Yaxel Lendeborg’s first game since Stephen Curry’s oblique injury ended with 3 points on 1-of-13 shooting in the Golden State Warriors’ 123-85 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Friday.
San Antonio opened the NBA Cup group game at Frost Bank Center on an 18-0 run. Lendeborg missed both of his first-quarter shots and turned it over twice, and the Spurs led by 30 at halftime on the way to their 11th straight win. He finished with 7 rebounds and 3 turnovers in 23 minutes.
At shootaround that morning, Lendeborg said Curry’s absence meant he had to be much more aggressive. He put his confidence in the bigger role at 6 out of 10, unsure whether he could live up to it, according to ESPN’s Anthony Slater.
“I was flustered the entire game,” Lendeborg said. “Couldn’t make a damn layup.”
Yaxel Lendeborg On Attacking Victor Wembanyama
The Warriors shot 10-of-42 with Victor Wembanyama on the floor. Lendeborg said Golden State stayed out of the paint against the Spurs’ center and kept stopping short for floaters, a shot he rarely practices. He had also planned to shoot 3-pointers over Wembanyama, and he attempted two, missing both.
After the loss, Lendeborg said he needed to attack Wembanyama more forcefully, even if that meant getting his shot blocked.
“I can’t go up there scared,” Lendeborg said.
Golden State Warriors Fall To 8-5
Stephon Castle scored a season-high 32 points for San Antonio, and Wembanyama added 12 points and 12 rebounds. Golden State scored 14 points in the first quarter and shot 25% in the first half. Its leading scorer was two-way guard LJ Cryer, who had a career-high 20 points on six 3-pointers.
Before Friday, Lendeborg had averaged 21.7 points and 7.4 rebounds through 12 games. On Nov. 1, with Curry resting, he scored a career-high 37 on 13-of-19 shooting in a 124-112 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, the most by a Warriors rookie since Curry’s 42 in 2010.
Curry tore his oblique Wednesday in Houston and will be reevaluated in two weeks, and the Warriors have not set a return date. Golden State, which resumes its road trip Monday against the New Orleans Pelicans, fell to 8-5 overall and 1-1 in West Group C, behind the 2-0 Spurs with two group games left.
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