Wednesday’s overtime thriller between the Pacers and Knicks drew an audience fit for the madness that occurred.
The game drew 6.6 million viewers on TNT, the most-watched Eastern Conference finals opener since 2018. It’s also the second-most-watched game on cable so far through these playoffs, behind only Game 7 between the Warriors and Rockets in the first round, which also aired on TNT—though that game was on Sunday prime time.
Game 1 of the Knicks vs. Pacers conference finals series peaked at 8.5 million viewers at 11 p.m. ET, which coincided with the final stretch of regulation when Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton hit a jumper to send the game to overtime.
The numbers are a lift for the NBA after the Western Conference finals opener between the Timberwolves and Thunder averaged 5.36 million viewers on ESPN, the least-watched conference finals opener since 2021, according to Sports Media Watch. Excluding the 2020 and 2021 playoffs that were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Tuesday’s game was the least-watched conference finals Game 1 since Grizzlies vs. Spurs in 2013 on ABC.
NBA playoffs viewership is up 3% through the first two rounds after a regular season that saw a 2% dip in the ratings. The most-watched game of the playoffs so far was Game 4 between the Lakers and T-Wolves, a Sunday afternoon game on ABC, that drew 7.35 million viewers and peaked at more than 10 million viewers.
