In their first ABC games since making blockbuster trades, the Warriors and Lakers showed signs of optimism for the home stretch of the season — on the court and perhaps in the ratings.
ABC averaged 2.90 million viewers for Mavericks-Warriors, 2.87 million for Lakers-Nuggets and 2.24 million for Knicks-Celtics over the weekend, down 3%, up 29% and up 37% respectively from last year’s equivalent NBA windows (Lakers-Suns: 2.98M; Celtics-Knicks: 2.22M; Bucks-Sixers: 1.64M). All three games were routs in which the winning team led by at least 24 points.
Despite a slight decline, the Warriors’ blowout of shorthanded Dallas delivered the tenth-largest audience of the NBA season — and the team’s largest audience outside of their matchups with the Lakers. (Keep in mind it was their first ABC window this season that did not also feature the Lakers.)
The Lakers’ surprising rout of Denver ranked just outside of the top ten. Los Angeles, which famously traded for Luka Doncic earlier this month, has played in five of the 12 most-watched games this NBA season — more than any other team. Viewership still trailed last year’s ABC primetime matchup of the Nuggets and Lakers, a closer matchup that drew 3.05 million in early March.
Neither the Lakers nor Warriors were expected to seriously contend at the start of the season, and have largely not been the dominant television draws they were in past years (except against each other). If still too early to call, the home stretch may be a different story as both teams boast superstar additions and are playing their best basketball of the season.
The teams are set to combine for four more ABC games this season, including the Lakers against the Celtics in early March. ABC has already aired 11 of the 13 most-watched NBA games this season, the lone exceptions being TNT’s Opening Night doubleheader.
Shifting to cable, ESPN averaged 1.73 million for Grizzlies-Cavaliers Sunday night — down 21% from a higher-profile pairing of Denver and Golden State last year (2.20M) — followed by 1.48 million for Thunder-Timberwolves (+3%). On Friday night, the network drew 1.16 million for Timberwolves-Rockets and 1.13 million for Knicks-Cavaliers, down 4 and 6 percent respectively from last year’s doubleheader of Cavaliers-Sixers and Bucks-Timberwolves (both 1.20M).
TNT last Thursday averaged 1.04 million for Celtics-Sixers and just 858,000 for Suns-Spurs opposite the NHL “Four Nations Face-Off” final (9.3M), down 23 and 51 percent respectively from last year’s doubleheader of Suns-Mavericks (1.35M) and Lakers-Warriors (1.76M).
Note: Nielsen as of this month expanded its out-of-home viewing sample to cover 100 percent of markets (up from two-thirds previously). As a result, viewership figures will generally compare favorably not only to past years, but even to past weeks.
