Game 5 of the NBA Finals on ABC between the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks earned a 12.6 overnight rating.
Those numbers are down slightly from last year’s Game 5 between Boston and Los Angeles, which earned a 12.8 overnight rating. It still ranks as the second-highest rated Game 5 in the last seven years.
Thursday’s broadcast peaked with a 16.3 rating from 11:30-11:45 p.m. ET.
Locally, Heat-Mavs posted a 32.7 metered market rating in Miami and a 31.9 in Dallas.
Prior to Game 5, the Buick Regal NBA Countdown pregame show scored a 4.1 overnight rating, up 32 percent over a 3.1 rating for the comparable show last year.
Last night’s Game 5 was up 25 percent compared to a 10.1 rating for Game 5 in 2006, when these same two teams met in The Finals. In the last seven years, the game only trailed last year’s 12.8 overnight rating for Game 5 between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics.