Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg poured in a career-high 37 points as the Golden State Warriors beat the Los Angeles Clippers 124-112 on Sunday night — the most points by a Warriors rookie since Stephen Curry in 2010.
Yaxel Lendeborg (Credits: AP via theScore)
With Golden State resting stars Stephen Curry and Draymond Green on the first night of a back-to-back, the 11th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft carried the offense: 13-of-19 from the field, 6-of-11 from three, 5-of-6 from the free-throw line, plus six assists, four rebounds and a steal in 34 minutes at Chase Center.
Lendeborg’s 37: Best Warriors Rookie Scoring Night Since Curry
Per ESPN Insights, Lendeborg’s 37 were the most by a Warriors rookie since Curry dropped 42 on April 14, 2010, at Portland. It was the Michigan product’s fourth game with 20 or more points — and with two 30-point performances among his first seven games, he joined Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain and Rick Barry as the only Warriors ever to do that. He’s averaging 22.3 points per game, making him just the third player in franchise history to average 20+ over his first seven career games (Chamberlain averaged 37.4 in 1959-60, Barry 22.9 in 1965-66).
From Friday’s Struggle to a Fourth Straight Warriors Win
The breakout was a bounce-back: Lendeborg managed just six points and five turnovers before fouling out in Friday’s win over the Lakers. De’Anthony Melton added 21 points on Sunday, while Rui Hachimura led the Clippers with 24 and Kobe Sanders added 16.
Lendeborg admitted he regrets “falling into peer pressure” to chase 40 late in the game. But the win was Golden State’s fourth straight, improving the Warriors to 4-3 after an 0-3 start — their first winning record since March 8.
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Source: ESPN — read the full story there.
