Just two wins separate the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers from the No. 3 and 4 seeds in the Western Conference, respectively.

So needless to say Wednesday’s clash between the two teams was an important one playoff in terms of playoff implications.

And with L.A.’s top star, small forward LeBron James still sidelined with a groin injury he suffered on March 8, the Lakers had to rely on their other superstar, newly acquired point guard Luka Doncic, to carry the offense.

Doncic had one of his better performances since joining the Lakers in early February, logging 31 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a block in a 120-108 win over the Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena.

It was the eighth time in his 16 games with the Lakers that Doncic scored 30 or more points.

The 26-year-old got off to a hot start, and near the end of the first quarter with the Lakers holding a 45-29 lead, microphones caught Doncic talking a little smack to some Nuggets players as he stepped to the free-throw line. “I got 20 points – you talking about ball don’t lie,” Doncic said.

“I GOT 20 POINTS, YOU TALKING ABOUT BALL DON’T LIE” -Luka Doncic LLLLMMFFAAOOO pic.twitter.com/ocZB9nrxlH — Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod (@big_business_) March 20, 2025

Video of the incident went viral, garnering hundreds of thousands of views and retweets after being shared by multiple accounts on X.

Fans flocked to the comment section to applaud Doncic’s bravado and show their approval of his trolling a top-tier conference foe.

“Savage Luka is the best Luka! He’s not just dominating on the court, but also serving up trash talk,” one fan wrote. “I [expletive] love this dude lmao I can’t believe he’s a Laker,” another fan added. “Never change Luka ,” a third chimed in.

“TALK YOUR [expletive] GOAT,” declared one user. ” he’s an [expletive] & I appreciate it,” another user remarked. “Let ‘em know @luka7doncic ” one fan replied.