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Yaxel Lendeborg's game vs. Nuggets gives Warriors glimpse of fantastic future
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- Yaxel Lendeborg's game vs. Nuggets gives Warriors glimpse of fantastic future
Yaxel Lendeborg's game vs. Nuggets gives Warriors glimpse of fantastic future originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Stephen Curry was cooking Monday night, and the Warriors were feasting. He was making every shot, their leads growing to 10 and then 13 and even 15. They led 87-77 when Curry was subbed out with 3:42 remaining the third quarter.
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Uh-oh. Time for the historically worrisome non-Steph minutes against the proud Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena, where the Warriors had not won since 2022.
To the rescue came Yaxel Lendeborg. With Curry observing from the bench, the rookie was superb, engineering a response that pushed the lead to 16 at the end of the quarter and clearing the path to a 134-114 win that was Golden State's first of the 2026-27 NBA season.
"Basically, in all the critical moments of the game, we just put the ball in his hands," coach Steve Kerr told reporters in Denver. "And for a rookie to be that advanced already, it's extremely rare."
Playing in his fourth NBA game, Lendeborg's performance allowed the Warriors to take flight against a team they struggle to beat, in a building where they rarely succeed.
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From the time Curry and Draymond Green went to the bench late in the third quarter, Golden State outscored Denver 47-37. Lendeborg's third quarter consisted of 12 points, six rebounds and one assist, and the floor generalship of a vet.
"He's able to impose his will on the game," Green said. "I don't care what age you are, it's the NBA. If you don't know the NBA game, you're already at a deficit. He don't know the game. Not that he don't know the game of basketball; he don't know the NBA game. And to be able to have the ability to go out there and still do that, not knowing what the NBA brings on a nightly basis, is special.
"But it's no different from what I've been saying for weeks now. I think he's a special player."
Lendeborg produced a career-high 31 points, on 9-of-19 shooting from the field despite being only 1 of 8 from beyond the arc. He added 12 rebounds and six assists, finishing plus-27 over 31 minutes and getting a procession of daps, high-fives and embraces upon being subbed out with the 2:34 left and Warriors leading by 21.
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Four games into the season, Lendeborg has been so impressive on offense that the Warriors are living with his defensive lapses . He's averaging 21.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. His 83 points through four games is the most for any Warriors rookie since Wilt Chamberlain poured in 150 in his first four games.
The quick start is something of a surprise to Lendeborg. Behind his shiny veneer of confidence and fearlessness is a man who realizes he was playing college basketball at the University of Michigan only seven months ago.
"I definitely thought I was going to wet the bed first half of the season," he told NBCSN. "I definitely didn't have the best hopes for what I was going to do, but with the confidence that Steph and Draymond are providing me, I've been playing with a lot more energy and confidence and just going out and having fun."
Lendeborg's 12-of-13 shooting from the line left Kerr marveling over the now and comparing him to Jimmy Butler III while visualizing a fantastic future.
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"When you get to the line consistently, you can control the game," Kerr said. "If the other team goes on a run, you go to a guy like Yax or Jimmy, they get fouled, the game slows down and you set your defense. The game just gets a lot easier. Yax having that ability, combined with his passing skills, he's going to be a guy who's going to close games like he did tonight."
To put a finer point on it, Lendeborg's second-half takeover required only 15 minutes to score 16 points, grab seven rebounds and ring up four assists.
Though Lendeborg closed out the Nuggets, it was Curry who provided a runway for the Warriors during that pivotal third quarter, scoring 17 points on 7-of-7 shooting from the field, including a pair of triples. He posted the second "immaculate" scoring game of his career, totaling 24 points on 8-of-8 shooting, including 3 of 3 from distance.
"I knew at a certain point I had to get some opportunity," Curry told NBCSN. "I didn't know it was going to be a perfect night like that, but I'm glad it all came together. "Yaxel played amazing and we were flying around on defense. That's how we got the win."
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After losing their first three games of the season, including blowing a 12-point lead inside the final four minutes of their home opener last Friday, this was the kind of victory the Warriors needed. One that cleansed the souls of everyone on the payroll .
