Worth the replay?

1. #1

   Warriorsat76ers

   NBA· NBA TVDown to the wireBig comeback

   B+

   69/100
   ▸ Why this grade

   Late tension30/30

   Swings25/25

   Comeback20/20

   Decided late15/15

   Back-and-forth3/10

   Drama 92 × pre-game weight 0.75 (pre-game Watchability 50, estimated) = 69

2. #2

   JazzatNets

   NBADown to the wireBig comeback

   B

   64/100
   ▸ Why this grade

   Late tension30/30

   Swings22/25

   Comeback16/20

   Decided late9/15

   Back-and-forth8/10

   Drama 85 × pre-game weight 0.75 (pre-game Watchability 50, estimated) = 64

3. #3

   LakersatRaptors

   NBADown to the wire

   B

   62/100
   ▸ Why this grade

   Late tension30/30

   Swings20/25

   Comeback10/20

   Decided late15/15

   Back-and-forth8/10

   Drama 82 × pre-game weight 0.75 (pre-game Watchability 50, estimated) = 62

4. #4

   TimberwolvesatPelicans

   NBABack and forth

   D

   31/100
   ▸ Why this grade

   Late tension5/30

   Swings18/25

   Comeback6/20

   Decided late2/15

   Back-and-forth10/10

   Drama 41 × pre-game weight 0.75 (pre-game Watchability 50, estimated) = 31

5. #5

   CelticsatWizards

   NBAOne-sided

   D

   6/100
   ▸ Why this grade

   Late tension0/30

   Swings8/25

   Comeback0/20

   Decided late0/15

   Back-and-forth0/10

   Drama 8 × pre-game weight 0.75 (pre-game Watchability 50, estimated) = 6

Ranked from each game's win probability as it was played (ESPN's for football and basketball; ours, from the goals, for hockey): how in doubt it was near the end, how far the winner came back from, how late it was decided, how big its momentum swings were and how often a team erased a deficit, with a bonus for overtime. That drama is then weighted by how good a matchup it was going in (its pre-game Watchability score), so a thriller between top teams ranks above an equally wild game between minor ones.