The series did not last as long as anyone outside of Denver would have liked, but the Nuggets-Lakers Western Conference Finals was nonetheless a hit for ESPN/ABC.
The four-game Nuggets-Lakers NBA Western Conference Finals averaged 7.9 million viewers across ESPN and ABC, making it the most-watched conference final since 2018 — when both Warriors-Rockets (9.4M) and Cavaliers-Celtics (8.4M) went seven.
Compared to last year, viewership increased 18% from the five-game Warriors-Mavericks WCF on TNT (6.7M) and 13% from the seven-game Celtics-Heat East final on ESPN/ABC (7.0M).
Despite lasting just four games, Nuggets-Lakers ranks as the most-watched series of the playoffs, edging the six-game Lakers-Warriors series in the second round (7.8M). While it is to be expected that a conference final would outdraw an early round matchup, Lakers-Warriors was the most-watched second round series in 27 years.
Monday’s clinching Game 4 averaged a 4.4 rating and 8.21 million on ESPN, trailing only Game 3 Saturday (8.38M) and last year’s Celtics-Heat Game 7 (9.88M) as the most-watched conference final game in the past five years. Denver’s win, which peaked with 11.48 million viewers from 11-11:15 PM ET, delivered the sixth-largest audience of the postseason.
The Lakers played in ten of the 13 most-watched games this postseason, more than any other team. The Warriors rank second with eight appearances, albeit in three fewer games. Game 4 was the sixth of the playoffs to average at least eight million viewers, the most in any postseason prior to the Finals since 2018 (eight).
Most-watched games of 2023 NBA Playoffs
While the game ranked sixth for the playoffs, the peak audience of 11.5 million is the second-highest of the postseason behind Warriors-Kings Game 7 in the first round (11.9M).
For the fourth time in as many games, Nuggets-Lakers was the night’s most-watched primetime show and dominated the rest of television in the key young adult demographics of 18-49 (2.8), 18-34 (2.5) and 25-54 (3.1).
Compared to last year’s equivalent games, Game 4 increased 29% in ratings and a third in viewership from Warriors-Mavericks on TNT (3.4, 6.19M) and 22% and 28% respectively from Heat-Celtics on ABC (3.6, 6.40M).
(Nielsen estimates from Programming Insider 5.23, ShowBuzz Daily 5.23, PR)
