Curry Won His Minutes. Lendeborg Has to Make the Rest Survivable.
With Butler, Porzingis and Moody out, Golden State's margin depends on Curry's minutes, and the rookie is the only way to keep the rest from deciding games.
Memphis beat the Warriors 111-108 in the home opener, leaving Golden State 0-2 with a trip to Phoenix tonight. The Warriors won the minutes built around Curry and Green and lost too many of the rest. Yaxel Lendeborg is the player who can close that gap.
Where did it swing?
The game turned on runs. A Warriors 10-0 burst in the first quarter flipped an 11-19 deficit into a 21-19 lead. Memphis answered with its own 10-0 midway through the second, pushing 41-44 into 41-54 and forcing a Kerr timeout with 4:40 left in the half. The Grizzlies' lead reached 13 before Golden State ran off ten straight, finished by two Gui Santos free throws, to get within 57-56. Jerami Grant's three-point play put Memphis back up, and Podziemski missed a driving finger roll with 13 seconds left. The Grizzlies took a 60-56 lead into the half, and the Warriors never led by more than five all night.
Whose minutes won and whose lost?
Curry was +15 in 14 minutes, made all five of his free throws and didn't turn it over. Green was +12 in 16. On the other end, De'Anthony Melton was -16 in 10 minutes and Al Horford -10 in 9. That spread is the roster as it stands. Jimmy Butler is out with a right knee issue until a January 2 target date, and Kristaps Porzingis and Moses Moody aren't due back until December 1. Kerr can't give Curry many more minutes at 38. What he can do is make the minutes Curry sits less of a free run for the other team.
The grades
Lendeborg gets an A-minus. He led the Warriors with 18 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists, matching Cameron Boozer, who had 25, 13 and 6 for Memphis. Before the game he told Dalton Johnson he is "always gonna circle that matchup," and he held his end of it. Podziemski gets a B. He was cleared from his back listing and shot 4 of 6 for 11 points with two steals, though his three turnovers hurt in a game this close. Melton gets a D. His 10 minutes swung the game the wrong way more than anyone's.
What it changes in Phoenix
At 0-2, Golden State is 14th in the conference but only half a game behind 10th-place Denver. Tonight's opponent is also winless: the Suns are 0-1, with Mark Williams out with a left shoulder injury and Oso Ighodaro and Luke Kennard uncertain. After Phoenix, the Warriors go to Denver and Minnesota. This stretch won't be decided by Curry's minutes. It will be decided by whether Lendeborg can carry the non-Curry minutes, by playing longer stretches with the second unit instead of beside the stars.
Who led the Warriors in the loss to the Grizzlies?
Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg led Golden State with 18 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists in the 111-108 loss. Memphis was led by Cameron Boozer with 25 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists.
When will Jimmy Butler return for the Warriors?
Butler is listed out with a right knee injury, with a target return date of January 2, 2027. Kristaps Porzingis and Moses Moody are both listed out until December 1.
