The Golden State Warriors are heading into Friday night’s matchup with the San Antonio Spurs short-handed, and they’re not hiding the fact that Victor Wembanyama is the problem they have to solve.
Without Stephen Curry, who is dealing with an oblique injury, Golden State’s path to an upset gets a lot narrower. The Warriors also have several other players on the injury report, while San Antonio is mostly healthy. De’Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell are both questionable, and Tobias Harris and Jayden Quaintance remain out.
The Spurs come in with plenty of momentum. They’re back at the Frost Bank Center after a four-game road trip, riding a ten-game winning streak. Golden State, meanwhile, just saw its own eight-game run come to an end.
Even if Curry were available, Wembanyama would still be the centerpiece of the night. He has been putting up career-best numbers this season, averaging 30.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 4.4 blocks. That kind of production is why the Warriors’ answer is less about matching him straight up and more about making him uncomfortable.
Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg made that approach plain. Golden State’s young group has brought a physical edge early this season, with Lendeborg, Brandin Podziemski, Will Richard, and Draymond Green all willing to lean into that style. Lendeborg has already gone toe-to-toe and word-for-word with Luka Doncic this year, and he sounded ready for another test.
“Well, he has like five blocks,” said Lendeborg. “I’m going to try to shoot as many 3s as I can tonight.
You know, just try to bait him into helping out. Maybe we get some more kickouts.
Oh, and try to rough him up as much as we can.”
Golden State has the shooting numbers to make that plan matter. The Warriors lead the NBA in 3-point percentage at 39.6 percent and in makes at 16.5 per game, with Richard, Lendeborg, Podziemski, and De’Anthony Melton all shooting it well from deep. If they can stretch the floor and force Wembanyama to move away from the rim, that opens up more possibilities elsewhere.
Still, Wembanyama is not the kind of player you can simply scheme around. The last meeting between these teams, in an NBA Cup game, showed how heated this matchup can get. Green talked trash, Wembanyama responded by putting him on a poster, and even though the basket didn’t count, the Warriors still escaped with a one-point win.
That sets up a physical night in San Antonio, and maybe more than that. The Warriors are expected to bring plenty of contact, and Wembanyama should be active on both ends. The Spurs also had a rest day yesterday and haven’t played at home in nearly two weeks, so they’ll have no shortage of energy when the game tips off.
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