Jun 14, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) handles the ball against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the third quarter in game five of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
The 2015 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers is the highest-rated ever on ABC through five games, according to Nielsen.
The Warriors moved within one win of their first title in 40 years on Sunday night, pulling away from the Cavaliers late in the fourth quarter en route to a 104-91 victory for a 3-2 lead in the NBA Finals.
Game 5 delivered a 14.2 overnight rating, which is the highest-rated Game 5 on ABC in more than a decade and up 21 percent from an 11.7 for last year’s fifth game (Miami-San Antonio). The broadcast peaked with an 18.1 from 10:30-10:45 p.m. ET.
In the San Francisco market, the ABC broadcast generated a 33.6 rating, an all-time best for an NBA game on the network. In the Cleveland market, the broadcast delivered a 42.5 rating, making it the third-highest rated NBA game ever on the network (trails only Games 3 and 4).
The NBA Finals is expected to win the night for the 47th consecutive time across all of television (broadcast and cable).
The record-setting 2015 NBA Finals is averaging a 13.5 overnight rating through five games, which is up 27 percent from a 10.6 last year.
Sunday night’s edition of “NBA Countdown,” ABC’s pre-game show, delivered a 3.7 overnight rating, which was up 28 percent from a 2.9 for last year’s Game 5 pre-game show.
The Warriors will travel to Cleveland for Game 6 on Tuesday night. Game 7, if necessary, would be Friday night in Oakland, Calif.
