adult demographics, it is comparably rare for the league to win the night in viewership during the television season.
(Nielsen estimates from Programming Insider 5.19)
