Considering that last year’s game featured the Lakers without Kobe Bryant, ABC probably expected a bigger gain for Sunday’s Durant-LeBron clash.
The Thunder/Cavaliers NBA regular season game drew a 3.4 overnight rating on ABC Sunday afternoon, up a tick from Lakers/Knicks last year (3.3) but down 31% from Thunder/Lakers in 2013 (4.9). Outside of the NFL Pro Bowl on ESPN (5.6) it was the top sporting event of the weekend in the metered markets.
Excluding Christmas, the game marked just the second regular season meeting between LeBron James and Kevin Durant on ABC. The previous meeting, which took place in January 2011, drew a 3.1 overnight in the 1 PM ET window.
Heat/Bulls earlier in the day drew a 2.3 overnight, down 15% from a Spurs/Heat NBA Finals rematch last year (2.7) and down 40% from Heat/Celtics in 2013 (3.8). The 2.3 is tied as the third-lowest overnight for the NBA on ABC since 2011. It is also the lowest overnight for a Heat game on ABC, as one could reasonably expect, since Heat/Pistons opposite the NCAA Tournament in 2009 (1.4).
Both games outdrew the Duke/St. John’s college basketball game on FOX, Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski’s 1,000th victory (1.5).
(Sun. overnights from ShowBuzz Daily)
