Warriors-Cavs draws nearly 11 million viewers on Christmas

NEW YORK – The NBA Finals rematch between Golden State and Cleveland drew nearly 11 million viewers, making it the most-watched Christmas game in four years.

The Warriors’ 89-83 victory was watched by 10.9 million viewers, according to Nielsen. That was a 17 percent increase from the 9.3 million for the Cavaliers-Heat game last year that was LeBron James’ return to Miami.

ESPN says Saturday that the game was the most-viewed on Christmas since 2011, which was the season opener following the lockout.

Overall, the five-game slate on ESPN and ABC was up 6 percent in viewership from 2014. Of the 13 times the NBA has played five games on Christmas, this was the first that all were decided by 10 points or fewer.