Dončić’s First Game vs. Mavs Will Test NBA’s Cable Ratings Decline

More than three weeks have passed since the blockbuster trade that sent Luka Dončić to the Lakers from the Mavericks, and the new-look teams will face off for the first time Tuesday.

Los Angeles hosts Dallas at 10 p.m. ET, a game that will air on TNT. Unlike Dončić’s Lakers debut against the Jazz on Feb. 10—and the Feb. 8 game initially believed to be his debut—the Mavericks game was already scheduled for national TV before the trade and does not need to be flexed in.

Despite the late start time—and the fact that Anthony Davis, the key piece Dallas acquired from the Lakers in the trade, is out due to an injury he sustained in his Mavericks debut—the game is poised to be one of TNT’s most-watched contests of the season. Dončić’s debut against Utah, which had a 10 p.m. ET start time on ESPN, drew 2 million viewers, the network’s second-most-watched game this year, excluding ABC simulcasts.

The game will also feature LeBron James, still one of the NBA’s most-watched athletes, facing off against Kyrie Irving, his star running mate in 2016 when the duo led the Cavaliers to an NBA title.

As for TNT, its most-watched games of the year were on the NBA’s opening night (Knicks-Celtics, 3 million; Timberwolves-Lakers, 2.9 million) back on Oct. 22. 

Its next-largest draws were games with a storyline entering the night: 2.1 million viewers on Nov. 12 for Mavericks guard Klay Thompson’s first game against the Warriors, his former team, and 1.9 million when the 15–0 Cavaliers battled the defending champion Celtics.

The NBA’s viewership, which is down 5% compared to last year, has been a subject of conversation this season, in part due to double-digit declines to start the year. The league’s recent recovery is due to scheduling more Christmas games on ABC. But viewership has waned for cable-exclusive games, whether on TNT or ESPN, as Americans continue to cut the cord. TNT viewership is down 11% this year.