Warriors rookie Lendeborg clashes with Dončić in NBA debut

Golden State Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg said he had “lost all respect” for Luka Dončić after the pair exchanged words during his NBA debut on Wednesday. Dončić scored a game-high 28 points as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Warriors 127-105.

Lendeborg spent much of the game guarding Dončić, who shot 7-of-18 from the floor. They jawed at one another quite a bit, especially near the end of the second quarter, when Lendeborg received a technical foul. Moments later, Dončić made a half-court buzzer-beater and pointed at the rookie.

Lendeborg explains his frustration

After the defeat, Lendeborg said his objection was not simply about foul calls. “Being in there first hand, just watching all the whining and complaining, I lost all respect, man,” he said.

Asked what he had said to Dončić on the court, Lendeborg replied: “I told him he sucks. He can’t score on me.” Lendeborg committed four personal fouls during the game, three of which sent Dončić to the free-throw line.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr suggested those calls could be part of the rookie’s adjustment to the NBA. “He had probably three fouls that probably wouldn’t be fouls in any other league in the world,” Kerr said. “But it’s the NBA. He’s gotta learn this stuff.”

Dončić welcomes the exchange

Dončić said the confrontation brought out a different side of his game. “Everybody knows when somebody starts talking, you get a different me,” he said after the game. “So that was it.”

Warriors veteran Draymond Green backed Lendeborg’s willingness to challenge him. “Everyone will say the rookie learned his lesson. What he learn?” Green asked. “The next time he see him, go at his ass again.”

What the debut means for Lendeborg

Lendeborg’s defence helped limit Dončić’s shooting from the floor, but the Lakers pulled away after Stephen Curry’s strong first quarter.

Kerr’s comments also pointed to a practical lesson: Lendeborg must adjust to how fouls are called in the NBA while continuing to defend opponents such as Dončić. For now, their first meeting ended with Dončić’s 28 points and a Lakers victory.