The data that makes Luka Doncic's return to Dallas more than just historic

The highly anticipated return of Luka Doncic to Dallas as a player for the Los Angeles Lakers not only caused a stir on the court but also drew the largest audience of the season on ESPN, excluding Christmas games.

The regular season matchup between the Lakers and Mavericks, played on Wednesday, was Doncic's first in Dallas since he was traded midway through the season. The game averaged 2.26 million viewers on ESPN, a significant increase compared to the Mavericks vs. Heat game on the same night last year, which had 1.23 million viewers.

The showdown, which ended with a victory for the Lakers, reached a peak of 2.79 million viewers. However, that number was lower than the one recorded in the first meeting between the teams after the trade, which took place in February and was broadcast by TNT, averaging 2.5 million viewers. This difference can be explained by ESPN's broadcast competing with local broadcasts in the teams' home markets, while the February matchup was exclusive to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Despite the interest sparked by Doncic's return, the game was not the most-watched Lakers game of the past week. The Warriors vs. Lakers game from the previous Thursday, aired exclusively on TNT, garnered an average audience of 2.5 million.

Compared to other notable comebacks in the NBA, Doncic's return fell slightly below Anthony Davis' first game in New Orleans as a Laker in 2018, which averaged 2.34 million viewers on ESPN. It's worth noting that this figure was obtained before Nielsen began incorporating out-of-home viewing into their national estimates.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Los datos que hacen que el regreso de Luka Doncic a Dallas sea más que histórico