Yaxel Lendeborg spent the first week of his NBA life talking big about Luka Dončić, and Friday night at Chase Center gave him a blunt reminder of how fast the league can flip the script.
After Lendeborg’s first career game included him taking shots at Dončić and saying he “lost all respect” for the Lakers star, Stephen Curry and Steve Kerr both had the same message for their rookie: “Now you've got to back it up.”
He didn’t. Not even close.
Lendeborg’s night against Dončić and the Lakers unraveled early and never really recovered. He finished with six points, one rebound, zero assists and five turnovers, spent time in foul trouble and eventually fouled out. In 24 minutes, he was a game-worst minus-20 and never made much of an impact on either end.
Dončić, meanwhile, looked every bit like the player Lendeborg had challenged. He came out firing with 21 points in the first quarter alone and finished with 37 points, seven rebounds, five assists, two blocks and a steal.
The Lakers built a 25-point lead in the first half, and Dončić even seemed to feed off the crowd’s early “Luka sucks!” chant.
But the game didn’t stay there. Not in this NBA, and not with Curry waiting on the other side.
The Warriors erased the huge deficit and rolled to a 112-95 win, their third straight after opening the season 0-3. Curry led the charge with 31 points and eight 3-pointers, and he also moved past Dominique Wilkins for 18th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Brandin Podziemski added 21 points, six assists and five rebounds, while De'Anthony Melton and Georges Niang combined for 27 points and seven made 3s.
Draymond Green handled the Dončić assignment and finished with nine assists. The Warriors’ bench overwhelmed the Lakers’ reserves 50-7, and Golden State’s defense clamped down hard after halftime, holding Los Angeles to 57 points over the final three quarters.
That turnaround turned Lendeborg’s rough individual night into a team win that completely changed the story. Kerr had already made the point after the opener, when he said, "He did a good job on Luka one-on-one, but we got torched by Luka as a team," and then added, "All those stats that the NBA puts up, like, 'Hey, when he guarded him, who the eff cares?'
It's like, they scored 127 on us. That stuff's all bulls---.
It's our defense."
Friday’s result was the cleanest possible translation of that message. Dončić got the better of Lendeborg head-to-head, but the Warriors got the better of the Lakers where it mattered most.
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