An overtime thriller involving the NBA’s top draw unsurprisingly did well for TNT.
Game 4 of the Warriors/Blazers NBA playoff series scored 6.2 million viewers on TNT Monday night, up 24% from Warriors/Grizzlies last year (5.0M), up 42% from Spurs/Blazers in 2014 (4.3M), and the top game of the playoffs on cable. The previous high was 5.2 million for Game 2 of the series last week.
Regardless of network, Golden State’s overtime win earned the third-largest audience of the postseason* — behind Warriors/Rockets Game 4 in the first round (7.2M) and Blazers/Warriors Game 1 (6.7M), both of which aired on ABC. The Warriors have played in the four most-watched games and five of the top six.
Among adults 18-49, Game 4 ranked as television’s top program of the night with a 2.6 rating. NBC’s The Voice was second with a 2.1. The NBA Playoffs has now won the night in the demo three times this postseason, with Thunder/Spurs Game 2 taking the top spot on May 2 (2.3) and Blazers/Warriors Game 2 doing so the following night (2.2).
In other Western Conference action, Game 5 of Thunder/Spurs scored 4.6 million viewers on Tuesday night — down 22% from Bulls/Cavaliers last year (5.9M) but up 32% from Wizards/Pacers in 2014 (3.5M). It was the series’ first game since the opener to finish below five million viewers.
Shifting to the East, Monday’s Raptors/Heat Game 4 had 4.0 million — up 27% from Hawks/Wizards last year (3.1M) but down 28% from Heat/Nets in 2014 (5.5M).
* Not including Sunday’s Cavaliers/Hawks Game 4 on ABC, for which final figures were not immediately available.
