Stephen Curry and Yaxel Lendeborg are rightly drawing plaudits for the Golden State Warriors’ recent surge, but they’re also quietly building an elite bench after another impressive win over the Miami Heat on Thursday night.
The Warriors dominated the second half to record a 120-100 victory, their sixth in a row in a pretty remarkable turnaround after things looked incredibly bleak following an 0-3 start to the season.
Warriors quietly building elite bench behind star duo
Curry and Lendeborg once again ran the show against the Heat, especially in the final 24 minutes after the hosts once again got off to a slow start. The Warriors trailed by double digits early in the first quarter, but fought back to tie the game at halftime despite never leading.
They quickly took over in the third quarter behind a burst from Curry, with the ageless superstar collecting 22 of his team’s 29 points in the second half. Lendeborg wasn’t the same dominant player we’ve seen during this current winning streak, but even an average game for the rookie forward yielded 17 points, eight rebounds, six assists, three steals and one block.
It was Golden State’s bench that made much of the difference in the game. After entering sixth in the league-wide bench scoring standings, the hosts outscored the visitors 53-27 thanks to consistent performances across the board.
Veteran forward Georges Niang had 13 points, four rebounds and three assists on 5-of-8 shooting in 22 minutes, while Brandon Williams added 10 points and four assists in less than 21 minutes. Charles Bassey continued his impressive recent form with eight points, seven rebounds and three blocks in just 14 minutes, combining effectively with fellow reserve Al Horford who had eight points, five rebounds and an assist.
The solid bench of the Warriors still influenced by Stephen Curry and Yaxel Lendeborg
While individual players still deserve credit for their performances during this six-game winning streak, much of the bench’s production is still due to Curry and Lendeborg’s extraordinary emergence.
The 11th overall pick’s ability to lead in non-Curry minutes, and in general be the Warriors’ go-to second scorer, allows all of the other rotation pieces to fall into place without being asked to do more than their skills allow. Oh, and it’s easier to play with Curry drawing so much defensive attention.
What’s more extraordinary is that Golden State continues to play without injured duo Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody returning midseason, while they will likely get a valuable rotation piece in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis in a trade.
The red-hot Warriors will have a chance for a seventh straight victory when they host the short-handed Orlando Magic at Chase Center on Saturday night.
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