The New York Knicks’ chaotic win over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 2 of their opening round playoff series was an exercise in delirium for fans at Madison Square Garden, and a dagger in the heart of the 7-seeds. In a span of 27 seconds, the home team managed to turn a 5-point deficit into a wholly improbable 3-point victory, and in so doing, helped deliver one of the NBA’s biggest cable-TV audiences of the season.
According to Nielsen live-plus-same-day data, New York’s 104-101 triumph averaged 3.47 million viewers on TNT/truTV Monday night, which marks the league’s fifth-best cable turnout of 2023-24. Deliveries were up 28% compared to the analogous Knicks-Cavs telecast a year ago, a 17-point blowout that averaged 2.72 million viewers.
The nerve-fraying closing sequence was reminiscent of Reggie Miller’s 8-points-in-9-seconds performance way back in 1995, only this time the Basketball Gods were smiling on the MSG denizens. After Jalen Brunson hit a trey from the corner, the Sixers coughed up the ball at the baseline, whereupon Donte DiVincenzo missed an uncontested three-pointer. Isaiah Hartenstein snatched up the rebound, dished it to OG Anunoby, who launched it back to No. 0.
Swish. The Big Ragu’s 26-footer gave the Knicks a 102-101 lead with 13.1 ticks on the clock, earning a rare double-“Bang!” from Mike Breen. In the expensive seats, Ben Stiller, Chris Rock and Carmelo Anthony—who was sporting a glorious Wu York snapback—erupted.
Pandemonium.
New York’s win sends the series to Philly, where Joel Embiid will look to spark a comeback starting Thursday night. Despite a bum knee that has left him Boris Karloff-ing his way up and down the floor, Embiid still seems able to score at will, putting up 34 points in last night’s losing effort and 29 in Saturday night’s opener. (That game averaged 4.19 million viewers on ESPN, marking the second-largest cable crowd of the season.)
After the game, Embiid told reporters that the Sixers would prevail. “We should be 2-and-oh,” he said from the visitors’ locker room. “We’re good. We’re gonna win this series. … We’re the better team. And we’re gonna keep fighting.”
Also putting up big numbers Monday night were the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets. The defending champs’ 101-99 win averaged 4.25 million viewers, up 12% from the year-ago 3.8 million (Lakers-Grizzlies), and giving TNT/truTV bragging rights to the NBA’s top cablecast since the season began in October.
Game 1 of the Lakers-Nuggets series currently stands as the top draw of the playoffs—and the season—thus far, as ABC averaged 5.65 million viewers with Saturday night’s opener. Per Nielsen, ABC’s 66% affiliate penetration translates to a reach of 82.5 million U.S. TV households, which gives the broadcaster an advantage of around 12.3 million homes over its sibling cable outlet, ESPN.
LeBron James and Co. squandered a 20-point lead to go down to the defending champs 2-0, making this the third straight game against Denver in which L.A. frittered away a double-digit lead.
In a postgame presser, James took a few beats to criticize the officiating and the NBA’s replay process. “What the f–k do we have a Replay Center for if it’s going to go … ,” James said, before trailing off and making a dismissive hand gesture. “It doesn’t make sense to me. It bothers me.”
LeBron’s lament was a familiar refrain, coming as it did on the heels of 76ers coach Nick Nurse’s complaints that officials did not grant him a timeout before the Knicks ripped away the ball from Tyrese Maxy. Philly plans to file a formal complaint with the league.
The series shifts to Los Angeles on Thursday night, where it will lead out of TNT/truTV’s 76ers-Knicks telecast. Through the first three nights of the playoffs, the NBA’s TV partners are averaging 3.8 million viewers per game, down 5% versus the year-ago 3.99 million. Not too shabby, given the severity of some of last weekend’s Game 1 blowouts and the absence of NBA ratings champ Golden State.
