The Western Conference Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder have been elite on the court so far, and audiences are tuning in.
Game 2, in which the Thunder evened things up thanks in part to a 30-point performance by NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, averaged 10.1 million viewers across NBC and Peacock on Wednesday night, making it the most-watched Game 2 in WCF history. The game peaked at 12.2 million viewers between 10:45 and 11:00 p.m. ET, per NBC.
According to NBC Sports, the game garnered 2.3 million AMA (average minute audience), making it the most-streamed NBA game ever on Peacock.
7.8 million viewers tuned in on NBC, making it the most-watched TV-only primetime program since 2020, not including the Olympics.
This comes on the heels of Game 1, a double-overtime Spurs victory, being the most-watched WCF opening game in NBA history, averaging 9.2 million viewers across NBC and Peacock on Monday night.
As it stands, the Western Conference Finals are currently averaging 9.6 million viewers, making it the most-watched ever through Game 2.
The numbers come from Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel and Adobe Analytics, and it’s worth noting that Nielsen did not include out-of-home viewing in its estimates until 2020. But that aside, it’s hard to argue that fans are energized to watch the championship-caliber emergence of Victor Wembanyama do battle against SGA and the defending champs.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.