Lendeborg Calls Out Doncic as Lakers Beat Warriors 127-105/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg criticized Luka Doncic after their heated exchanges during Golden State’s 127-105 loss to the Lakers. Doncic scored 28 points in three quarters and banked in a half-court shot over Lendeborg at the halftime buzzer. The rookie accused Doncic of flopping and foul-baiting, setting up an intriguing rematch on Oct. 30.
Quick Look
- Heated debut: Lendeborg exchanged trash talk with Doncic during his first NBA game.
- Lakers victory: Los Angeles defeated Golden State 127-105 on Wednesday.
- Doncic’s performance: The reigning scoring champion finished with 28 points in three quarters.
- Halftime highlight: Doncic banked in a half-court buzzer-beater over the rookie.
- Technical foul: Lendeborg acknowledged that profanity during their exchanges earned him a technical.
- Postgame criticism: The rookie accused Doncic of complaining to officials and seeking foul calls.
- Next meeting: The Lakers visit the Warriors in San Francisco on Oct. 30.
Deep Look
Lendeborg Challenges Doncic in First NBA Appearance
Yaxel Lendeborg wasted little time making his presence felt in the NBA, trading verbal jabs with Luka Doncic during his professional debut before criticizing the Lakers star after the game.
The confrontation accompanied a difficult opening night for Golden State. Los Angeles won 127-105, with Doncic scoring 28 points despite playing only three quarters.
The Warriors’ 24-year-old first-round pick, who won an NCAA championship with Michigan last season, said his frustration centered on Doncic’s interactions with officials.
“I lost all respect (for Doncic), man,” Lendeborg said. “That was awful. … A lot of flopping, a lot of foul-baiting, a lot of praying to the ref, man. Interesting first game for me, for sure.”
Rookie Says Complaints Changed His View of Lakers Star
Lendeborg said he previously enjoyed watching highlights of Doncic’s scoring performances. Sharing the court with the six-time All-Star left him with a different impression.
“Me getting frustrated, it’s not about the foul being called,” Lendeborg said. “It’s about him complaining the entire game, and then you get the foul call, and congratulations, bro. And then you talk to me like you did something great? Bro, come on. That’s just weak, you know? It kind of threw me off for a little while, because like I said, I had so much respect for him. Gone, man. Gone.”
His accusations reflected his assessment of the matchup, rather than an officiating finding about Doncic’s play.
Second-Quarter Exchanges Lead to Technical Foul
The players exchanged insults through much of the second quarter. Officials assessed Lendeborg a technical foul after one particularly loud, profane remark.
The rookie acknowledged what he had been saying.
“I was telling him he sucks,” Lendeborg said with a smile. “‘You can’t score on me.’ I said it the whole game. I said a couple of cuss words, obviously. That’s why I got the technical and all that, but I was letting him know, because he was laughing and talking, all this because of that one foul call.”
Doncic largely responded with laughter and avoided receiving a technical himself.
Doncic Says He Is Working to Avoid Technicals
Doncic entered the season seeking better discipline after receiving 16 technical fouls last season, which resulted in a one-game suspension.
He viewed Wednesday’s confrontation as evidence of progress.
“He was talking crazy, but I wasn’t trying to talk back this season,” Doncic said of Lendeborg. “Not trying to get techs. For the first time, that was not a double tech, because I didn’t say nothing, so I’m working on it. As you see, I think it worked great.”
The Lakers star found another way to answer the rookie before halftime.
Half-Court Buzzer-Beater Punctuates Their Confrontation
Doncic collected the ball near the scorer’s table and launched a shot with nearly three seconds remaining in the second quarter.
It banked through at the halftime buzzer, sending the Lakers’ arena into celebration. Doncic pointed toward Lendeborg after the basket.
“I knew that was going in before I got it in my hands,” Doncic said with a grin. “I work on those.”
Lendeborg remained dismissive afterward, arguing that the long-distance shot did not reflect how their individual matchup had gone.
“His only bucket on me was a banker from half court,” Lendeborg said. “I know it’s a team sport. He had 28 on us as a team. Me, I took my matchup personally. Tried not to get called on the fouls. Tried my best. I was thinking about playing him with my hands behind my back to see if that worked. Probably would have still got a foul call. But interesting.”
Lakers and Warriors Meet Again Oct. 30
A Warriors official eventually redirected Lendeborg away from further criticism during his postgame news conference.
By then, the rookie’s comments and the on-court exchanges had added a personal dispute to the California teams’ rivalry.
Their next scheduled meeting comes Oct. 30, when the Lakers travel to San Francisco.
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