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NBA Finals 2023 Game 2 Becomes Highest-Rated Nuggets Game In Denver Market

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Updated06 Jun 2023

NBA Finals 2023 Game 2 Becomes Highest-Rated Nuggets Game In Denver Market

The 2023 NBA Finals series opener saw a decrease in viewership compared to last year’s Warriors-Celtics series, but Sunday night’s Game 2 became the highest-rated Nuggets game in the Denver market. Game 2 also posted a 3% increase in viewership from last year’s second NBA Finals game.

In Denver, Game 2 averaged a 22.3 rating. Meanwhile, Miami drew a 15.2 rating, West Palm Beach finished with an 11.5, Milwaukee drew a 9.2, and Memphis averaged an 8.7. Those are the top-five local markets. The Miami Heat went on to win 111-108 over Denver, tying the series 1-1.

Upon further review of a few NBA betting sites, the Nuggets are the favorites to win the 2023 NBA Finals. Check out which sportsbooks are giving Nikola Jokic the best odds to win Finals MVP.

NBA Finals 2023 Game 2 Becomes Highest-Rated Nuggets Game In Denver Market
Retrieved from ESPN Press Room

According to Nielsen, Game 2 between the Nuggets and Heat on Sunday night averaged 11.91 million viewers, matching the Game 2 average audience from last year’s Warriors-Celtics series. The broadcast peaked at the 10:15 p.m. ET quarter hour with 15.256 million viewers.

Game 2 logged a 45 share in adults 18-34, which means 3.2% of 18-34s accounted for nearly half of the demographic’s linear television viewership Sunday night. Game 1 drew an audience of about 11.58 million. Of course, approximately 11.9 million tuned in to watch last year’s Game 1.

Game 2 of 2023 NBA Finals is the highest-rated Nuggets game in the Denver market; Denver recorded higher ratings than Miami, West Palm Beach, Milwaukee, and Memphis

Game 1 of the Heat-Nuggets series drew a 2.21 rating for the 18-49 age range demographic. Keep in mind, the 2023 NBA Finals is being televised through ABC, ESPN2, and ESPN Deportes.

Furthermore, the Nuggets-Lakers matchup of this past Western Conference Finals series averaged 7.9 million viewers across ESPN and ABC, making it the most-watched conference finals series since 2018.


It was a 13% increase over last year’s seven-game ECF series between the Celtics and Heat. Game 4 of the Nuggets-Lakers series averaged 8.209 million viewers on ESPN.

The 1998 NBA Finals between the Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls remains the most-watched finals in league history. An average of 29.04 million fans watched this finals series. The Bulls’ 87-86 win in Game 6 over Utah set an NBA record with 35.89 million viewers.

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