Luka Doncic admitted that Yaxel Lendeborg's trash talk brought out a different version of him during the Los Angeles Lakers' 127-105 season-opening win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night.
Doncic and the Warriors rookie exchanged words throughout the second quarter after Lendeborg was called for a shooting foul while guarding the Slovenian star.
The confrontation continued even when Lendeborg went to the bench, with Doncic repeatedly directing comments toward the 6-foot-9 forward.
"Everybody knows when somebody starts talking, you got a different me," Luka said after the game. "So that was it."
The Lakers star finished with 28 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and three steals in 30 minutes as Los Angeles opened the 2026-27 season with a dominant victory.
He made five 3-pointers and scored 23 of his points in the first half.
Doncic says he is trying to avoid technical fouls
Lendeborg was eventually assessed a technical foul during the exchange, while Doncic avoided one despite continuing to respond.
"He was talking crazy," Doncic said in his postgame press conference. "But, you know, I wasn't trying to talk back this season. I'm not trying to get techs."
"This is the first time that was not a double tech because I didn't say nothing. So I'm working on it. But as you see, I think it worked great."
The two continued chirping throughout the quarter, with Doncic appearing to enjoy the challenge as the Lakers gradually pulled away.
The exchange reached its peak just before halftime.
With Los Angeles already on a 14-4 run, Doncic launched from around half court and banked in a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, extending the Lakers' lead to 66-52 and completing a 17-4 run.
Doncic immediately turned toward Lendeborg after the shot and continued their back-and-forth.
Asked afterward whether he had already decided to take the shot despite having time left on the clock, Doncic did not hesitate.
"Oh yeah," he said. "I knew that was going up before I got it in my hands. I work on those."
Lendeborg gets early taste of guarding Doncic
Lendeborg had already been warned about the matchup before the season began.
During the preseason, the Warriors rookie revealed that an assistant coach told him he would guard Doncic, drawing a stunned reaction.
On Wednesday night, Lendeborg finally got his assignment.
The No. 11 pick competed physically against Doncic and finished his NBA debut with 12 points, three rebounds, and two assists in 29 minutes.
Like what we are doing? You can express your gratitude here.