NBA playoffs: Kings-Warriors Game 4 averages 7.5 million viewers in most-watched first-round game since 2002

The Sacramento Kings are a small-market team seeing big-time viewership numbers.

ABC’s broadcast of the Game 4 matchup with the Golden State Warriors recorded the largest audience for a first-round NBA playoff game in 21 years, ESPN announced Tuesday.

The Warriors' Sunday night victory averaged 7.5 million viewers, peaking with 10.4 million viewers during the 6 p.m. ET quarter-hour, according to Nielsen.

No first-round playoff game has garnered more viewers since the Los Angeles Lakers, led by stars Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, faced the Portland Trail Blazers in 2002. The game, which tipped off two years before Facebook existed, recorded 8.5 million viewers.

While the Warriors and Stephen Curry have shown their ability to draw an audience, this series with Sacramento brings history and drama with an exciting young team. It all came to a head in Game 4, but the matchup is sure to keep giving for at least two more games.

Everything enticing about the battle of the two Northern California teams was on display when the Warriors held the Kings off for the 126-125 win Sunday to even the series at 2-2.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and his former longtime assistant, now Coach of the Year Mike Brown, were centered in early discussions about the matchup — but ties between the teams go even deeper.

Fans were reminded of it all Sunday, when Kerr told Brown, "We got all new plays now, you don't know any of them," on the sideline. Or when Warriors veteran Draymond Green got a technical in the first minute of his first game back from a suspension that was handed down after he stomped on the chest of Kings forward Domantas Sabonis.

Curry scored 32 points but made a timeout mistake that could have been catastrophic had Golden State lost.

The defending Finals MVP called a timeout the Warriors didn't have with 47 seconds left in Sunday's game. This led to an automatic technical foul and a change of possession with Golden State leading 126-121. The Kings hit the free throw and then Clutch Player of the Year De’Aaron Fox made a 3-pointer to cut the lead to one point.

It all came down to a missed 3-pointer at the buzzer from Sacramento’s Harrison Barnes, a call back to his rough showing during the 2016 Finals, when he played for the Warriors.

The drama continued after regulation ended, when the NBA released its last two-minute report and admitted one crucial missed call that should have given the Kings two free throws with 38 seconds left in the game.

The series continues on Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET (TNT) in Sacramento. Fox, who fractured the tip of his finger Sunday, is considered doubtful for the game.