Apparently good friendly banter on the court can ignite a different beast in some athletes in the NBA.

Larry Nance Jr. was recently interviewed by Basketball Insiders and he began talking about a hilarious 4th quarter demolition Carmelo Anthony posed on the Lakers. Nance Jr. was a rookie when he was playing against the Knicks. He was doing a good job defending Melo up until Kobe Bryant decided to chime in.

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“Carmelo was quiet. I thought I was doing a really good job on him for like three quarters of the game. I think he had like six points in three quarters so I was kinda beating my chest like ‘Yea, I did this,’” Nance Jr. told Basketball Insiders. “And then I think Kobe said something to him like, ‘You really gonna let the rook shut you down like that?’ And yes, 24 fourth quarter points later, we lost, and Carmelo just lit me up. I mean step-back threes, he was all in his arsenal and there was nothing I could do about it.”

Nance Jr. must have been in awe in this moment, as those numbers weren't as staggering as he recalled. Carmelo actually posted 12 points in the 4th quarter rather than 24. Additionally, he had 14 points after three quarters (only making 5 of his 14 shots attempted) instead of 6. Melo may have been struggling to some degree, but he ensured he was not going to let Bryant's taunting get the better of him.