On Saturday evening, the Boston Celtics hosted the Los Angeles Lakers in what was one of the most anticipated regular season matchups in recent NBA memory. The Celtics controlled this game throughout and ended up holding on for dear life down the stretch, as Lakers star LeBron James left the game due to a groin strain.
The game also marked the first time that newly acquired Lakers star Luka Doncic had played in Boston since the NBA Finals last year, when the Celtics brought home the NBA championship.
With all of these factors in play, it goes without saying that the NBA was certainly hoping for some big television numbers, and according to the latest data, the game delivered on the hype.
“Lakers-Celtics averaged 4.61 million viewers on NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC, making it the most-watched regular season game in seven years (excluding Christmas Day) and up 92% vs. the comparable window,” reported NBA PR on X, formerly Twitter. “The game peaked at 5.3 million viewers and was the most-watched program in primetime on Saturday.”
A major turnaround for the NBA
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) attempts a shot past Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) during the first quarter at the TD Garden.
Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
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One of the dominating storylines of the first half of the NBA season was the declining NBA television ratings, which were blamed on everything from the rise of streaming, to the mind-boggling number of threes being taken per game, to the perceived lack of charismatic young stars in the NBA.
However, all of that changed in the early hours of February 1st, 2025, when the Dallas Mavericks shockingly traded Luka Doncic to the Lakers in what is already on the short list for worst deals in professional sports history. The move of one of the NBA's biggest stars to its most iconic franchise gave a complete jolt to the basketball world, one which was aided by other high profile moves around the league, including Jimmy Butler being traded to the Golden State Warriors and De'Aaron Fox heading to the San Antonio Spurs.
Suddenly, the NBA is in a much better position and angling toward what promises to be one of its most anticipated postseasons in years.