NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA saw its best Christmas Day viewership numbers in 15 years, the league announced Wednesday.
More than 47 million people in the U.S. watched at least some of the five-game slate on ABC and ESPN, which represents a 45% increase over last year. And there was an average of 5.5 million viewers for the games, up 4% from a year ago.
The Cleveland-New York game was the most-watched Christmas game ever that started at noon Eastern, with an average of 6.4 million viewers. The San Antonio-Oklahoma City game was the most-watched in the 2:30 p.m. Christmas timeslot since 2017 and the Dallas-Golden State game was the most-watched in the 5 p.m. timeslot on the holiday since 2019.
Nielsen said it provided the ratings data.
Also Wednesday, the NBA said it was the “most-viewed brand across social media” on Christmas, with its content generating 1.6 billion views, according to Videocites. That's up 23% over Christmas 2024.
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The shoes of Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry before an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)
San Antonio Spurs Keldon Johnson (3) celebrates against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Gerald Leong)
A screen displays "Christmas Day Game" before an NBA basketball game between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
CHICAGO (AP) — Fletcher Loyer scored 19 points, Braden Smith collected 10 more assists and No. 18 Purdue beat No. 11 Nebraska 74-58 on Friday night in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.
C.J. Cox and Oscar Cluff each had 12 points for the Boilermakers, and Trey Kaufman-Renn finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.
Smith set a Big Ten Tournament record and matched a career high with 16 assists in an 81-68 victory over Northwestern on Thursday. The senior guard needs 22 more assists to break Bobby Hurley's NCAA record of 1,076 in 140 games for Duke from 1989-93.
Purdue (25-8) advanced to the Big Ten semifinals for the fourth time in the last five years, bouncing back nicely after closing the regular season with four losses in six games. It will play UCLA on Saturday after the surprising Bruins held off No. 8 Michigan State for an 88-84 win.
Pryce Sandford scored 15 points for Nebraska, which dropped to 6-14 all-time in the Big Ten tourney. Rienk Mast finished with 11.
Nebraska (26-6) went 10 for 31 from 3-point range and 12 for 25 from inside the arc.
The Cornhuskers trailed 48-30 with 17 minutes left, but they trimmed the deficit to 58-50 on Cale Jacobsen’s driving layup with 6:53 remaining.
The Boilermakers responded with a 14-2 run, capped by Loyer’s 3 and a dunk by Cluff with 3:26 to go. Cox also connected from long range during the decisive stretch.
Purdue beat Nebraska 80-77 in overtime in their regular-season meeting on Feb. 10. Kaufman-Renn grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds in the victory, helping the Boilermakers to a 54-37 advantage on the glass.
Purdue enjoyed a 37-29 rebounding advantage this time around, and outscored Nebraska 26-18 in the paint.
Purdue lost 69-67 at UCLA on Jan. 20, snapping a nine-game win streak for the Boilermakers.
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Purdue center Oscar Cluff, left, rebounds the ball against Nebraska forwards Pryce Sandfort (21) and Rienk Mast (51) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Big 10 Conference tournament, Friday, March 13, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Purdue players celebrate after center Oscar Cluff (not shown) scored a basket during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Nebraska in the quarterfinals of the Big 10 Conference tournament, Friday, March 13, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
