Warriors F Kevin Durant's return to Oklahoma City on Saturday night against the Thunder helped ABC to a 4.1 overnight rating, marking the highest-rated non-Christmas regular-season NBA game on any net since '13. The Warriors' 130-114 win was also up 58% from a 2.6 overnight for the comparable Warriors-Clippers matchup in '16. Saturday's game peaked at a 4.7 rating between 11:00-11:15pm ET and earned a 19.5 overnight in Oklahoma City, the best rating in the market on ABC or ESPN since '12. In S.F.-Oakland-San Jose, the game drew a 14.3 rating, the second-highest of the season on ABC/ESPN behind the Christmas Day Cavaliers-Warriors telecast (ESPN).
MUST-SEE TV: In Tampa, Tom Jones wrote Warriors-Thunder was the "most entertaining sporting event in quite some time," and ABC/ESPN was "all over it." There was "intuitive" direction from the production truck that "made sure viewers didn't miss the reaction of everyone." That included Durant and Thunder G Russell Westbrook and especially the "fans who booed and antagonized Durant incessantly all night." The entire broadcast was "built around this one thing, and that's exactly how it should have been." During the third quarter, when Westbrook "started jawing with Durant, exquisite camerawork captured both men." The whole night -- from "shots of the crowd to the announcing of Mike Breen, Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy -- was must-see TV" (TAMPABAY.com, 2/12).
