One of the biggest storylines of the Lakers' 127-105 victory over the Golden State Warriors was the back-and-forth between Luka Doncic and Yaxel Lendeborg. Lendeborg and Doncic traded verbal jabs throughout the game, and Doncic finished with 28 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals, plus 5 three-pointers.
But the back-and-forth led to the referees giving Ledeberg a technical for trash-talking Doncic. That drew the ire of Stephen A. Smith, who took the referees to task on Thursday's edition of ESPN's First Take.
“He's saying, ‘If you're so great, stop whining to the officials. Just go out there and if you gonna bust my a*s, bust my a*s. But stop whining to the officials looking to them for help.'…I was really, really ticked off when that referee gave Yaxel Lendeborg the technical foul…I'm calling out the NBA. NBA gotta stop that nonsense! Let them talk!”
Lendeborg weighed in on the back-and-forth with Doncic in postgame comments obtained by ESPN's Anthony Slater. The former Michigan standout said he lost all respect for the multitime All-Star because he complained to officials.
Article Continues Below“I had a lot of respect for him [because] I didn't really watch the NBA much,” Lendeborg said. “I just watched highlights and seen him kill people. But being in it firsthand and seeing all the whining and complaining, I lost all respect.”
He added, “You get the foul call. Congratulations, bro. Then you talk to me like you did something great. C'mon, dog. That s— is weak. It kind of threw me off because I have so much respect for him. Gone, man. Gone.”