Luka Dončić capped a preposterous first quarter with some preposterous trash talk

Luka Dončić may be on a new team, but he remains the same deadly scorer that Maverick fans adored.

Dončić finished with 31 points, seven assists, and eight rebounds in the Los Angeles Laker's 120-108 win over the Denver Nuggets, Wednesday night. He did most of his damage in the first quarter, exploding for 21 points on the Nuggets and helping take a 46-29 lead.

His 31-point performance came with a bit of trash-talking after being heckled by Nuggets fans while shooting free throws.

While at the line Dončić clapped back at Nuggets fans taunting him, saying, "I got 20; you talking about the ball? Don't lie."

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Luka Dončić can score and can back it up

Since arriving on the Lakers, Dončić has been tremendous, averaging 26.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 8.1 assists. He managed to lead the Lakers to the win without LeBron James, who was out due to a groin injury. For the entire season, he is averaging 27.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 7.9 assists on 44 percent shooting from the field.

This recent win against the Nuggets must feel good, especially for the Lakers, though it came without Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray. The Nuggets have gotten the better of the Lakers throughout the years, routinely dominating the Lakers in each matchup.

The teams have met in the post-season twice in the last two years, the Nuggets handily defeating them.

Both teams are currently in a dogfight for the second seed in the Western Conference. The 43-25 Lakers are now a game better than the 44-26 Nuggets, but they're still two wins behind the Houston Rockets.

It seems either team could snatch the second seed from the Rockets. The Lakers are on a three-game winning streak ahead of tonight's matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks and seem to be making a run for the No. 2 seed.