Golden State Warriors forward Yaxel Lendeborg was ready for his rematch with Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers as he donned his Michael Myers uniform ahead of Halloween. However, Doncic was ready to go after the Warriors rookie as well.
Doncic started the game immediately going after Lendeborg on defense. He sized up the rookie, then quickly rose up and drained a 3-pointer right in his face.
There were all sorts of fireworks the first time Lendeborg and Doncic faced off during the season opener. Lendeborg was game in trying to defend Doncic, but the Lakers star pulled off all the tricks to get under the youngster skin. Doncic finished with 28 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists to lead the Lakers to a 127-105 win.
Lendeborg's post-game comments about “losing all respect” for Doncic only stoked the fire for the rematch. And the rookie wasn't about to back down, stating he was more than ready to take on Doncic again.
Lendeborg has gone on to show big improvement since his debut against the Lakers. The rookie is averaging 27.7 points and 10 rebounds over his last three games. That includes a 31-point, 12-rebound, six-assist effort to lead the Dubs to a 134-114 win over the Denver Nuggets. Not to be outdone, Doncic prepared for the rematch by scoring 93 points over his last two games, which included a 52-point explosion against the Utah Jazz.
But it will be on the defensive end where Lendeborg will be truly tested. After getting a taste of all of Luka's tricks, it will be interesting to see if the rookie can learn from it and do a more respectable job defending the Lakers superstar.