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The Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics rematch Thursday night drew the highest ratings on TNT since the 1996 game featuring Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson during the time in which the Chicago Bulls were at their peak.
Likewise, the betting on this game helped boost revenues at online sportsbooks like betED.com, which had experienced record numbers of bets coming in on last Sunday's Super Bowl and has been positioning itself for the massive business anticipated for Oscars and March Madness betting.
"We were pleasantly surprised by the interest in the Lakers vs. Celtics Thursday night game from gamblers," said Gambling911.com Senior Editor, Payton O'Brien. "People certainly bet the NBA but it is rare to see this type of action on a particular game like we do with the NFL and College Football."
The Lakers' 110-109 overtime victory on Thursday night delivered a 2.7 U.S. rating and was watched by more than 4.3 million viewers. It was the first meeting between the rivals in Boston since the Celtics beat the Lakers in Game 6 of last year's finals for their 17th NBA championship.
Tyrone Black, Gambling911.com
