Nets keep racking up records on YES ... national TV

The Nets lost to the Cavaliers Wednesday night in a double overtime thriller in Cleveland. It was, of course, also the debut of the “Big Three” ... and fans flocked to their TV and computer screens to watch.

Another record number in fact both in New York and across the nation and the world.

YES’ telecast of last evening’s Nets-Cavs game averaged 159,000 total viewers in the New York region, making the network’s most-viewed Nets telecast in six years, when LeBron James (and Kyrie Irving) brought their Cavaliers to Barclays where Jay-Z, Beyonce’, Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge. That game drew 179,000 in New York.

And that wasn’t the end of it. The telecast peaked at 242,000 viewers during the 9:15 to 9:30 pm quarter-hour, per YES. Not bad for a team that drew an average of 45,000 viewers last season. Wednesday’s topped James Harden’s debut four days earlier, which drew 143,000 viewers, peaking at 220,000.

Moreover, as Kristian Winfield reports, the NBA communications department says Nets’ “Big Three” debut Wednesday was NBA League Pass’ most-viewed game in the U.S. — and fourth most-viewed game across the globe this season.

Through Thursday’s game, YES’ average viewership is up 89% vs. last year’s season average (85,000 vs. 45,000 average total viewers per game). Knicks games on MSG are also up 28 percent vs. last season’s season average. So, Knicks on MSG are still beating the Nets on YES, but the Nets games enjoyed a much bigger bump .so far this year.

And when it comes to all Nets games (on YES, ABC, ESPN, TNT) vs. all Knicks games, Nets games average more viewers.