The Golden State Warriors just delivered another gut punch. After getting absolutely blown out in their season opener on Wednesday, the Dubs hosted the Memphis Grizzlies for their home opener on Friday and totally collapsed. They blew a 12-point lead with less than four minutes left on the clock, letting the Grizzlies go on a devastating 17-0 run late in the fourth quarter to snatch a 111-108 loss. It’s ugly, straight-up inexcusable, and it sets a terrible tone for the early season.
Another UGLY Loss For the Dubs
Can we even call it a “game” when a team hands away a 12-point lead with just minutes remaining? The Warriors’ home opener was supposed to be a chance to bounce back after a tough season start, but instead, they just served up another disappointment. Stephen Curry dropped 24 points, which sounds good, but it wasn’t enough to stop the bleeding when Memphis went on that soul-crushing 17-0 run. This team is looking like it’s going to be a tough watch, and not in a good way.
Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg Is a Wild Card
Amidst all the negativity, there’s a glimmer of something to talk about with Yaxel Lendeborg. June’s No. 11 pick played 38 minutes and put up 18 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals. Draymond Green already anointed him the “next face of the franchise,” and you can see why. Lendeborg had an extremely Draymondian game: strong defense, dishing out assists, violently attacking the glass, playing with swagger, and attacking the hoop when the defense allowed. His 55.3% true-shooting percentage isn’t bad for a rookie, and he led the team in rebounds while tying for the lead in assists.
Now, it wasn’t all sunshine. He also racked up 6 turnovers, 3 fouls, and picked up another technical foul, giving him two in just two games. That’s a learning curve, for sure. But the rebounds and the craftiness in his scoring? Those are reasons to be optimistic for the future. He earned a B+ grade for a reason.
Draymond Green’s Up-and-Down Night
Draymond Green’s game started out strong. He played well in the early going, looked for his shot and scored a few times, and did a phenomenal job initiating the offense. But as the game wore on, it just got ugly. After a really careful preseason, he became a turnover and foul machine, logging 5 turnovers and 5 fouls in his 31 minutes. He finished with 5 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 block. The two-man game with Steph Curry certainly has its moments, but consistency clearly wasn’t there when it mattered most.
So, here we are, two games into the season, and the Warriors are struggling big time. They’re blowing leads and looking disjointed. What’s next for this team? It’s going to be a fascinating, maybe frustrating, watch to see how they try to turn this ship around.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Golden State of Mind.
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