Warriors Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg Takes Blame After Blowout Loss to Spurs

Yaxel Lendeborg wasn’t ready to forget what happened in San Antonio.

After the Golden State Warriors’ 123-85 loss to the Spurs on Friday, the rookie made clear that he intended to carry the experience with him. Golden State fell to 8-5, while San Antonio improved to 11-2 with its 11th consecutive victory.

Lendeborg finished with three points on 1-of-13 shooting, seven rebounds and three turnovers. His minus-40 rating reflected a difficult night for a player taking on additional responsibility without Stephen Curry.

“It was an awful performance by me,” Lendeborg said. “I let everybody on this team down.”

The Warriors need Lendeborg to remain involved offensively during Curry’s absence, which makes his response to Friday’s performance particularly significant. A poor shooting game cannot turn into a reason to stop attacking or passing up opportunities within the offense.

There is a difference between accepting responsibility and allowing one result to affect the next game. Golden State needs the rookie to learn from his decisions while maintaining the confidence that helped him earn a substantial role.

That challenge extends beyond making shots. Without Curry drawing attention away from the ball, other Warriors must create advantages against a defense that can devote more resources to their actions.

Lendeborg’s development now includes recognizing when to challenge a defender, when to move the ball and how to remain productive when his first few attempts miss. Those decisions become more difficult when an opponent establishes control before the offense finds a rhythm.

The Spurs opened the game with an 18-0 run and led 38-14 after the first quarter. Golden State entered halftime trailing 63-33, leaving little room for a competitive second half.

Stephon Castle led San Antonio with a season-high 32 points, while Victor Wembanyama contributed 12 points and 12 rebounds. L.J. Cryer scored 20 points for the Warriors, and Charles Bassey added 11 as Golden State’s only other double-figure scorer.

The opening deficit placed immediate pressure on every Warriors possession. Instead of establishing a steady offensive approach, Golden State faced the additional burden of trying to recover against a team already playing comfortably.

Curry’s absence makes that kind of start especially costly. The Warriors have fewer opportunities to rely on an individual scoring burst to erase mistakes, increasing the importance of generating dependable possessions early.

Lendeborg’s frustration was understandable, but the responsibility for a 38-point loss reaches beyond one rookie’s shooting line. Golden State needs more reliable contributions throughout its rotation to navigate this stretch.

The next step is turning a difficult film session into specific improvements. Better spacing, stronger decisions and a willingness to keep challenging the defense would provide a more useful response than simply trying to make up for the loss with a bigger scoring total.

Lendeborg will have another opportunity to show how he handles adversity. For the Warriors, his ability to respond is part of a broader test of how their offense functions while Curry recovers.