Luka Doncic can put a bold check against one task on his to-do list: welcome a rookie to the league. Too bad Yaxel Lendeborg was the first rookie to meet one of the top scorers on his first regular season game. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar put on a masterclass on opening night, turning an on-court verbal back-and-forth with the Golden State Warriors newbie into fuel for a dominant 127–105 victory at Crypto.com Arena.
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The 24-year-old Lendeborg, selected 11th overall by the Warriors, made the amateur mistake of engaging in trash talk with the 6x All-Star during the second quarter, only for Doncic to respond with a flurry of points, a viral 49-foot shot, and some sass.
Following the blowout win, ESPN’s Malika Andrews asked Doncic what ignited his fiery competitive edge during the game’s pivotal stretch.
“I think everybody knows when somebody starts talking, you get a different me,” Doncic said with a grin. “So that was it.”
He was just as smug at his postgame press conference, directly crediting the Warriors youngster for his first viral moment of the season.
“He was talking crazy,” Doncic explained. “I wasn’t trying to talk back. This year, I’m not trying to get techs. That wasn’t a double tech because I didn’t say nothing. So I’m working on it, but as you can see, it worked great.”
It’s not so much a joke as it sounds. Last season, Doncic was suspended for a game for reaching the league threshold of 16 technical fouls despite having the Lakers successfully get one rescinded. So while he pins Yaxel as the instigator, he was proud of his own discipline to avoid receiving a technical foul.
LA went on a 13–4 run from the time Lendeborg’s feud with Doncic began through the end of the first half, which capped off with the Lakers’ star’s dramatic half-court heave. When asked about it, Doncic shrugged off the highlight-reel moment.
“Oh yeah, I knew that was going before I got it in my hands,” Doncic remarked. “I work on those.” He threw his favorite Michael Jordan shrug at the end of that.
After hitting a shot that put the Lakers up 58-47 right in front of the Warriors’ bench, Doncic stared down the rookie and said something that sounded like, “Come out!”
Lendeborg was baited into the first technical foul of his career for confronting Doncic on his way to a 12-point, three rebounds and two assists statline. As emotions flared, Steve Kerr was caught on a sideline hot mic delivering a blunt message to his rookie star regarding the officiating environment in Los Angeles.
“They call all that s— here, they wouldn’t call it in any other arena,” Kerr advised, not even being subtle about it. Both were visibly amused too.
While the rookie endured a harsh initiation to professional basketball, the Warriors head coach praised Lendeborg for taking the Luka assignment on his first game while acknowledging the steep learning curve ahead.
“I love the back and forth,” Kerr told reporters after the game. “You know Yaxel’s a competitor. This was a great welcome to the NBA game for him having to guard Luka, who is as tough to guard as anybody in the world, having to learn about all the little tricks that exist in the NBA. He probably had three fouls that probably wouldn’t be called fouls in any other league in the world, but it’s the NBA—he’s got to learn this stuff. It’s his first game, he’s an unbelievable young guy, great talent, frustrating night for him, but a lesson well-learnt and he’ll get better from here.”
Doncic finished his night early, resting for the entire fourth quarter after racking up 28 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in just three quarters of action. He received major support from newly acquired center Walker Kessler, who enjoyed a flawless Lakers debut with 26 points on 12-of-12 shooting alongside 10 dunks, while Austin Reaves chipped in 23 points.
Lendeborg showed flashes of potential despite the tough matchup in his NBA debut. Stephen Curry, who led the Warriors with 23 points in 21 minutes, was impressed with the rookie star who is not afraid to chirp at him or Draymond Green either. However, as the Warriors head into their home schedule, the primary takeaway from opening night was clear. Don’t make Luka Doncic respond.