The NBA’s top two teams faced off Wednesday, but it was unclear whether fans would pay attention to a matchup between the Cavaliers and Thunder, two small-market darlings. The numbers are in, and while they aren’t spectacular, they are a positive for the NBA. Cleveland and Oklahoma City drew 1.87 million viewers on ESPN, about 8% more than the 1.72 million average per national TV game this season—which includes the five-game Christmas Day slate that drew 5.32 million viewers. The game averaged 20% more than the comparable window last year, a Pelicans-Warriors game that featured Steph Curry, one of the league’s biggest viewership draws, but ended in a 141–105 blowout.
by Hoops Hype