Worth the replay?

1. #1

   KnicksatHawks

   NBA· Prime VideoDown to the wire

   B

   64/100
   ▸ Why this grade

   Late tension30/30

   Swings25/25

   Comeback13/20

   Decided late15/15

   Back-and-forth3/10

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

2. #2

   CavaliersatRaptors

   NBA· Prime Video

   D

   32/100
   ▸ Why this grade

   Late tension13/30

   Swings16/25

   Comeback3/20

   Decided late3/15

   Back-and-forth8/10

   Drama 42 × pre-game weight 0.75 (pre-game Watchability 50, estimated) = 32

3. #3

   NuggetsatTimberwolves

   NBA· Prime VideoOne-sided

   D

   7/100
   ▸ Why this grade

   Late tension1/30

   Swings7/25

   Comeback1/20

   Decided late0/15

   Back-and-forth0/10

   Drama 9 × pre-game weight 0.75 (pre-game Watchability 50, estimated) = 7

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.