There’s a frequent idiom that most NBA gamers comply with when it comes to the league’s greatest gamers: Don’t poke the bear.
But when it came to Luka Doncic on Wednesday evening during the Lakers’ season-opening blowout win over the Warriors at Crypto.com Arena, Yaxel Lendeborg not only poked the bear, but ignited a barrage of chirping late in the second quarter.
And the Slovenian celebrity made it clear that whatever the Warriors rookie said was out of bounds.
Yaxel Lendeborg defends Luka Doncic during the Lakers’ 127-105 season-opening win over the Warriors on Oct. 21, 2026 in Los Angeles. NBAE via Getty Images
“He was talking crazy,” Doncic said.
The trash discuss began when the Lakers 6-foot-8 guard picked up a taking pictures foul against Lendeborg late in the second, with Doncic laughing as the No. 11 choose in June’s NBA draft turned annoyed with the call.
Luka Doncic drives previous Yaxel Lendeborg during the first half of the Lakers’ season-opening blowout victory
over the Warriors. Getty Images
Even after Lendeborg subbed out, Doncic saved speaking to the 6-foot-9 ahead out of Michigan while he was on the bench after knocking down a fadeaway against Will Richard, and once again while Sandro Mamukelashvili was taking pictures free throws.
Lendeborg picked up a technical foul with 22 seconds left in the first half after he and Doncic, presumably, saved chirping at each other.
The punctuation mark to the jawing came proper before halftime, when Doncic nailed a buzzer-beating halfcourt shot to give the Lakers a 66-52 lead going into the recreation’s break.
“Nobody understands what he says,” Austin Reaves quipped of Doncic. “He’s not speaking English. I didn’t understand anything and barely knew anything was going on. So, I know we need an article to come out and I’m going to start paying people to talk s— to him so gets [into] another gear when people start trying to talk to him.”
The most spectacular half of the back-and-forth was Doncic not selecting up a technical foul during the entire ordeal after being assessed 16 technical fouls last season.
Luka Doncic and Yaxel Lendeborg look on during a break in the motion in the Lakers’ season-opening blowout win over the Warriors. NBAE via Getty Images
“I wasn’t trying to talk back this season,” Doncic said. “I’m trying to not get techs. So it was the first time that [it] was not a double tech, because I didn’t say nothing. So I’m working on it. But as you see, it worked great.”
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