The bad blood between Luka Doncic and Yaxel Lendeborg remains one of the top stories of NBA opening week. Doncic’s Los Angeles Lakers destroyed the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, but fans were more taken back by the epic trash talk. Luka claimed that Yaxel started, and he was inspired to get the better of the rookie. However, Lendeborg took it further by stating he has no respect for Doncic after seeing how he behaves in person.
Former Luka teammate Naji Marshall commented on a social media post and made a bold prediction for the next time they play:
“80 ball next time they play never speak on the DON ”
Marshall is predicting that Doncic will have a historic 80-point performance to embarrass Lendeborg and the Warriors. History has shown Luka holding grudges with the Phoenix Suns and other teams when their players talk enough trash to upset him.
The time together on the Dallas Mavericks saw Doncic and Marshall becoming good friends on and off the court. Marshall is one of many former Luka teammates to still have his back on different teams. Doncic’s track record does make it logical that he will have an epic performance next time he has a chance to publicly humble Yaxel again.
Why Luka Doncic Scoring 80 Is Not Absurd
The idea of forecasting someone scoring 80 points is impossible to believe, but it does make sense for Doncic. Austin Reaves is the only other elite scorer on the Lakers who can average close to 25 points to limit Luka’s scoring totals.
A night with Reaves out or taking a back seat could see Doncic getting enough shots up to score a historic number. Luka did hit the 70-point mark with a career-high 73 points against the Atlanta Hawks just a few seasons ago.
It is plausible that Doncic will be able to take a few more shots on a night where he’s in the zone. If Bam Adebayo can put up 83 points on his hottest night, Luka certainly has a chance to the same. Unfortunately for Marshall, the odds of predicting the night where it happens is almost impossible.
Luka Doncic Showed Improvement On Opening Night
While Doncic did get involved in drama with Lendeborg, he should be commended for avoiding technical fouls. Luka stated that he’s trying to cut down on technical fouls to appease his coach JJ Redick and set a leading example for the rest of the roster.
Maturity showed Doncic baiting Yaxel into getting a technical foul for his trash talk and not talking enough to get one as well. Luka knows this roster was designed for him, especially with the addition of respected defensive center Walker Kessler.
Giving free points from technical fouls just hurts the team’s chances of winning games. Doncic needs to stack up wins and prove his leadership to reach his top goals this season. A dream year for Luka would see him having a realistic chance at the MVP Award and the Lakers contending for the NBA Championship.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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