The Lakers’ 127-105 season-opening win over the Warriors had plenty going on, but the fire between Luka Doncic and Yaxel Lendeborg quickly took over the night. Now, newly surfaced footage shared on social media has filled in more of the back-and-forth that turned a regular-game scuffle into the headliner.
According to lip reader LegendZ, the exchange started late in the second quarter after Doncic drew a foul. Lendeborg didn’t like it and let everyone know it.
“That sh- is weak as f-k. Ain’t nobody going for that s-t,” Yaxel Lendeborg said minutes before the end of the second quarter, when Luka Doncic drew a foul.
Doncic fired right back.
“You can’t guard me, the f-k are you talking about? You can’t f-king guard me, man,” Doncic responded while Draymond Green loved the intense energy from his rookie.
The tension kept building as teammates stepped in and the officials tried to calm things down. After Lendeborg picked up two personal fouls, Steve Kerr sent him to the bench.
“That s-t is weak as f-k,” Yaxel Lendeborg repeatedly said as both their teammates were forced to step in to separate them. Steve Kerr then subbed Lendeborg out after he picked up two personal fouls.
Doncic didn’t exactly let the moment breathe. After hitting a midrange shot over the Warriors with Lendeborg on the bench, he appeared to keep the pressure on from afar.
“Come back out, p-y. I’m waiting for you,” Luka Doncic seemingly said after hitting a midrange shot over the Warriors when Lendeborg was on the bench.
Lendeborg answered from the sideline.
“You ain’t doing s-t on me, you haven’t scored on me, f-k out of here,” Lendeborg seemingly responded from the bench. Steve Kerr noticed the tension between the players and let Lendeborg back in, just moments before Doncic drew another foul on him.
The rookie also took issue with the way he was being defended.
“He’s grabbing my arm,” Lendeborg complained to the officials. On the next play, Luka Doncic missed a three-point shot, and Lendeborg let him hear it.
“You’re trash as f-k. You’re trash as f-k, n-a.
You suck, n-a, you suck,” Lendeborg reportedly said, which earned him a technical foul from the officials. “I don’t give a f-k,” he responded after the technical.
Then came one of the night’s biggest punches: the half-court buzzer-beater to close the half. With Lendeborg face-guarding him, Doncic drilled it anyway.
On the final play of the half, Yaxel Lendeborg was face-guarding Luka Doncic, and the Slovenian superstar hit a half-court three at the buzzer.
“That’s not on me,” Lendeborg said, even as Doncic gained space off a screen. Luka Doncic responded with harsh words that officials seemingly missed.
The Warriors bench was not amused, and Jimmy Butler made that clear afterward.
“Hey, that’s a technical foul on you, that’s a technical foul,” Jimmy Butler said as the whole Warriors bench, including Stephen Curry, was upset with what Luka Doncic said after hitting the buzzer-beater and not getting a technical for it.
The chirping didn’t stop in the second half either. Doncic got another foul call against Lendeborg and turned the matchup into one more verbal jab.
“You’re 24 and a rookie, relax,” Doncic said.
After the game, Doncic said the trash talk helped fuel the stretch in which he scored 10 of his 28 points in the second quarter and didn’t need to play in the fourth. He also said the Warriors rookie was “talking crazy.”
Lendeborg had plenty to say about Doncic too, criticizing his complaints to the officials and saying he’d lost all respect for a player he once feared. The Warriors’ veterans backed the rookie.
Doncic finished with 28 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and three steals, shooting 7-for-18 from the field (38.9%) and 5-for-12 from three-point range (41.7%).
Lendeborg posted 12 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal, going 5-for-11 from the field (45.5% FG) and 1-for-4 from beyond the arc (25.0% 3P).
The teams meet again in the opening fixture of the NBA Cup, and the rematch already has everyone watching to see whether the rookie comes back with more fire or if Doncic keeps control of the exchange.
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