The Golden State Warriors squared off against the Los Angeles Lakers inside the T-Mobile Center in Las Vegas on Wednesday night in what turned out to be the highest-rated preseason game in NBA history.
According to a report from Ben Cafardo, who serves as ESPN's Communications Director, Wednesday night's game delivered a 1.6 metered market rating, peaking with a 1.9 rating from 11:30-11:45 p.m. ET.
Ratings news: last night's #Warriors vs. #Lakers game was @ESPN's highest-rated @NBA preseason game ever, according to Nielsen. It delivered a 1.6 metered market rating, peaking with a 1.9 rating from 11:30-11:45 p.m. ET. It was up 129 percent from last year's comparable game. pic.twitter.com/p2uoBkmLNy
— Ben Cafardo (@Ben_ESPN) October 11, 2018
When the dust settled inside the arena, the Lakers had carried the day, 123-113. Both teams provided a plethora of highlights along the way.
Stephen Curry led the Warriors in scoring, racking up 23 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field (2-of-3 from beyond the arc), five assists, three rebounds, and two steals in 26 minutes of action. And just for the record, Steph knocked down all nine of his shots from the charity stripe.
Klay Thompson had his 3-point shot going and was next in line for the Warriors in the scoring department. In his 27 minutes of playing time, the former No. 11 overall pick posted 20 points on 8-of-18 shooting (4-of-9 from downtown), five rebounds, and three assists.
LeBron James, who joined the Lakers in the offseason, only played in the first half, but he made sure his presence was felt. In just 18 minutes, the three-time champion racked up 15 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and one steal.
“It felt special,” Warriors All-Star Kevin Durant told ESPN's Nick Friedell after Wednesday's game. “Whenever you get Laker fans and Dubs fans in the same arena in a neutral site, there's going to be a lot of excitement and two great fan bases with two great teams. It was amazing tonight.”
NBA fans won't have to wait long to see these two teams in action again, as they're scheduled for another matchup on Friday night. Tip-off inside San Jose's SAP Center is set for 10:30 p.m. ET with ESPN2 having live broadcast coverage.
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