Yaxel Lendeborg, Warriors Can’t Overcome Steph Curry Injury In Loss To Rockets

The Golden State Warriors eight-game winning streak came to an end on Wednesday night, falling 115-108 to the Houston Rockets. While the Dubs will be disappointed to start a difficult five-game roadtrip with a loss, the biggest headline coming out of the contest is the status of Steph Curry. Curry left the game after just a few minutes and several hard falls with “right side soreness” and was quickly ruled out for the game. The organization will hold its breath hoping that Steph will not be unavailable for long.

The Rockets ferocious defense, combining an arguably unparalleled combination of strength, athleticism, length, and physicality throughout their rotation, was already causing Golden State trouble before Curry left the game. Things got even more challenging for the Dubs without the franchise’s icon.

Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg continued to impress despite arguably his worst shooting performance of the season (missing two open threes badly and going 5-for-8 from the free-throw line). Even with the added defensive attention coming his way with Curry sidelined, Lendeborg scored 18 points (14 in the second quarter) in the first half. Lendeborg finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 steals with just 2 turnovers in 36 minutes.

Lendeborg led the charge as the Warriors chipped away at a 15-point deficit, tying things up at 51 late in teh second quarter before the Rockets closed the half on a 5-0 run.

De’Anthony Melton caught fire for a couple threes in the third quarter to help keep the Dubs within striking distance. Brandin Podziemski was easily the Dubs second-best scorer of the night, scoring 22 points on 7-for-15 shooting from the field, including a four-point play early in the fourth quarter. De’Anthony Melton and LJ Cryer both made a trio of threes and finished with 24 combined points, but Golden State needed another strong offensive performance in Steph’s absence that ultimately never came.

As Houston seemed to finally be pulling away in the third quarter, particularly while Lendeborg got a brief break on the bench, Rockets guard Marcus Smart inexplicably through a punch at Warriors center Charles Bassey, getting ejected from the game and slowing his team’s momentum. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Warriors were not out of the game yet.

The Warriors were able to once again cut the deficit down to three in the final quarter, but the Rockets once again responded with an 8-0 run. Golden State simply lacked the firepower to keep up with Houston. As head coach Steve Kerr asked for more prolonged minutes from his remaining healthy players, they seemed to run out of gas. Another Rockets run put them ahead by 18 points with three minutes to go and Kerr pulled the plug.

Every member of the Rockets starting lineup scored at least 14 points and Reed Sheppard added 13 off the bench. Kevin Durant led the Rockets in scoring with 20. Alperen Şengün recorded 19 points, 13 rebounds, and 9 assists. Fred Van Vleet had 18 points, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 2 rebounds on 6-for-9 shooting from the field (4-for-7 from three) and finished with a game-best +25 plus/minus.

The Warriors will have one day off before they face Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night. Given how quickly Curry was ruled out tonight, it seems unlikely he will play. Nevertheless, the Warriors will presumably have a sense of how long he’ll be out in the coming days.