The NBA’s second conference final Game 7 in as many days delivered big numbers for TNT.
Monday’s Warriors-Rockets NBA Western Conference Finals Game 7 delivered a 10.3 overnight rating on TNT, down 8% from Thunder-Warriors in 2016 (11.2), the previous West Finals Game 7.
Compared to Cavaliers-Celtics Game 7 on ESPN the previous night, overnights increased 13% from a 9.1.
Golden State’s comeback win posted the NBA’s second-highest overnight rating since 2002, behind only Thunder-Warriors. Two of the four highest overnights came in 48 hours, with Cavs-Celtics tying for third.
2018 marks the first time that two NBA games have exceeded a 9.0 overnight — not counting the NBA Finals — since 2002. That year, Games 5, 6 and 7 of Lakers-Kings had an 11.6, 13.5 and 16.9 on NBC.
Notably, Monday’s game posted the same overnight as the Villanova-Michigan NCAA Tournament National Championship, which aired across TBS, TNT and TruTV. It tied the fourth-highest overnight of the year on cable, behind the three College Football Playoff games.
Head-to-head, Game 7 beat Game 1 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final on NBC (3.7), though the 178% margin was smaller than in 2016 (11.2 to 2.7, +315%).
Game 7 earned a 27.9 rating in the Bay Area, down 9% from 2016 (30.9). Houston turned in a 22.0, the market’s highest for an NBA game on TNT.
Highest NBA Ratings in Metered Markets Since 2002
Excluding the NBA Finals
[Numbers from Turner Sports PR/Twitter 5.29; David Barron/Twitter 5.29]
