Laker-Bull Ratings Dynamite, and That’s Not Only on TNT

Score another victory for Chicago. Even though Los Angeles is a bigger market and even though Channel 9 here got a record rating, more people in Chicago watched Tuesday night’s Bull-Laker game than in L.A.

In Los Angeles, Channel 9, KCAL, got a 14.2 Nielsen rating, the all-time highest for a local regular-season Laker telecast. In Chicago, WGN got a 24.5, its highest for a Bull telecast this season.

With each rating point in L.A. representing 49,424 homes, the 14.2 translates to about 702,000 homes. A rating point in Chicago represents about 31,000 homes, and the 24.5 translates to 759,000 homes.

Figuring three people per household were watching, Chicago edged L.A. in number of viewers, 2.2 million to 2.1 million.

The number of viewers would have been even higher, but TNT, which televised the game nationally, including both Chicago and L.A., no doubt took some viewers away from WGN and KCAL. WGN, a national superstation, contractually could show the game only in Chicago.

TNT got a 4.3 national rating, its highest of the season and fourth-highest all time for a regular-season NBA game.

TNT’s all-time highest is a 7.1 for the Bulls and Lakers last season, one game after Magic Johnson’s return. Next is a 5.1 for a Bull-New York Knick game on March 28, 1995, when Michael Jordan scored 55 points shortly after returning to the team. No. 3 is a 4.4 for Johnson’s first game back with the Lakers last season, on Jan. 30 against Golden State.

Of the 10 top-rated NBA games on TNT or TBS the last 13 years, all 10 involve the Bulls or Lakers.