76ers-Pistons draws 2 million as ESPN’s NBA audience rises 8%

Philadelphia’s 112-106 win over Detroit on Nov. 4 averaged 2 million viewers on ESPN, up 47% from the comparable telecast last season. The audience reached 2.6 million in the 9:45 p.m. ET quarter-hour, according to Nielsen figures released by ESPN on Monday.

The 76ers and Pistons opened a doubleheader that averaged 1.8 million viewers, a 21% increase over the comparable Wednesday doubleheader last season. The Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs averaged 1.6 million in the second game. That telecast reached 1.9 million viewers during the 10 p.m. ET quarter-hour.

ESPN is averaging 1.9 million viewers through its first eight NBA games, up 8% from the same point a year ago. ESPN said that was its best start since 2015-16, excluding 2020. The network used Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel measurement for the figures in its release.

The early game stayed within reach after Philadelphia led by 18 in the fourth quarter. Cade Cunningham helped cut the deficit to four with 1:05 left, and Detroit got within four twice more in the final 22 seconds. Philadelphia closed the game at the free-throw line. Jaylen Brown scored 30 points, and Joel Embiid added 26 points and 15 rebounds.

“I thought the second half we found our pace again and we were able to find some buckets,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said in Detroit’s postgame report. The loss ended a three-game winning streak for the Pistons, who fell to 6-2 that night. Philadelphia improved to 8-1.

The Philadelphia-Detroit telecast drew the larger audience on the night and beat ESPN’s eight-game average by 100,000 based on the rounded figures the network released. The 2.6 million figure measures a single quarter-hour of that game. The 2 million figure measures the full telecast.

ESPN’s next NBA doubleheader, on Wednesday, Nov. 11, pairs the Cleveland Cavaliers with the New York Knicks and the Golden State Warriors with the Houston Rockets, according to the network’s announcement.