The Golden State Warriors needed a jolt Wednesday night, and rookie forward Yaxel Lendeborg delivered one in a big way after Stephen Curry exited early with an abdominal injury against the Houston Rockets.
Golden State was already in trouble after falling behind by double digits in the first half, but Lendeborg gave the Warriors a fighting chance. He poured in 18 points, grabbed eight rebounds and added two steals before halftime, helping trim the deficit to five by the break. He attacked the rim, worked comfortably from the post and even knocked down a pull-up three over Alperen Sengun.
The burst didn’t carry all the way through. Houston tightened up on him after halftime, and Lendeborg managed only seven more points the rest of the way as the Warriors faded in a 115-108 loss that snapped their eight-game winning streak. Even so, he finished with 25 points, the highest total of the night.
Charles Barkley was quick to point to Steve Kerr for the way Lendeborg has been allowed to play through this stretch. On Inside the NBA on ESPN, Barkley said, “Yaxel is playing with tremendous confidence.
Shout out to Steve Kerr for giving him the ability,” Barkley said on Inside the NBA on ESPN. “He's got reckless abandon.
“Yaxel is playing with tremendous confidence. … Steve Kerr has got a lot of faith in this kid.”
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) November 12, 2026
—Charles Barkley gives Kerr & Lendeborg their flowers 👏 pic.twitter.com/BjjAos4SpT
Steve Kerr has got a lot of faith in this kid. Shout out to Yaxel for playing with confidence.”
How long Curry will be out remains unclear, and his status for Friday’s NBA Cup meeting with the San Antonio Spurs is still up in the air. If he has to sit again, Lendeborg may be asked to carry the offense once more.
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