The rookie who talked trash to Luka Doncic on opening night had what he called the worst game of his life, but Golden State still beat the Lakers.
The chants started almost immediately. "Lu-ka sucks" echoed through Chase Center every time Doncic touched the ball, a direct line back to the spat between the Lakers star and Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg on opening night, October 21. Lendeborg had said beforehand he was "absolutely" looking forward to the rematch.
It did not go the way he hoped. Lendeborg called it the worst game of his life, which for a player six games into his NBA career is saying something. Doncic, cast as the villain by the Chase Center crowd, made sure the boos should have been pointed the other way.
Despite their rookie getting pulverized by the matchup, the Warriors found a way to win anyway, pulling off a comeback victory over the Lakers. The result mattered more than Lendeborg's line, but his admission afterward made clear he knew exactly how badly the individual battle had gone. Doncic got his lesson delivered. Golden State got the result.