Golden State rookie Yaxel Lendeborg showed up to Chase Center on Friday night dressed as Michael Myers, and by the final buzzer the Warriors had pulled off a horror-movie comeback, beating the Lakers 112-95 in their NBA Cup opener.
The costume was a callback to the beef. In the season opener, which L.A. won 127-105, Lendeborg told Luka Doncic he “can’t score on me” and later said he’d “lost all respect” for him, as Bleacher Report recapped. We broke that one down in Luka vs. the Rookie.
Luka Made History in a Loss
Doncic came out scorching. He put up 21 points, 5 assists, a steal and a block in the first quarter alone, something no player had done in a single quarter in the play-by-play era, according to Stathead via ClutchPoints. The Lakers led 38-15 after one and 40-15 early in the second.
Then it flipped. Golden State answered with a 38-15 second quarter to tie it 53-53 at the half, then won the second half by 17. Luka finished with 37 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists on 12-of-27 shooting. Austin Reaves added 21, and the Lakers fell to 4-2.
The IAHHM Take
Halloween weekend, a rookie in a Michael Myers mask and a 25-point lead that vanished. You can’t script it better. Lendeborg didn’t just talk. He dressed the part, and his team backed him up.
For the Lakers, the bigger worry is that a Luka night like this should be a guaranteed win. NBA Cup group play also factors in point differential, so a 17-point loss stings twice. Next up: Toronto at home Sunday, then Portland in Cup play on Nov. 6.
Best costume in the league so far, or does Luka get the last laugh in round three?
Sources: ClutchPoints, Bleacher Report, ClutchPoints (box score)
