Warriors’ Yaxel Lendeborg gets rookie lessons in best possible way vs. Lakers

Warriors’ Yaxel Lendeborg gets rookie lessons in best possible way vs. Lakers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – The lessons came in waves Friday night, and it behooves Yaxel Lendeborg to study them religiously and stash them in a corner of his mind.

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The Warriors’ 112-95 rout over the Lakers gave the Warriors a 1-0 record in Emirates NBA Cup Group Play, gave the sellout crowd (18,064) at Chase Center good reason to celebrate and gave Lendeborg a reminder that an ugly personal game can end beautifully for his team.

“Them boys had my back today,” Lendeborg said.

“Them boys” were led by Stephen Curry, who poured in a team-high 31 points, Brandin Podziemski (21 points) and a bench that accumulated 50 points, 25 rebounds, five steals, two blocks and only four turnovers.

That is why, on a night when Lendeborg and his teammates were quickly torched by his first NBA nemesis, Los Angeles star Luka Dončić – whose 21-point first quarter left Golden State facing a 23-point deficit – the Warriors still walked off the floor as winners.

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“They all played a great game,” Lendeborg said. “I feel like I was only Debbie Downer on the team. So, I feel like next time when I get into one of these games like this, just try my best to not be that guy like sucking up all the energy.”

This was no ordinary comeback. The Warriors outscored the Lakers by 40 (97-57) over the final three quarters – completing their biggest rally since wiping a 26-point deficit on March 1, 2015, at Boston.

All while Lendeborg looked more like a rookie than he has at any time this season. He was by turns too aggressive or too passive. His ball-handling left him vulnerable, his defense was curious, his offense barely there. He committed three turnovers in the first nine minutes and finished with a team-high five giveaways.

Lendeborg grabbed one rebound in 24 minutes, recorded zero assists and was outscored 37-6 by Dončić. When Yaxel fouled out with 2:45 remaining, after playing 24 minutes, he had grabbed one rebound and recorded zero assists.

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“This is the rookie experience,” coach Steve Kerr said….

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/warriors-yaxel-lendeborg-gets-rookie-090457783.html

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Publish date : 2026-10-31 09:04:00

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