Golden State Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg put up 31 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in a 134-114 blowout road win over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. It has been a loud open to Lendeborg's NBA career, filled with outspoken headlines and gaudy statistics. His 87 points are the most from a Warriors rookie in his first four games since Wilt Chamberlain in 1959.
Asked whether he was surprising himself, Lendeborg said, "Absolutely. Especially this game. I had 13 free throws. That's crazy. That's absurd for me." The Warriors are without the injured Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody to open the season, leaving a major opportunity on the wing for Lendeborg. At 24, he's an older rookie, but everyone in the organization has admitted he is further along than expected on offense. "He's able to impose his will on the game," Draymond Green said.
The Warriors had started 0-3 and entered as seven-point underdogs against a rested Nuggets team. Stephen Curry did not need to be aggressive, but he finished with 24 points on 8-of-8 shooting, only the second perfect shooting night of his career. The Warriors outscored Denver by seven in Curry's 27 minutes and by 13 in the 21 minutes he rested. Lendeborg missed seven of his eight 3-pointers but dominated the second half with powerful drives. "He's as strong as an ox and skilled," coach Steve Kerr said.
The loss dropped the Nuggets to 1-2. Nikola Jokic, who criticized the home crowd's booing after their overtime win over the New Orleans Pelicans, reiterated his stance after Monday's loss: "I think they are not real fans." Lendeborg closed the game with a driving assist for an Al Horford 3, a transition alley-oop, and another assist for a Gui Santos 3. Kerr said, "He's going to be a guy who closes games like he did tonight."
Source: ESPN NBA · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing