Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic did not take kindly to hostile Golden State Warriors fans when the Pacific Division rivals met in the NBA Cup on Friday.
In the middle of a dominant 23-point first quarter, Doncic turned toward a Warriors fan after hitting one of his five threes and barked, “Yeah, f***, b***h! What?”
The NSFW words were a response to loud “Luka sucks” chants that permeated through Chase Center for most of the night.
Doncic could not maintain his hot start in the second quarter, as he shot 1-of-5, leading to the Warriors outscoring the Lakers 38-15 to tie up the scores at 53. In the second half, Stephen Curry and Brandin Podziemski combined for 31 points as the Warriors outscored the Lakers 59-42 to seal a massive 112-95 win.
Lakers Blow Huge Lead
By blowing a 25-point lead, the Lakers made some infamous history on Friday. First, they became the first team in the shot-clock era (since 1954-55) to lead by 23+ points after the first quarter and yet not take a lead into the second half. Furthermore, the Warriors pulled off the largest margin of victory (17 points) by a team after training by 25+ in the play-by-play era, per ESPN Research.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick and Doncic did not hold back on blowing a 25-point lead.
“You don’t become a great team in six games. We want to become a great team after 82 games,” Redick said of the Lakers’ NBA Cup loss, via Khobi Price.
“I don’t know what it’s going to take,” Doncic said of the Lakers becoming a great team.
“It’s going to take some time, for sure. We got a lot of new guys, but I really like playing with these guys. So everybody gotta be better than this.”
Warriors Get Last Laugh
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was not exactly surprised by his team’s ability to erase a 25-point deficit and yet win the game by 17 points — a first in NBA history.
“What I would tell you guys is that 25, you know, it’s the new 12,” Kerr said of facing large deficits, via ESPN’s Anthony Slater.
“These games happen nightly in the league. I watched the Utah-Laker game today prepping. I think Utah was up 19 at the end of the first quarter and then the Lakers tied it by half. With the pace and the 3-point shooting, there’s just these wild swings, and you just have to stay with it.”
Rookie sensation Yaxel Lendeborg had an off nights, as he took just three shots and finished with six points. His teammates had his back.
“Them boys had my back today,” the Warriors rookie said. “Steph Curry did his thing.”
“We have his back through all of that, and knowing that the next game, we’re going to need him,” Curry said of Lendeborg’s off night.
“It’s all about the theme of him learning trial by fire, going through the ups and downs in front of everybody. It’s a tough demand, but I think he’s built for it.”
Lakers’ Luka Doncic Erupts With NSFW Response During Warriors Game