The Western Conference slate of games within the National Basketball Association Play-In Tournament included plenty of star power and provided many exciting moments concurrent with the implications of the matchups. TNT Sports’ NBA on TNT provided coverage of the contests, the first of which squared the No. 7 New Orleans Pelicans against the No. 8 Los Angeles Lakers. Forward LeBron James and center Anthony Davis led the Lakers to a 110-106 victory in a game that an average of 3.91 million viewers watched across TNT and truTV.
The second game of the night featured the No. 9 Sacramento Kings against the No. 10 Golden State Warriors that measured an average audience size of 4.05 million viewers. Stephen Curry and the Warriors were eliminated after losing the contest 118-94, officially leading to a Friday night game between the Pelicans and Kings with the final conference playoff spot hanging in the balance. That matchup will be broadcast on TNT with tip off scheduled for approximately 9:30 a.m. EST from Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif.
As a whole, the two games averaged 4 million viewers across TNT, truTV and the B/R Sports Add-On, which is up 37% from 2023. The Pelicans-Lakers game – broadcast by play-by-play announcer Kevin Harlan, analyst Reggie Miller and reporter Allie LaForce – was the third most-watched play-in game ever and up 74% over last year’s game between the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat.
Additionally, the Kings-Warriors game – broadcast by play-by-play announcer Brian Anderson, analyst Stan Van Gundy and reporter Chris Haynes – was the second most-watched play-in game ever and up 17% over last year when the Minnesota Timberwolves faced the Los Angeles Lakers. TNT was also the most-viewed network in prime-time television on Tuesday night among Persons 18-34, Persons 18-49 and Persons 25-54.
Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch reports that the games rank fourth and sixth on the full season, four of which have included the Los Angeles Lakers. The Warriors have played in three of the six highest-rated NBA games in the season. Both contests also averaged a 1.5 rating among adults 18-49, which tripled the prime time broadcast of FBI on CBS. The only NBA Play-In Tournament game to top Tuesday night’s doubleheader was the Warriors and Lakers matchup in 2021 on ESPN, which averaged a total of 5.62 million viewers and ended in 103-100 Lakers victory.
