According to an official press release, Saturday night’s Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors game had the greatest regular-season NBA audience in four years, excluding Christmas games. The league’s official release stated the following: “ABC’s coverage of the Los Angeles Lakers’ thrilling victory over the Golden State Warriors on January 27 drew the largest regular-season NBA audience across platforms in four years.” According to Nielsen, the overtime game averaged nearly four million viewers (3,968,000), a seven percent increase over last year’s equivalent game between the Lakers and the Boston Celtics. The Lakers-Warriors game peaked on ABC at 11:45 p.m. ET with 5,235,000 viewers. The game broadcast won the night on all television networks and in all major demographics. Overall, the NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC ‘Rivals Week’ tripleheader averaged 2,915,000 viewers, up 8% from the previous year. The Philadelphia 76ers vs. Denver Nuggets game on ABC attracted 2,623,000 viewers, while the Miami Heat vs. New York Knicks game had an average audience of 1,784,000.” This is usually excellent news for the NBA, as interest in the league appears to be reaching new highs. Despite their late-career status, LeBron James and Steph Curry remain extremely popular, and their games are must-sees.
