Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg says he ‘lost all respect’ for Luka Dončić in NBA debut: ‘I told him he sucks’

There are a handful of players in the NBA that most veterans know not to trash-talk. Luka Dončić falls into that bucket. When someone can drop 30 on you in their sleep, the last thing you need is to light a fire under them during a game.

Of course, Yaxel Lendeborg is no veteran. The Warriors' rookie made his NBA debut on Wednesday, and he spent a good chunk of it guarding Dončić, one of the best players in the NBA. To his credit, he held up reasonably well. Dončić shot just 7-of-18 from the floor thanks in large part to Lendeborg's defense. But the two jawed at one another quite a bit, especially at the end of the second quarter, when Lendeborg picked up a technical foul. Moments later, Dončić hit a half-court buzzer-beater and pointed directly at the rookie.

LUKA MAGIC ✨Beyond half-court at the buzzer to extend the Lakers' lead against the Warriors 🍿 pic.twitter.com/RiPZVHk7gg

Dončić, who scored a game-high 28 points, ultimately won the war. Once Stephen Curry cooled off after a blistering first quarter, the Los Angeles Lakers destroyed the Golden State Warriors, 127-105. Yet Lendeborg left the game thoroughly unimpressed with the MVP candidate…

Original source: https://www.cbssports.com/