Some drubbings — think about the game that’s already by the end of the first quarter — are a bore.

But others — like Thursday night’s attorney general debate between incumbent Democrat Letitia James and her Republican challenger, Saritha Komatireddy — are utterly captivating.

The beatdown began at the opening bell.

James has dubbed herself “The People’s Lawyer,” but appeared as though she’d rather be just about anywhere else in the world than making her case to them.

Her delivery was at once stilted, flat and confused; oftentimes, it appeared as though she was trying, with limited success, to recall the canned lines her team had come up with.

Komatireddy, on the other hand, showed up prepared — and caffeinated.

The former federal prosecutor and chief of staff at the Drug Enforcement Agency came out swinging.

“New Yorkers, you do not have an attorney general right now. For the last years, you’ve had a political hack sitting in the chair, using our taxpayer money for her political purposes.

“When the cameras are not there, neither is Tish James.”‘

They both spent the rest of the evening proving her point.

James was asked how she could be trusted to handle the disturbing Cornell sexual assault case after her prejudicial comments on the matter.

It wasn’t one she could answer, so she chalked said comments up to her “empathy” and asserted that “politics stops at the door” to her office.

Komatireddy took her to task with surgical precision, pointing out that it’s hardly empathetic for someone so powerful to be so careless.

“She’s already screwed this one up,” she observed.

At this point, James embarked upon what would prove her favorite two favorite pasttimes over the course of the evening: plead helplessness on criminal matters and try to tie Komatireddy to President Trump.

Neither worked very well.

“The fact that the attorney general has deprioritized crime is a choice, she has made that choice!” shot back Komatireddy, who pointed out that previous Democratic attorneys general put an emphasis on organized crime, Medicaid fraud and white collar financial misconduct.

Every time she found herself in trouble, James threw Trump back in the face of her opponent, whom she risibly referred to as “Trump’s puppet.”

Komatireddy made short work of the tired accusation each and every time it was leveled at her.

She pledged to defend New York State law in court, even when she disagrees with it,

She pointed out that she had worked under Presidents Biden and Obama as well as Trump.

And she even hit James for failing to win back all of the anti-terrorism funding withheld by the current administration.

“Every time Letitia James mentions Donald Trump, just remember it’s because she can’t defend her failing record,” submitted Komatireddy.

And in another notable moment, she defused the abortion issue by revealing that her second pregnancy (with her second pair of twins) had presented serious medical complications for herself. She said she was grateful New York law gave her options — “So let me be very clear: New York protects a woman’s access to abortions, and it has for decades, even before Roe v. Wade. That will not change. As attorney general, I will uphold and defend New York law.”

James didn’t fare nearly as well under Komatireddy’s withering attacks.

The AG repeatedly boasted about taking 10,000 illegal guns off the streets during her eight-year tenure in office.

But Komatireddy pointed out just how pitiful that is considering New Jersey takes 16,000 a year.

On bail reform, the Republican nominee held back nothing.

“The bail laws are broken, and Letitia James broke them,” she argued before reminding voters that after the resulting crime spike, James’ message for the public was: “Don’t overreact.”

Or, to put it another way: Let them eat crime.

In still another damning moment, Komatireddy hammered her opponent over her failure to prosecute hate crimes and protect Jewish New Yorkers amid the skyrocketing rates of antisemitic incidents across the state and country.

James replied by touting her purportedly longstanding relationship with the Jewish community.

But what’s that worth if she won’t do anything about the discrimination, harassment and violence being perpetrated against them because it’s being committed by members of her political base?

If New Yorkers are looking for a feisty, partisan Democrat who’s too busy obsessing over Donald Trump to fight crime, then they should vote for the status quo.

But if they’re looking for a ultra competent attorney more interested in doing her job than basking in the glow of adulatory Bluesky posts, then it’s time for a change.