Game 1 of the Golden State Warriors-Sacramento Kings NBA Playoffs series didn't disappoint, and it delivered plenty of eyes for the league.

The start of the 2023 NBA Playoffs turned out to be the most-watched opening weekend of the postseason since 2011, with the games garnering an average of 4.15 million viewers across ESPN, ABC and TNT. That is also up by three percent from last year's playoff opener, per Sports Media Watch.

Of course the Warriors-Kings game took the spotlight among all games in the postseason opening weekend, with the showdown getting 6.26 million viewers on ABC. That is 32 percent higher than the Warriors' opener against the Denver Nuggets in the 2022 playoffs. The game peaked at 7.56 million viewers.

Article Continues Below

Aside from being the most-watched game on the opening Saturday of the NBA Playoffs since the 1997 Game 2 meeting of the Charlotte Hornets and New York Knicks–which garnered 6.77 million viewers–the Warriors-Kings battle also had the largest audience this season. It topped the viewership (6.08 million) of the Christmas Day meeting between the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics.

Sure enough, it's not a surprise why plenty of people tuned in to watch the Warriors take on the Kings. There are plenty of storylines to follow in the series. For one, the Dubs are the defending champions. Second, Sacramento is playing in their first postseason in 16 years after breaking the longest playoff drought in major North American sports.

The Kings have now taken a 2-0 lead over the Warriors, and as the series shifts to Golden State, the viewership on the series is expected to increase further.