Luka Dončić's Lakers debut delivers happy ratings news for ESPN

Monday's game between the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers was the most-watched NBA game on cable since November, according to Sports Media Watch.

Jon Lewis reported Wednesday that the game averaged 2.01 million viewers on ESPN, more than any cable game since Klay Thompson and the Dallas Mavericks first returned to the Bay Area to play the Golden State Warriors. That game, on Nov. 12, averaged 2.14 million viewers for TNT.

The game wasn't much of a contest. The Lakers won, 132-113. Los Angeles led by 20 at halftime. But the final score wasn't the point.

Even casual fans were enticed by the sight of a five-time All-Star, Luka Dončić, in his first game since he was traded for Anthony Davis in one of the most shocking trades ever executed in any sport.

As it happened, Dončić had 13 points, four assists and five rebounds in his Lakers debut. He seemed to enjoy himself for the most part.

Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks are already dealing with the pitfalls of employing Davis, the 32-year-old star forward who was supposed to headline their return.

Davis suffered an adductor injury in Dallas' 116-105 win over the Houston Rockets, and while initially, it didn't seem serious, that didn't stay the case for long. According to Christian Clark ofThe Athletic, Davis is expected to miss "significant time" with the injury.

Monday night, multiple Mavs fans who protested the trade were ejected from the American Airlines Center during the team's loss to the Sacramento Kings, according to ESPN's Tim McMahon.

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