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NBA Finals 2023 Ratings Down 3% In Game 3 From Last Year’s Warriors-Celtics

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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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Updated09 Jun 2023

NBA Finals 2023 Ratings Down 3% In Game 3 From Last Year's Warriors-Celtics

The 2023 NBA Finals ratings for Game 3 between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Nuggets are down 3% from last year’s Warriors-Celtics matchup. In Denver’s 109-94 win over Miami this past Wednesday night, Game 3 averaged a 6.0 rating and 11.237 million viewers on ABC.

It was a 3% drop in ratings and 2% loss in viewership from last year’s Warriors-Celtics series (6.2, 11.52 million). Game 3 peaked at 12.389 million viewers at 10:45 p.m. ET. Therefore, it is the least-watched game of the Nuggets-Heat series so far. However, Game 3 of last year’s finals was also the least watched.

Per multiple NBA betting sites, the Nuggets remain the favorites to win the 2023 NBA Finals. Check out which sportsbooks are showing Nikola Jokic with the best odds to win Finals MVP.


In the 2022 NBA Finals, the Warriors’ 103-90 series-clinching Game 6 win over Boston generated a 7.5 rating and saw 13.99 million viewers, making it the most-watched game of the series.

Miami’s 111-108 win over Denver in Game 2 this past Sunday drew a 6.0 rating and 11.91 million viewers, making it the most-watched game of the series at this point.

2023 NBA Finals ratings for Game 3 dropped 3% from last year’s Warriors-Celtics, 2% loss in viewership

Equally important, 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. Miami drew a 15.2 rating, West Palm Beach recorded an 11.5, Milwaukee drew a 9.2, and Memphis averaged an 8.7. Those were the top-five local markets.

According to Nielsen, Game 2 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.


Moreover, Game 2 posted 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. About 11.9 million tuned in to watch last year’s Game 1. Viewership for the 2023 NBA Playoffs on ESPN platforms is up 7% year over year, per ESPN Press Room.

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