The Los Angeles Lakers blasting the Golden State Warriors 127-105 on Wednesday became a side story to the drama between Yaxel Lendeborg and Luka Doncic.
During the game, Lendeborg wasn't backing down from Doncic, picking him past half court and engaging in smack talk.
At one point, Lendeborg was given a technical foul for what he said directing cuss words toward Doncic.
After the game, Lendeborg went nuclear on Doncic, saying he lost all respect for him because of how often he whines and complains.
I have X thoughts on this exchange, presented below in no particular order.
Lendeborg's Defense on Doncic Was the Least of the Warriors' Problems
Many people on X saw that a) Doncic had 23 points at halftime and b) the Lakers won in a blowout, so they assumed Doncic was frying Lendeborg.
But that's not the case.
Per NBA.com's tracking, Doncic was 1-of-5 with two turnovers when guarded by Lendeborg, with the one make being a half-court bank shot at the halftime buzzer.
Lendeborg did foul Doncic three times that resulted in two free-throw attempts each, but overall the rookie had a successful stint defending the six-time All-Star.
Doncic mostly had his way with everyone else en route to 28 points and seven assists.
The Warriors' biggest issue was they allowed the Lakers to shoot 57 percent from the floor.
The Dubs need to improve their on-ball defense and weak-side help defense considerably or else they are going to get cooked by just about every team.
Poking the Bear Can Give Other Team Energy
The Warriors gave up a huge run at the end of the second quarter, and Lendeborg barking with Doncic was in the middle of it.
When Doncic baited Lendeborg into a foul that resulted in two free-throw attempts, Lendeborg talked back loudly. Before Doncic took those free throws, the Lakers were leading 53-48.
In that final 2:28, Doncic scored 10 of the Lakers' 13 points, and the lead ballooned to 14.
Lendeborg's talking energized the crowd, and the Warriors didn't respond.
That's something Lendeborg will have to think about moving forward. There are times when injecting more emotion into the game can be beneficial, and there are times when it can be harmful.
Getting a feel for when it's the right time will come with experience.
If Lendeborg Keeps This Same Energy, He's About to Lose Respect for Many Players
It's well known that Doncic complains to the refs as much as any player in the league, so it's not like Lendeborg was wrong to call him out for that.
But if he thinks how Doncic was acting was abnormal, he's in for a rude awakening.
Every team has players who complain and foul-bait a lot.
The Warriors themselves have Draymond Green, who loudly complains to officials frequently. They have Jimmy Butler, who consistently has one of the highest free-throw rates in the league partially because he knows some tricks to get whistles.
If Lendeborg keeps this same energy after every game, he's about to have a laundry list of guys he has no respect for, and the NBA game will probably have him more jaded about basketball than ever before.
Competitive Fire Should Serve Lendeborg Well
Most great NBA players are maniacally competitive.
It appears Lendeborg has the kind of passion for the game that you can't teach.
Steve Kerr said during training camp that Lendeborg "can't stay out of the gym." His ball-handling and shooting look even more advanced than they did at Michigan, which shows what he's working on is paying off.
Of course Lendeborg will have to focus that competitive fire on the right things.
But there's not question you'd rather Lendeborg have it and need to be harnessed than not have it at all.
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