The NBA’s big three — the league-leading Celtics, .500 Warriors and the 13th-place Lakers — continued to move the needle in the final days before the All-Star break.
Lakers-Warriors averaged a 1.7 rating and 3.05 million viewers on ABC’s NBA Saturday Primetime last weekend, down 12% in ratings and 15% in viewership from the same matchup last year (1.9, 3.61M), with the caveat that both LeBron James and Stephen Curry missed the game due to injury.
Los Angeles’ win ranks eighth for the season in viewership. Despite their 27-32 record at the All-Star break, the Lakers have played in five of the ten most-watched games this season — topping the Warriors (4) and Celtics (4) as the most of any team.
Most-watched NBA games at All-Star break
Speaking of last year’s finalists, TNT averaged 1.67 million viewers for Celtics-Bucks and 1.29 million for Warriors-Clippers on Tuesday night, both teams’ final game before the All-Star break — up 41% and 9% respectively from last year (Celtics-Sixers: 1.19M; Clippers-Suns: 1.18M).
Boston played four-straight games on national TV in less than a week, with three of the four up double-digits. In addition to the Bucks game, their Sunday game against the Grizzlies jumped 16% in ratings and 10% in viewership on ABC (1.2, 2.07M) — marking the NBA’s top Super Bowl Sunday audience in four years — and their matchup with the Sixers the prior Wednesday soared 42% and 63% respectively on ESPN (0.9, 1.68M).
The exception was their meeting with the moribund Hornets last Friday (0.56, 969K), down from the previous comparable window and the least-watched Celtics game on ESPN/ABC or TNT all season. The Cavaliers-Pelicans nightcap fared better at a 0.6 and 1.07 million.
Rounding out the recent NBA slate, TNT averaged 1.20 million for Clippers-Suns and 1.07 million for Bucks-Bulls Thursday, both down from last year’s solo Sixers-Bucks game (0.9, 1.54M). ESPN on Wednesday posted declines for Pelicans-Lakers (1.27M, -3%) and Cavaliers-Sixers (1.04M, -17%).
Going back to the trade deadline February 9, TNT posted upticks in viewership for Bucks-Lakers (1.43M, +2%) and Bulls-Nets (1.20M, +6%) in the hours after the Lakers and Nets completed high-profile trades. Mavericks-Clippers the previous night — marking the Dallas debut of Kyrie Irving — posted double-digit gains on ESPN (1.60M, +18%).
An overall viewership average for the pre-All-Star portion of the schedule will be posted when available.
(Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily)
