What happened
Yaxel Lendeborg kept building a preseason case for minutes, scoring 17 first-half points on 7-for-11 shooting with nine rebounds in Golden State’s win over the Lakers, while the team is already missing Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody for months and Kristaps Porzingis longer term.
On Wednesday, nine Warriors stayed home for the Portland trip, including Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Al Horford, Brandin Podziemski and Lendeborg, while Dalen Terry and Miles Kelly each had strong outings in the 123-118 loss.
Golden State’s preseason rotation remains unsettled, and the absences are giving fringe roster players and two-way candidates extended chances to show they can fill minutes.
Automated brief based on the linked report. Lineup context is analysis; official starting-five labels come separately from our game data provider.
Original reporting: Warriors rookie makes shocking statement in preseason — Yahoo Sports ↗