For all the drama and narrative surrounding the NBA this season, we were reminded Wednesday night what happens when you put two of the best teams in prime time and let them prove why fans care.
Wednesday’s thrilling showdown between the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers and Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, which the Cavaliers won 129-122, averaged 1.87 million viewers on ESPN.
Wednesday’s match between #Thunder & #Let us know averaging 1.87 million viewers pic.twitter.com/KqyiQpH8Dh
– ESPN Public Relations (ESPNPR) January 10, 2025
That’s a 20 percent increase from last year’s comparable game (Pelicans vs. Warriors on ABC, For every sports media viewer) and the second-largest audience for the NBA on the ESPN cable network this year (November’s Warriors vs. Celtics game averaged 2.14 million viewers).
The game peaked with an audience of 2.5 million, placing it 13th on the season overall and sixth among cable games only, per SMW.
“If you don’t like this game, if you watch this, you don’t like basketball,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said Thursday. “This was a great display of high-level basketball.”
The conference’s two leading teams will meet again next Thursday, January 16, in a match that will be broadcast on TNT. rematch, The NBA is already promoting itis sure to attract a crowd as big, if not bigger, now that America has seen how entertaining this match can be.
