Luka Doncic‘s debut with the Los Angeles Lakers scored massive ratings for ESPN despite coming in a game that started at 10:30 p.m. ET and whose result was never in doubt.
The network’s audience for Monday night’s game, a 132-113 Lakers victory over the Utah Jazz, peaked at 2.55 million viewers. To put that into context, it was up 42% compared with last year’s average NBA game on ESPN.
The game averaged 2.01 million viewers, according to Nielsen, and was the most-watched contest of the day among the coveted demographics of males 18 to 34, 18 to 49 and 25 to 54 years old.
That’s despite Doncic playing only 24 minutes and scoring 14 points in a game Los Angeles led by 12 points after the first quarter and 25 at halftime. The Lakers led by as many as 34 points, and Doncic sat out the fourth quarter.
The 25-year-old was acquired from the Dallas Mavericks in a shocking blockbuster trade earlier this month, and Monday night marked his first action since suffering a left calf strain on Christmas Day.
Doncic is listed as questionable but expected to play in Wednesday night’s game at Utah, when the Lakers will attempt to extend their winning streak to seven in their final contest before the All-Star break.
It will give James and Doncic another chance to build chemistry after some have questioned whether two players who are accustomed to being the No. 1 option can be successful together in the long term.
“They’re two of the best thinkers, problem solvers that we’ve ever seen,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “I don’t see any world where those two playing together isn’t a good thing. Like I said, their processing speed, mentally, is incredible. And so, I’m sure they’ll figure it out.”
The Lakers are next scheduled to play on national television on Feb. 22 against the Denver Nuggets, which will air on ABC. Doncic will then pay his first return visit to Dallas three days later