Even as they encounter the worst stretch of their franchise’s history, the Lakers still remained enough of a draw for the NBA to feature them on their slate of Christmas Day games. Kobe Bryant’s presence surely helped.
But the Lakers’ loss to the Clippers on Friday at Staples Center still marked the lowest of the five NBA games broadcast on Christmas Day. The Lakers drew a 2.2 overnight rating and a 4.2 rating in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, the NBA Finals rematch between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Caveliers drew a 6.7 overnight rating, a 21.2 rating in the Cleveland market and a 16.