Any game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers is sure to bring out a competitive side in either team, but when it comes to Luka Doncic and Kris Dunn, that's a rivalry that doesn't need any extra help.

Just about every time that Doncic and Dunn go at it, there's tension in the air. Doncic especially seems to get a kick out of playing physically against Dunn and getting into his head with words. Doncic is already a renowned trash-talker in the league, but when it comes to Dunn, he kicks it up an extra notch. 

Their rivalry goes back years and the origin of their animosity seems to date back to 2023, when Doncic was still with the Dallas Mavericks and Dunn was with the Utah Jazz, when Dunn tried to confront Doncic on the court and both players ended up with technical fouls for the exchange.

Since then, it seems like the two just don't like each other. Doncic is always a tough competitor on the court, but he seems to get genuine joy out of not just playing better than Dunn, but seeing his counterpart actively fail. 

The Lakers' Friday night win over the Clippers was just another chapter in that history, with Doncic taking every chance he could get to chirp at Dunn or laugh in his face when the something didn't go his way.

When asked about the relationship after the game, Doncic's teammate Austin Reaves tried not to get involved, but chalked up the conflict to something that naturally happens when two competitive players collide.

“I don’t get involved in two grown men’s [beef]," Reaves said (via Dave McMenamin).  They’re both competing. That’s one thing you can say about both of them is they’re going to compete. Kris Dunn's made a career off of playing super hard defensively. Being a competitor, Luka's obviously not going to back down from anybody."

Doncic and the lakers got the better of Dunn and the Clippers on Friday. 

The Slovenian star led the game with 38 points on 11-25 shooting while adding six rebounds and 11 assists. Dunn, on the other hand, had eight points on perfect 4-4 shooting with five rebounds and eight assists.

Rivalries always add an extra layer of tension and excitement to any basketball game, whether it's personal rivalries or team ones. In this case, Dunn and Doncic are working with both to exponentially elevate that tension. 

It makes for good basketball, and on Friday Doncic had the last laugh.