In a thrilling Game 7 of the second round for the 2024 NBA playoffs, Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves captivated their largest crowd yet, propelling TNT to achieve its highest first or second round NBA playoff audience on record. The matchup between the Timberwolves and the Denver Nuggets garnered significant attention, averaging a combined 4.1 rating and 8.41 million viewers across TNT and truTV.

This remarkable viewership marked the largest early round NBA playoff audience ever on TNT Sports (formerly Turner Sports), surpassing the previous record set in 2009 during the Magic-Celtics Game 7, which garnered 8.38 million viewers. It is worth noting that out-of-home viewing was not accounted for in Nielsen estimates until 2020, suggesting that the 2009 game likely had even higher viewership.

Minnesota's epic comeback victory proved to be a critical draw, with viewership peaking at 11.3 million during the final minutes of the game. This performance delivered the fourth-largest early round audience since 2012, trailing only three games from the previous year: Warriors-Kings Game 7 in the first round, Warriors-Lakers Game 6 in the second round, and Sixers-Celtics Game 7 in the second round.

Undoubtedly, this Timberwolves-Nuggets clash resulted in the highest viewership of the entire NBA season. Locally, the game received substantial support, averaging a 15.8 rating in Denver and an equally impressive 15.0 in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Comparatively, the ratings and viewership for this second round Game 7 on TNT surpassed the previous year's game between the Mavericks and the Suns, showing a 29% increase in ratings and a 34% increase in viewership. Looking further back, Timberwolves-Nuggets ranks as the tenth most-watched early round Game 7 in the past 30 years, with the Pacers-Knicks showdown in 1995 sitting at the top with 12.89 million viewers.

In a contrasting broadcast, this year's Pacers-Knicks Game 7 on ABC saw a slight decrease in ratings and a significant decline in viewership, down 11% and 24% compared to the Sixers-Celtics Game 7 in the same window the previous year. This game marked the least-watched second round Game 7 on broadcast television since Blazers-Nuggets in 2019.

The competition for viewership during the Pacers-Knicks game was amplified by the PGA Championship airing simultaneously, providing a tougher challenge than the norm in that time slot. Subsequently, the following five games of the Pacers-Knicks series experienced declining ratings compared to their equivalents in the previous year.

Adding to the NBA playoff excitement, the Thunder-Mavericks Game 6 on ABC Saturday night averaged a 2.9 rating and 5.60 million viewers. As Saturday games are typically not scheduled on the final weekend of the second round, there was no direct comparison to last year.

Overall, through the second round, NBA playoff games have garnered a 2.0 rating and 3.77 million viewers across ABC, ESPN, TNT/truTV, and NBA TV. Although experiencing a 10% decline in ratings and an 11% decrease in viewership compared to the same point last year, this season's playoffs have become the second-most watched postseason through two rounds in the past decade. Notably, there is a slight decrease in ratings compared to two years ago, but viewership has shown a 2% increase from 3.71 million.

Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves have undoubtedly made their mark, drawing in record-breaking viewers for their intense Game 7 matchup against the Denver Nuggets. With the NBA playoffs continuing to captivate audiences, the excitement and anticipation for the next round are at an all-time high.