Apr 20, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) reacts with center Al Horford (42) after making a three point basket during the second half against the Orlando Magic at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images The 2025 NBA playoffs drew the best ratings for an opening weekend in 25 years, the league announced Tuesday.
The eight-game slate on Saturday and Sunday averaged 4.4 million viewers, a 17-percent increase from a year ago.
The six games on the ABC/ESPN platforms averaged 4.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched playoffs opening weekend in network history.
The two contests carried Sunday night by TNT, truTV and MAX — Cleveland over Miami, and Golden State downing Houston — averaged 4.13 million viewers. That’s the best ratings on that network platform in eight years and up 23 percent from 2024.
Most popular was the defending champion Boston Celtics’ 103-86 home win over the Orlando Magic that tipped off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Easter Sunday. The 6.69 million average made it the second-most watched first-round Game 1 ever on ABC. Ratings peaked at 8 million viewers.
The same context held true for ESPN, which showed the host New York Knicks’ 123-112 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday and averaged 4.12 million viewers. That’s the second-most watched first-round Game 1 on ESPN.
The three games with the highest ratings were on ABC, the league’s lone national over-the-air broadcast partner. After Magic-Celtics, the second-highest ratings went to the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 117-95 road win over the Los Angeles Lakers, drawing an average of 5.4 million on Saturday night.
The least watched of ABC’s three Sunday games was the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 131-80 rout of the Memphis Grizzlies, which averaged 4.45 million viewers.
The positive news for the NBA was a boost after regular-season ratings were down 2 percent after double-digit decreases in the first two months, Front Office Sports reported. ABC finished with 10 percent growth, while ESPN-exclusive games were down 7 percent and TNT ratings decreased 8 percent, per Front Office Sports.
–Field Level Media
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