Wednesday’s Indiana Pacers at Miami Heat game – the Heat beat the Pacers 97-94 in a thriller – delivered the highest overnight rating for an NBA game on ESPN so far during the 2013-14 regular season. The telecast drew a 2.4 overnight rating, according to Nielsen, which is up 50 percent from the comparable game last year (Brooklyn Nets-New York Knicks on 12/19/12 did a 1.6).

In Indianapolis, the game generated a 6.7 local rating, which is the highest-rated non-Christmas Day regular-season game on ESPN ever in the market. In Miami, the game generated a 5.7, making it the fifth best regular-season rating in the market on ESPN. The next Pacers-Heat game on ESPN is Wednesday, March 26, at 8 p.m. ET.

Chicago Bulls at Houston Rockets

The second part of Wednesday’s ESPN NBA doubleheader – the Houston Rockets defeated the Chicago Bulls 109-94 – scored a 1.7 overnight, which is up 55 percent from last year’s comparable game (Milwaukee Bucks-Memphis Grizzlies on 12/19/12 did a 1.1).

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