Matas Buzelis of the Bulls regretted that trash-talking to Luka Doncic led to a lot of damage. That night, it was a 51-point performance that should have been a lesson for any opponents. But one of the Houston Rockets fans did not get that memo. Thus, the Toyota Center on Wednesday witnessed a near triple-double performance of 40 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists.

After the game, the media asked about the trash-talking incidents. “I don’t know. Some guy was talking crazy, showing me his… Never mind,” Luka said, stopping himself before explaining the fan’s gestures. But what did the Lakers‘ superstar reply? “Off the camera. It was in English. I made sure he understood it.” While many assumed it transpired in the final quarter, the 6x All-Star stated it began very early in the game.

“It was in the first quarter after I missed like the first four shots. Then he started talking, and I heard him. So, it was in the first quarter.” The broadcast caught multiple instances of Luka Doncic giving it back to the fan.

In the first frame, Luka missed a 10-foot pull-up jump shot, three free throws, a 25-foot three-point step-back, and another layup attempt before finally nailing his first points on the board. Luka drilled a pump fake three as Reed Sheppard and Josh Okogie couldn’t defend the shot. After scoring that tough attempt, Luka made sure that it was time for the fans to hear some things.

Luka Doncic enjoyed heckling

In the next Lakers play, the Slovenian stole the ball from Kevin Durant and trash-talked to a Rockets fan, by looking at him to his left while dribbling up the court. Even at the end of the first quarter, Luka scored another step-back three-pointer and continued chirping. This continued even in the intense final frame.

With four points separating the two teams, Doncic delivered damage in back-to-back plays. First, he set up LeBron James for a lob and screamed ‘Yeah’ again, looking at the Rockets faithful. In the next play, Luka drilled the step back in Jabari Smith Jr’s face, then had words for the fan with less than a minute remaining. That three-pointer put some distance as the Lakers were ahead by nine.

Clearly, the Slovenian star was fueled by a trash-talking Rockets fan. This has helped the Lakers to a seven-game win streak and a third spot in the West. So, Doncic had some words that the other teams should be wary of. “We always believed, like I said, if you don’t believe, you shouldn’t be here.”

After the game, Luka Doncic made sure to credit his teammates and explained that the win streak is just the beginning. “We have a great team. This is just the start of something beautiful,” Doncic told Trudell. As Luka dropped 40, LeBron was Uber-efficient with his 92.9% shooting from the field, scoring 13-14 attempts for his 30 points tonight. If they continue like this, the other teams will find it extremely difficult to beat the Lakers.