The NBA will not have the Warriors to rely on in the playoffs — and may not have the Lakers for long — but for at least one night, the league’s top television draws delivered big numbers.
Tuesday’s Warriors-Kings and Lakers-Pelicans NBA Play-in Tournament games averaged 4.05 and 3.91 million viewers respectively across TNT (3.94M; 3.82M) and truTV (111K; 96K), marking the second and third-largest audiences in the young history of the event. The only Play-in game to fare better was the head-to-head matchup of Golden State and the Lakers on ESPN in 2021 (5.65M).
Overall, the five play-in games played by the Warriors and Lakers rank as the five most-watched (21 games total).
Most-watched NBA Play-in Tournament games
Compared to the first night of last year’s play-in, viewership for the doubleheader rose 37 percent from 2.91 to 3.98 million. Individually, Lakers-Pelicans increased 74% and Warriors-Kings 17% from last year’s equivalent matchups of Hawks-Heat (2.25M) and Timberwolves-Lakers (3.47M).
The games rank fourth and sixth respectively for the full season, joined by Christmas Day games, the In-Season Tournament final, and a Lakers-Warriors game on ABC in February. The Lakers have played in four of the top six (and five of the top seven), more than any other team. The Warriors, whose season ended Tuesday night, rank second with three in the top six.
Each game averaged a 1.5 rating in adults 18-49, tripling the night’s top primetime show on broadcast (“FBI” on CBS at a 0.50).
