Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg found out the hard way that you don’t wake Luka Doncic up. The Lakers ran the Warriors out of Crypto.com Arena 127-105 in their season opener, and Luka said the second-quarter trash talk from Golden State’s first-year forward lit the fuse, as first reported by ClutchPoints.
“I think everybody knows when somebody starts talking, you get a different me,” Doncic said. “He was talking crazy. But I wasn’t trying to talk back this season, not trying to get techs.”
The IAHHM Take
This is the oldest rule in hoops: don’t poke the best player on the floor in his own building. Luka finished with 28 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals, shooting 7-of-18 overall and 5-of-12 from three. The game was tight in the first half, then the Lakers won the third quarter 36-16 and it was over.
The growth part is real too. Luka has been open about wanting to cut down on technicals, and this time he let the scoreboard talk instead of jawing back, so there was no double tech. For a player whose emotions have cost him whistles and Ws before, that’s a quiet win.
And the new Lakers trio looked ready. Austin Reaves added 23 points and 6 assists, and Walker Kessler went a perfect 12-of-12 from the field for 26 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks in his L.A. debut.
As for Lendeborg, he finished with 12 points and 3 rebounds. Rookies talking is part of the culture, and we respect the confidence. But picking Luka as your first target on opening night is a bold choice.
The Lakers face the Clippers on Friday. Was Lendeborg’s trash talk a welcome-to-the-league moment, or the start of a real rivalry?
More opening-week stories: Giannis Debuts for the Heat Tonight, But His Heart Is Still With the Brewers.
Source: ClutchPoints
