What we learned as Yaxel Lendeborg dominates Lakers in Warriors’ preseason win

What we learned as Yaxel Lendeborg dominates Lakers in Warriors’ preseason win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Schedule makers didn’t do the Warriors any favors for their next game, and the same can be said about the challenges the Los Angeles Lakers faced Tuesday night at Chase Center.

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The Lakers were on their second night of a back-to-back after playing the previous night in Sacramento, so head coach JJ Redick decided to not suit up Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler. And the Warriors took advantage in a 124-98 blowout win.

The Warriors led by 14 points after the first quarter, 28 points at halftime and 21 points after three quarters before an eventual 26-point win. 

Steph Curry was a plus-26, scoring 16 points in 14 minutes. Draymond Green was a plus-25, making his only shot – a three from the right corner – and handed out eight assists in 15 minutes. The biggest bright spot was the young combination of Yaxel Lendeborg (17 points) and Brandin Podziemski (16 points), who combined for 33 points on 14-of-22 shooting.

On Wednesday, the Warriors will be the ones playing shorthanded on a back-to-back. Curry, Green and Al Horford, among others, won’t even make the trip. But first, the Warriors handled business by playing fast and smart to execute a game plan that gave the home crowd plenty to cheer about.

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Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ first win of the preseason. 

New Starting Lineup

All it took was one preseason game for Steve Kerr to tinker with his starting five. It wasn’t his highly touted rookie who took a seat, but the oldest player on his roster. Al Horford was replaced by Gui Santos, who began the game alongside Curry, Podziemski, Lendeborg and Green. 

Lendeborg, of course, is new to the group. But the previous four enjoyed a whole lot of success together last season. Curry, Podziemski, Santos and Green were a plus-24 in 2025-26 over 13 games and 70 total minutes, which was Golden State’s second-best four-man group overall. They produced a 111.6 offensive rating and 102.1 defensive rating. 

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Adding Lendeborg only…

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Publish date : 2026-10-06 21:43:00

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