The Los Angeles Lakers improved to 4-1 after their win on Wednesday night against the Clippers.

The Lakers got the job done despite playing without their best player, Luka Doncic. The Slovenian superstar was ruled out with a back issue; however, he could return for their matchup on Friday against the Golden State Warriors.

Los Angeles is in the midst of a brutal five-game, seven-night stretch. So far, the Lakers are 1-1 during that stretch and will look to add to the win column on Friday night.

Yaxel Lendeborg Doubles Down Ahead of Highly Anticipated Luka Doncic Rematch

The contest against the Warriors is meaningful not only because it's the first of their NBA Cup Group games, but also because it's the rematch from opening night and the birth of a potentially new beef centered around Doncic and Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg.

Doncic and Lendeborg stole the show last week as the two were chirping at each other. Lendeborg aggressively guarded Doncic and talked trash the entire game, telling him he "sucks" and that he couldn't score on him.

Since then, it's been Leneborg doing most of the talking, and his latest comments were telling.

After the Warriors matchup on Wednesday, Leneborg said he is looking forward to Friday's matchup.

“Absolutely. Absolutely. Yes, I am. I’ll talk about that on Friday," Lendeborg said.

A week after Doncic and Lendeborg went head-to-head, it's been a one-sided beef.

Lendeborg has talked about the incident and his first matchup against Doncic multiple times, while the six-time All-NBA guard has not spoken or been asked about it.

After Opening Night, 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."

Luka Doncic Has Extra Motivation Entering Warriors Rematch

As for Doncic, he said when someone starts jawing at him, he turns it up a notch.

Friday's matchup should provide plenty of excitement, with the Lakers off to an impressive start to the season. The stakes will also be higher, as both teams look to begin NBA Cup play with a win.

The action shifts to Chase Center in the Bay Area, where all eyes will once again be on Doncic and Lendeborg. This time, however, the 27-year-old superstar will have the crowd working against him.

Doncic will look to silence the crowd early and often — if he plays.

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