Lakers news: Luka Doncic debut ratings, Alex Len signing, updated postseason odds

Valentine's Day is nearly here, so now seems like the perfect time to admit that there's no greater feeling than falling in love. The butterflies in your stomach, the anticipation before each meeting, the way you can't stop thinking of each other even when you're not together — nothing beats it, and it's even better when it's unexpected.

Los Angeles Lakers fans are currently wrapped up in love's embrace, as they've fallen head over heels for Luka Doncic, the latest superstar to don the purple and gold. Much like a rom-com meet-cute, Luka and the Lakers weren't looking for love, but even after one game together, it's clear that the sparks are flying.

Doncic couldn't seem to wipe the smile off his face on Monday night as the Lakers cruised to victory over the Jazz, and his new teammates sure seemed to enjoy playing with him, as well. The L.A. faithful, many of whom were clad in the product of a hastily but expertly arranged Doncic t-shirt giveaway, cheered loudly every time he touched the ball.

Some relationships start off sizzling hot before eventually burning out. Though it's extremely early, this one seems destined to last.

The Lakers have one more game before the All-Star break, a rematch against the Jazz at 9 p.m. ET tonight. This one will be in Utah, but given the way each team has been playing lately, we should expect the Lakers to enter the break with a seven-game winning streak.

Before the game, catch up on all the Lakers news of the week, from the TV ratings for Doncic's debut to a new center signing and updated postseason odds.

Luka Doncic's Lakers debut was a ratings hit

Given how the trade that brought Doncic to the Lakers has been all the sports world has been talking about since it happened (even overshadowing the Super Bowl), it's completely unsurprising that so many people wanted to see the Slovenian superstar's first game as a Laker.

Not only was Crypto.com Arena filled with even more celebrities than usual on Monday night, viewers at home were also eager to get in on the action. ESPN quickly made the decision to put this game on national television, and even though the Jazz aren't drawing any eyeballs these days, it still proved to be a smart choice, as the game drew 2.01 million viewers, the most-watched NBA game on cable since Klay Thompson returned to Golden State for the first time back in November.

Overall, this was the 15th-highest-rated NBA game of the season and the second-highest on ESPN behind a November Warriors-Celtics 2022 NBA Finals rematch. Ratings likely would have been even higher had the game not turned into an early blowout, but the Lakers will have plenty of worthy opponents after the All-Star break, including two games against the Mavericks that figure to shatter this season's viewership records.

The first of those games will be in L.A. on Feb. 25 and will air on TNT, and Doncic's return to Dallas will air on ESPN in the final week of the regular season on April 9.

Lakers pivot from Mark Williams, sign Alex Len

Trading for Doncic was a no-brainer, but it did throw the Lakers' frontcourt rotation into disarray, as it meant sending Anthony Davis to Dallas in return. General manager Rob Pelinka had seemingly solved that problem by striking a deal with the Hornets for Mark Williams, but when Williams failed his team physical after the deadline had passed, it left him with no more options on the trade market.

Give Pelinka credit for making lemonade once life handed him lemons, as he pivoted and signed veteran center Alex Len on Tuesday. ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Len was planning on signing with the Pacers after being waived by the Wizards last week, but changed course once the Lakers lost Williams and came calling.

Len isn't a potential game-changer like Williams, but he is a 12-year vet whose 7-foot frame gives head coach JJ Redick more options to supplement the Jaxson Hayes/Christian Koloko/Trey Jemison trio. In a corresponding roster move, the Lakers waived Christian Wood, who has been out all year as he recovers from left knee surgery.

Len is expected to be available tonight.

Lakers now one of the favorites to make a deep postseason run

Pairing Luka Doncic and LeBron James together has dramatically increased the Lakers' odds of winning the NBA title. Before the deal, L.A. was +1800 to win the West and +4000 to win the Finals according to FanDuel. Now, those numbers have moved to +800 and +1700. That's the third-best odds in the West, behind only the Thunder and the Nuggets.

Doncic undoubtedly has the most to do with that, but it doesn't hurt that the Lakers have shown that they can win no matter who's on the court. The team has won 12 of its past 14 to move up to fourth in the conference, including Saturday's game over the Pacers in which Doncic and James were both on the bench.

Underrated in everything is the impact Jarred Vanderbilt has had since making his season debut on January 25th. L.A. is 8-0 with Vanderbilt in the lineup, and his defensive presence, as well as that of Dorian Finney-Smith and a renewed effort on that end by James, have given the Lakers the fourth-best defensive rating in the league over their last eight games.

Offensively, Doncic and James gave a tantalizing glimpse of what could be possible on Monday night, as according to Forbes NBA writer Evan Sidery, the Lakers had an offensive rating of 139 points per 100 possessions when they shared the court, well beyond the Cavs' league-leading 121.8.

Early in the season, most of the talk centered around whether JJ Redick would be able to get this team to the playoffs at all. What a difference a few months (and one very eventful trade deadline) make.