The Lakers Lamar Odom (left) tries to wrestle the ball away from Kyle Landry of the Rockets during the Lakers 95-80 loss in Houston.
Game 6 of the Los Angeles Lakers-Houston Rockets NBA playoff series became the most-watched basketball game ever on ESPN and the cabler's highest-rated program of 2009, the network announced.
The telecast, which aired from 6:51 to 9:35 p.m. on the West Coast, drew 7.35 million viewers, surpassing a 2006 Miami-Detroit NBA Eastern Conference finals game. Thursday's game drew a 5.4 rating nationally, 13.0 in Los Angeles and 16.0 in Houston.
The Rockets defeated the Lakers to hand ESPN a Game 7 Sunday at 12:30 p.m. The winner will face the Denver Rockets in the Western Conference finals, which ESPN and ABC will share. TNT will air the Eastern Conference finals.