Monday night's Game 3 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks was watched by almost 24 million people, the highest-rated NBA Finals Game 3 this century.
ABC and ESPN, which broadcast the game, say the 23.8 million people who tuned in to watch the game is the most for an NBA Finals Game 3 in 28 years. The last time the third game of the Finals had more viewers came in 1998 when Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls were closing in on their second three-peat.
Game 3 of this year's NBA Finals is also the most-watched program on broadcast television since Super Bowl 60, when 125.6 million viewers watched the Seattle Seahawks defeat the New England Patriots.
San Antonio's 115-111 win, which cut New York's series lead to two games to one, peaked at 26.3 million viewers at 11:15 p.m. ET.
The highest-rated NBA Finals game of all-time remains Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals, when Michael Jordan sank a game-winning jumper with 5.2 seconds left, giving the Bulls an 87–86 victory over the Utah Jazz for the franchise's sixth championship. That game on NBC was seen by 35.89 million viewers.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Spurs-Knicks NBA Finals Game 3 deliver huge TV ratings for ABC
