The battle of the big men is considered to be one of the focal points in the Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets, with the Lakers’ Anthony Davis and Denver’s Nikola Jokic both considered among the best at the position.

The Lakers’ other big men, Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee, however, have made it clear who they think is the better player in that matchup. And they’ve let the other guy know about it all throughout the Lakers’ 105-103 victory over the Nuggets in Game 2. 

After it was reported that Howard had taunted Jokic after the game and had an exchange of words with some of the Nuggets’ coaching staff, Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes reports that the trash talk had been going on throughout the game, with McGee also being involved. 

The war of words, according to Haynes, began right in the first quarter, when Howard and McGee saw that Davis would be guarded by Jokic. The Lakers’ backup big men believed that Davis would have an easy time against the two-time All-Star, and they let him know about it:

Once the Lakers’ bench saw it was Jokic tasked with guarding Davis, it brought the noise with JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard screaming, “Thanksgiving, steak dinner, appetizers, filet mignon and potatoes, a glass of champagne!”

The Nuggets, however, proved to be a worthy opponent, coming back from 16 points down to gain a 103-102 lead with 20 seconds left on a basket by the Serbian over Davis. The Lakers’ big man, however, would have the last say, draining a game-winning triple at the buzzer to give Los Angeles the win and a 2-0 lead. While Howard got in a heated exchange with the Nuggets’ staff, McGee also apparently shouted “Told you it was a feast out there” after Davis made the game-winner. 

Davis finished the game with a team-high 31 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and two blocks. Jokic, meanwhile, matched him almost point for point, as he ended up with 30 points, six boards, nine assists, and four steals. Davis, however, had the final say, at least for this game, and while he wasn’t vocal about it, two of his teammates did the talking for him.  

Jokic and Denver would have a chance to answer as the Nuggets look to avoid a 3-0 hole in Game 3 on Tuesday.