The Los Angeles Lakers have long been one of the premier franchises in all of sports, and with their recent acquisition of superstar guard Luka Doncic, are now appointment viewing once again. The combination of Doncic and LeBron James is something that basketball fans around the world are tuning in to watch.
Of course the NBA themselves know this, which is why the Lakers are scheduled regularly on national TV and a couple of recent contests have done massive ratings, no doubt due in large part to the arrival of Doncic. One of those games was the first meeting between Doncic and his former team the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.
According to TNT Sports, the game between the Lakers and Mavericks averaged 2.5 million viewers on TNT, truTV and MAX and was the most watched NBA regular season game on cable this year since Opening Night:
TNT Sports' networks and platforms powered record-setting audiences for the highly-anticipated @dallasmavs–@Lakers showdown last night. ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/y1qqfnrQ2s
— TNT Sports U.S. PR (@TNTSportsUS) February 26, 2025
This game was always going to do massive numbers as the drama and story surrounding this game captured the thoughts of everyone. And when Doncic makes his return to Dallas in April, the buzz surrounding that contest will be just as high if not higher.
But that game wasn’t the only huge one for the Lakers as their Saturday night primetime contest against the Denver Nuggets averaged 2.87 million viewers, a huge leap from a Celtics-Knicks game that aired the same time last season, via ESPN PR:
All eyes were on Saturday's matchup between the @Lakers & the @nuggets – averaging 2.87M viewers 🤯
More: https://t.co/ZwRrojVjlU pic.twitter.com/Ozxa0Rm70p
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) February 25, 2025
Simply put, the Lakers drive ratings, as does LeBron James. When you add Doncic into the mix and throw in some rivalries, storylines and emotions, it’s a recipe for big views for the NBA.
Lakers’ Luka Doncic discusses emotions of playing against Mavericks for first time
That contest between the Lakers and Mavericks on Tuesday night was one that was full of emotion, especially for Luka Doncic himself. It was the first time he had to play against the Mavericks and he admitted that it was ‘weird’ to do so. And while he is happy to get this first contest out of the way, Doncic knows it will still be some time to get full closure on everything.
“I mean, the closure is going to take a while, I think,” Doncic said. “It’s not ideal. But I say I’m glad this game is over. It was a lot of emotions, but we go little by little. Every day is better.”
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