Dennis Schroder prides himself on consistently bringing intensity to the court, but he was unable to rattle Luka Doncic on Sunday night. The Sacramento Kings point guard directed some strong words at the Los Angeles Lakers superstar while his team was shooting free throws, which might have gotten under the skin of other players. Doncic shrugged off his fellow European, however.
The five-time All-NBA First-Team selection flashed his signature smirk and then proceeded to silently mock Schroder. His game was plenty loud on its own. Doncic totaled 34 points on 11-of-23 shooting with seven assists, five rebounds, three steals and one block in the Lakers' 125-101 win over the Kings. The 26-year-old Slovenian has frequently lost his composure in the face of officiating calls, but he knows how to use fan or player-based criticism as fuel.
Dennis Schroder had some words for Luka Doncic, but Luka wasn't bothered 😅
(via @LADEig)pic.twitter.com/pOkV7nDEdY
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 29, 2025
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The Lakers want him to have a chip on his shoulder, for they believe a motivated Doncic is a true terror to the rest of the NBA. He certainly looks the part right now, posting an NBA-leading 33.7 points per game this season. The 2023-24 scoring champion seems far more comfortable in his first full season in LA, reclaiming the form that has allowed him to become one of the most dominant offensive forces in the league today.
Luka Doncic appears perfectly quipped to withstand Dennis Schroder's fury. The Lakers (20-10) will count on him to maintain this mental toughness when they host the Detroit Pistons (24-8) on Tuesday night. There could always be a tense exchange in that matchup.