The San Antonio Spurs' 115-111 win over the New York Knicks in Game 3 of the NBA Finals averaged 23.8 million viewers, making Victor Wembanyama's 32-point performance the most-watched Finals Game 3 since 1998.
Spurs-Knicks Game 3 Hits 23.8 Million
AP reported that Nielsen data released Wednesday showed the Monday night game peaked at 26.3 million viewers late in the fourth quarter. That gave the close finish a broadcast number to match the tension, which is generally what television executives prefer to see before anyone starts saying the product is healthy too loudly.
The audience was also the largest for any television program since Super Bowl 60 on Feb. 8, according to AP. For an NBA Finals matchup between the Spurs and Knicks, that is a serious national footprint, helped by New York's market, Wembanyama's profile and a four-point game.
NBA Finals Average Rises Sharply
The Finals were averaging 19.1 million viewers through the reported window, the second-best mark since ABC and ESPN took over the broadcast in 2003. AP said that figure represented a 114% increase over last year's series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers.
The alternate broadcast also found an audience. NBA Finals All-Access with The Pat McAfee Show averaged 1.1 million viewers on ESPN, making it the network's most-watched NBA alternate telecast.
Wembanyama, Knicks Push National Interest
The ratings report gives the league a clean off-court headline during a series already full of on-court drama. Wembanyama's 32 points powered San Antonio's Game 3 win, while the Knicks' presence has kept the Finals firmly in New York's daily sports conversation.
Ratings do not win a series, and coaches tend not to hang Nielsen sheets in the locker room. Still, 23.8 million viewers for a Game 3 says the Spurs, Knicks and NBA had the country's attention when the fourth quarter tightened.