Just like his Los Angeles Lakers teammates LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves has plenty of motivation heading to the opening night of the 2023-24 NBA season when they will face the Denver Nuggets. However, Colorado fans couldn't stop mocking them for their latest comments.

Lakers fired up vs. Nuggets

As every NBA fan would know, the Nuggets–particularly head coach Michael Malone–had plenty of mocking words to say about the Lakers after his Nuggets swept them in the Western Conference Finals. During Denver's title parade, Malone was even introduced as the “Lakers' daddy.”

Of course the Purple and Gold heard what Malone and the Nuggets said about them, and sure enough, it's giving the Lakers some added motivation before they meet again in the season's curtain-raiser.

“I think everybody knows it was pointed at us. They can do it indirectly if they want. … I think it adds a little bit of motivation to go play really well,” Reaves said about the Nuggets' trash talks, via Michael Corvo of ClutchPoints.

Earlier during their practice session on Tuesday, Austin Reaves also clarified that his goal to take them down doesn't stem from a desire to spoil their ring night, but rather to start the season perfectly and prove to everyone what they are capable of. And what better way to do it than defeating the reigning NBA champions?

“Anytime you get the schedule, for me at least, I look at the first couple games and the Christmas game. Obviously, was happy to see Denver as the first game. It's a big night for them, as it should be. … They played a hell of a series against us and then won in the Finals against Miami, so you tip your hat. But, at the end of the day, if we can go win that first game on their ring night—obviously not spoil their day—but start off their season in a good way,” Reaves added.

As mentioned, it's not only Austin Reaves who's excited to face the Nuggets in the season-opener. Both Anthony Davis and LeBron James had conversations about the Nuggets' trash-talking antics during the offseason, and so when asked about their early match-up, the two are pretty fired up about it.

Davis, in particular, shared how they took offense on Denver's  trash talking, saying: “It was just a lot of like the talking. … We get it, y'all won, but me and LeBron had some conversations like, ‘We can't wait.'”

Nuggets fans react to Lakers' threats

Nuggets, Nikola Jokic

Amid all the talks coming from the Lakers' camp, Nuggets fans couldn't help but laugh at the Purple and Gold and troll them for having the Colorado franchise live in their heads rent free.

“We are the main topic of Lakers camp meanwhile Jokic is being asked about Deion Sanders,” one Denver fan hilariously said.

A second Nuggets fan shared, “These boys need to understand they aren’t threatening to them dawgs in CO. We have bigger fish to fry.”

“You bet your ass it was cause your team and fan base don’t stfu you got swept and all we heard about was how tough the series was and how it’s the best showing by a team that ever got swept foh and move on you whiners,” another commenter shared.

A fourth Denver supporter noted, “Bro, they're so sad that we won a championship and absolutely punked them. You just hate to see it.”

With all these talks going around, though, it certainly makes for an interesting opening night between the Lakers and Nuggets.