NBA's return to NBC averages 5.61M viewers, most-watched October opening night in 15 years

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STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) — The NBA's return to NBC with a doubleheader on Tuesday night averaged 5.61 million viewers, the most-watched October opening night in 15 years according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel measurements and digital data from Adobe Analytics.

It was also an 87% increase over the 3 million that watched on TNT Sports last year.

The first game between the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets averaged 5.85 million viewers on NBC and Peacock.

The audience for the Thunder's 125-124 double-overtime win peaked at 7.1 million for the second overtime period. It was the most-watched opening night game in the early window since 2010, when LeBron James made his debut for Miami. The Heat's game against Boston averaged 7.4 million on TNT.

The Rockets-Thunder game saw a 95% jump over last year's opener between the Celtics and New York Knicks.

The second game between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers averaged 5.11 million, making it the most-viewed game in the late window and a 76% increase over the Lakers-Minnesota Timberwolves game last year.

The Warriors' 119-109 win over the Lakers started on Peacock before going to NBC during the second quarter after the first game was finished.

According to Nielsen, NBC won the night in prime time among adults ages 18-49 across all networks.

NBC will air games on Tuesday nights and then also on Sunday nights beginning on February as part of its 11-year rights deal. Tuesday was the network's first NBA game since the 2002 NBA Finals between the Nets and Lakers.

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