STAMFORD, Conn.—NBC Sports is reporting that it averaged 4.9 million viewers through its first 13 games of the NBA Playoffs on NBC and Peacock, which it said was up 58% vs. comparable coverage last year from April 19 to 28 and the most-watched for comparable windows since 1996.
The comparison is to games airing on other outlets because this is the first time in 24 years that NBC Sports is presenting the NBA Playoffs.
NBC Sports’ second week of NBA Playoffs coverage, April 25-28, averaged 4.9 million viewers for seven games across NBC and Peacock, the most-watched for comparable windows since 2001.
Following are viewership* highlights for NBC Sports’ NBA Playoffs coverage from Saturday, April 25, through Tuesday, April 28 (all viewership is Total Audience Delivery across NBC and Peacock unless noted):
- Thunder-Suns Game 3 (Saturday, April 25, 3:30-6:08 pm ET) averaged 3.3 million viewers, up 64% vs. the comparable game last year and making it the most-watched game in the comparable window since 2014. It peaked at 4.5 million viewers.
- Knicks-Hawks Game 4 (Saturday, April 25, 6:08-9:00 pm ET) peaked at 5.8 million viewers and averaged 5.3 million, up 58% vs. the comparable game last year and making it the most-watched game in the comparable window since 2001.
- Celtics-76ers Game 4 (Sunday, April 26, 7:00-9:38 pm ET) peaked at 7.0 million viewers and averaged 6.3 million for the game, making it the most-watched game of the 2026 NBA Playoffs to date and the most-watched First Round Game 4 in primetime ever.
- Lakers-Rockets Game 4 (Sunday, April 26, 9:38pm-12:20am ET) peaked at 7.2 million viewers -- the highest peak of the 2026 NBA Playoffs to date – and averaged 6.2 million for the game, up 128% vs. the comparable game last year and making it the second-most-watched game of the playoffs to date.
- The two-game average of 6.2 million viewers for Sunday, April 26 ranks as the most-watched second Sunday of the NBA Playoffs since 2002.
- Pistons-Magic Game 4 (Monday, April 27, 8:00-10:59 pm ET) peaked at 6.8 million viewers and averaged 5.4 million, up 155% vs. the comparable game last season and making it the most-watched Round 1 Game 4 on a weekday ever.
- Timberwolves-Nuggets Game 5 (Monday, April 27, 10:59pm-1:21am ET) peaked at 5.2 million viewers and averaged 3.9 million.
- Hawks-Knicks Game 5 (Tuesday, April 28, 8:07-10:52 pm ET) peaked at 4.3 million viewers and averaged 3.8 million viewers. It was the most-watched sporting event of the night.
NBC Sports also streamed two games on Peacock and NBCSN from April 25-28.
Source: Nielsen Big Data + Panel, and digital data from Adobe Analytic
