Yaxel Lendeborg has been carrying a growing load for Golden State, and Wednesday night only made that burden heavier.
Stephen Curry left in the first quarter with an abdominal injury, and from that point on the Warriors were forced to lean even harder on the rookie forward. Lendeborg answered early, but he faded after halftime as Golden State’s eight-game winning streak ended in a 115-105 loss to Houston.
The 11th overall pick still put up 25 points and 10 rebounds, with 18 points and eight boards in the first half alone. That burst helped keep the Warriors alive after they fell behind 35-20 and lost Curry for the rest of the night. Lendeborg’s shot-making, along with support from Brandin Podziemski, helped trim the Rockets’ lead to five at halftime.
But the second half told a different story. Lendeborg managed just seven points and two rebounds after the break, and the question now is whether fatigue started to catch up with him. Houston also had the luxury of tightening its defense around the 24-year-old once Curry was no longer on the floor.
That’s the concern for Golden State going forward. It’s not just whether Curry misses time - it’s what happens if the Warriors keep asking Lendeborg to do this much. He logged more than 36 minutes Wednesday night, and another major test comes quickly with San Antonio on Friday night.
For Steve Kerr, the math is getting ugly. If Lendeborg isn’t on the floor for heavy minutes and carrying major offensive usage, it’s hard to see where the scoring comes from. Golden State shot 40.2% from the field and 32% from three, numbers that left them short despite a respectable effort.
This was still a strong showing from the Warriors, especially considering they entered as underdogs and lost their best player less than six minutes into the game. The bigger issue is the road ahead, and whether Golden State has enough offense - and enough healthy bodies - to keep this momentum from slipping away.
Outside of Lendeborg, only Podziemski, with 19 points, LJ Cryer, with 13, and De’Anthony Melton, with 11, reached double figures for a team that came in with the second-ranked offense in the league.
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