Lendeborg Scores 37 as Warriors Beat Clippers 124-112

Yaxel Lendeborg turned the worst game of his life into a career night. The Golden State Warriors rookie scored 37 points on Sunday, Nov. 1, to lead his team to a 124-112 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers at the Chase Center in San Francisco. No Warriors rookie has scored more in a game since Steph Curry in 2010.

The win improved Golden State to 4-3 on the season and gave the franchise its first winning record since March 8, when the team stood at 32-31 last season. The Warriors earned it without two of their biggest names, because they sat Steph Curry and Draymond Green on the first half of a back-to-back. Lendeborg stepped into that void and showed he can lead the team.

A Rebound From a Rough Night Against the Lakers

The performance followed a forgettable showing on Friday against the Los Angeles Lakers. Lendeborg called that game the “worst game of my life,” and the numbers backed him up. He finished with six points, one rebound, and five turnovers, then fouled out in just 24 minutes.

The Warriors still won that game, which split the season series with the Lakers at one game apiece. Lendeborg had also made headlines after the teams’ first meeting to open the season, when he called out Lakers star Luka Doncic for complaining. Those storylines hung over the rookie heading into Sunday.

“I had no impact on the game whatsoever (on Friday), and then the depth came in, and they took care of everything,” Lendeborg told reporters. “Me having the worst game of my life, it’s awesome to be able to see that those guys are there to just do what they have to do cause we’re all in the NBA.”

That team-first reaction set the tone for his response. Rather than sulk over his Friday struggles, Lendeborg praised the teammates who covered for him and then went out to give them the same lift.

How Lendeborg Took Over the Game

Both teams pushed the pace early, and a cold start from three-point range let the Clippers jump out in front. Los Angeles led 37-29 at the end of the first quarter. Lendeborg answered with a 14-point second quarter that carried Golden State to a 63-57 halftime lead.

He had help in that stretch. De’Anthony Melton continued his hot shooting, and Brandon Williams added 12 first-half points of his own. Even so, the night belonged to the rookie, who showed more variety than he had in any previous game.

One three-play sequence summed up his day. Lendeborg knocked down a mid-range fadeaway, hit a catch-and-shoot three at the top of the key, and then sent a Clippers defender to the floor with an ankle-breaking move before drawing a foul on a layup. That gave him three levels of scoring on three plays.

The Clippers also tried to exploit his recent turnover problems by attacking him with the smaller Kris Dunn. Dunn wreaked havoc defensively and piled up 7 steals, but Lendeborg finished with just two turnovers. That marked a sharp improvement over his five giveaways two nights earlier.

Size, Shooting, and a Chase for 40

Lendeborg used his size advantage whenever he had it, pushing smaller defenders into the paint and finding easy buckets. When the Clippers switched to defenders who could match his strength, those players respected his drive so much that they gave him room on the perimeter. He made the most of that space and went 6-for-8 from three-point range to start the game.

Then the game shifted. Late in the night, Lendeborg forced a handful of shots while trying to reach 40 points, and he later admitted he regretted it. He said he regretted “falling into peer pressure” to chase 40, a candid admission from a rookie who was otherwise brilliant.

Even with those late launches, he finished with 37 points, the highest total by a Warriors rookie since Curry scored 42 in 2010. It also capped a big week for a player who went from a near-invisible night against the Lakers to the star of Sunday’s win.

A Rookie Who Keeps Raising Expectations

Lendeborg, the 11th overall pick, has looked better than anyone could reasonably expect from a first-year player. He already ranks as the second most fluid offensive player on the Warriors roster. He uses his size to attack openings when he gets moving downhill, and his jump shot has looked far more polished than expected.

None of those earlier flashes matched what he showed against the Clippers. The outing came with Curry and Green resting, which made it a meaningful test of whether the rookie could shoulder a large load. He passed it while also improving his ball security against a defender who targeted him.

For a Warriors team that had not held a winning record since early March, the result offers a measure of momentum. If Lendeborg can pair his scoring with the discipline he showed protecting the ball, Golden State may have found another reliable source of offense. The next step is proving he can sustain it once the chase for big numbers gives way to the flow of the game.