Warriors Observations: Yaxel Lendeborg stars in win over Nuggets – NBC Sports Bay Area & California
The past, present and future of the Warriors aligned Monday night in the Mile High City to earn their first victory of the 2026-27 NBA season in dominating fashion.
Yaxel Lendeborg turned heads with 31 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in the Warriors’ 134-114 blowout win over the Denver Nuggets. His performance helped give the Warriors their first regular season victory at Ball Arena since March 10, 2022.
It took the Warriors four games to finally be able to use the well-rounded starting five they stumbled upon in the preseason. Along with Lendeborg’s huge night, Steph Curry scored 24 points on perfect 8-of-8 shooting for his first game without a miss since 2011.
From top to bottom, the starting five introduced themselves. Brandin Podziemski was plus-33 with 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Gui Santos battled through a knee injury and was plus-18 after scoring 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Although Draymond Green only scored three points, he dropped seven assists and played admirable defense in holding Nikola Jokić to 19 points.
Everything Steve Kerr wanted from his new 5-out attack came to fruition in Denver. The Warriors had 31 assists and made 22 threes.
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ first win of the season.
Legendary Lendeborg
Shooting from long range is just the icing on the cake for Lendeborg. His first five tries didn’t fail, and yet he continued to make an impact in several other ways. Lendeborg entered halftime as the game’s leading scorer with 15 points, a team-high five rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot, making it a plus-11.
The highlight of the first half was for the Warriors rookie when he chased down Christian Braun to block his shot at the rim, sprinted up the floor and finished on the other side. Given his size and athleticism, the sequence was the perfect example of the two-way impact Lendeborg can offer the Warriors.
At 1:49 of the third quarter, Lendeborg had already posted his second double-double of his young NBA career when he hauled in his 10th rebound. He then went the other way and was fouled at the rim. Lendeborg made both of his free throws. His physicality took over in the final minutes of the third quarter as the Warriors closed on an 11-2 run for a 16-point lead.
Lendeborg became only the third Warriors rookie to total at least 31 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in a game. The other two? Rick Barry and Wilt Chamberlain.
Earn your money
The Warriors’ first win of the season was another rough day at the office for the online community that revels in hating Podziemski. There wasn’t much to hate this time around. There was, however, reason to applaud.
Podziemski started the match very aggressively, leaving three flies while keeping to himself. He flew across the court defensively, crashed the glass and took care of the ball. On a night where Curry was the main man from the start, Podziemski, along with Lendeborg, carried the torch.
This kind of rhythmic jump shot off the dribble shows the growth Podziemski has made and who he can be as a scorer.
And the Warriors’ 5-out offense that creates room for cutters was on full display here between Podziemski and Green.
Last season, Podziemski averaged 17.7 points per game when he attempted at least six 3-pointers. Monday night, he reached 18 points on 3 of 7 from deep. In two games this season, Podziemski has proven that he has taken a big step forward.
Third trimester curry burst
The days of Warriors coming out of halftime and boat racing teams seemed like a decade ago. Curry on Monday night single-handedly brought that feeling back.
After an incredibly quiet first half, Curry couldn’t be stopped in the third quarter. With the Warriors leading by four points at halftime, Curry only had three points on a single shot attempt – three points from the right wing. The Warriors didn’t need an aggressive Curry from the start.
But he knew they needed him to activate it if they wanted to get in the win column. So he scored 17 points in seven minutes and all of a sudden he scored 20 points in the blink of an eye.
Curry in the third quarter scored from 27 feet and 26 feet from beyond the arc. He drained a step-back jumper deep inside the arc and scored on three different types of layups. His complete arsenal caused the Nuggets to lose.
They’re not alone out there, and this seems like the type of performance that can really inspire Curry and his teammates to have more of these nights in the immediate future.
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