The Los Angeles Lakers will look to improve to 2-0 on Friday as they face their cross-town rivals, the Clippers. 

The Lakers are coming off an impressive outing where they took advantage of a depleted Warriors team. Los Angeles dominated much of the game, and while the contest wasn't close in the second half, the Warriors put up a fight in the first half.

It was a rather entertaining one, but it had very little to do with the actual basketball. Instead, much of the intrigue came from the 'game within the game' between Luka Doncic and Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg. 

Luka Doncic exchanges words with Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg about weak foul calls pic.twitter.com/Ma1XAstTk5

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) October 22, 2026

Those two jawed at each other for most of the first half, but Doncic got the last laugh, leading the Lakers to a 127-105 win. 

The Lakers will play the Warriors three more times this regular season, and the next game will come as soon as the day before Halloween, on Oct. 30. 

Naji Marshall Predicts Luka Doncic Will Drop 80 on Yaxel Lendeborg

This time, the Lakers will head up to the Bay Area, and former teammate of Doncic, current Mavericks forward Naji Marshall, predicted that the six-time All-NBA guard will drop 80 points on the rookie forward. 

“80 ball next time they play never speak on the DON 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭," Marshall said. 

Through one game in Lendeborg's NBA career, he already has a target on his back. After the season opener, Lendeborg went as far as to say that he 'lost all respect' for Doncic. 

"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."

Lendeborg did a relatively good job on Doncic. The veteran guard went only 1-for-6 shooting with Lendeborg as the primary defender. 

However, Doncic still did enough to lead the team in scoring and carry his team to a win. Overall, Doncic finished with 28 points on 7-of-18 shooting, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and three steals in 30 minutes of action. 

Yaxel Lendeborg May Have ‘Poked the Bear’ With Luka Doncic

Many believe Lendeborg had "poked the bear," with Doncic, including former NBA champion Brendan Haywood. 

Brendan Haywood says Yaxel Lendeborg is signed up for about 4 or 5 a** whoopings from Luka Doncic:

“A** whoopings from Luka is on the way. BTA is on the way. Because now Luka is going to be like, “I don’t care if the Warriors are in 10th place when I see you, you and I know what… https://t.co/cgRwLrnxPP pic.twitter.com/NZga1QlbTT

— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) October 22, 2026

“A** whoopings from Luka is on the way, Haywood said. 

"BTA is on the way. Because now Luka is going to be like, “I don’t care if the Warriors are in 10th place when I see you,you and I know what it is.”

80 points or not, no one would be surprised if Doncic explodes for a monster game next Friday. 

Their contest in the Bay Area will be the Lakers' second NBA Cup game, so the stakes will be high.