Luka Doncic and LeBron James are good for the bottom line.
Doncic's debut with the Los Angeles Lakers garnered big ratings for ESPN on Monday night.The network reports LA's blowout win over the Utah Jazz had an average audience of 2.01 million, and peaked at 2.55 million viewers. That was up 42% over last year's ESPN average. The game won the day in a few key demographics, including males 18-34, 18-49, and 25-54.
Further, Sports Media Watch says this was the biggest cable audience for an NBA game since Klay Thompson returned to face the Golden State Warriors on November 12 (2.14 million).
In his debut, Doncic scored 14 points, grabbed five rebounds, and dished out four assists in 24 minutes. It was his first game since injuring his calf on Christmas Day and he was clearly still working his way back.
The Lakers and Dallas Mavericks stunned the rest of the NBA when they pulled off a blockbuster trade that sent Doncic to LA and Anthony Davis to Dallas—and fans are interested to see the results.
The Doncic-James pairing should be must-see TV for the rest of the season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Luka Doncic's Lakers Debut Garners Big Ratings For ESPN.
