Don G

Nine days ago, a Warriors rookie told Luka Dončić he lost all respect for him. Last night, Steph Curry backed him up. The NBA should be thrilled. Yaxel Lendeborg, a 24-year-old who won a national title at Michigan last season, guarded Dončić in his NBA debut and talked trash all game. He picked up the first technical of his career. Dončić hit a half-court shot at halftime, pointed right at him, and the Lakers won by 22. Afterward, Lendeborg said Dončić was all flopping and complaining to the refs. Draymond Green told him to go right back at Dončić next time. Next time was last night in San Francisco. The Lakers led by 25. Then the Warriors outscored them 38-15 in the second quarter and won 112-95. Lendeborg fouled out with five turnovers, but Curry scored 31 with eight threes, and the Lakers picked up five technicals. That’s the kind of feud leagues hope for. In 2017, sports economists Hojun Sung, Brian Mills and Scott Tainsky tracked NFL TV ratings minute by minute and found that viewers were more likely to keep watching a game when their own team’s rival was playing, and they stayed tuned even when that rival ended up winning. Fans watch their rivals, even when it hurts. The study looked at football, not basketball. But a rookie picking a fight with one of the best players in the world gives Warriors fans a reason to watch every Lakers game, and Lakers fans a reason to watch every Warriors game. They play twice more this season.