Yaxel Lendeborg scored 26 points, drilled six 3-pointers and turned the ball over twice. The Bay Area Warriors needed almost every bit of that production Saturday night in Phoenix, where the Suns still won 131-122 and sent Golden State to 0-3.
Lendeborg gave the offense a workable shape. The defense never gave it enough support.
His opening quarter offered a preview of the night. Lendeborg hit a 26-footer at 11:29, knocked down another 3 at 9:31 and then fed Brandon Williams for a 24-foot basket at 9:00. Golden State led 13-8, and those possessions required neither a desperate heave nor a long search for someone willing to shoot.
Lendeborg was also working around the basket. His second-quarter three at 7:50 preceded an offensive rebound of Georges Niang’s miss at 7:01, although his immediate tip attempt did not fall. He then supplied a layup and free throw at 6:03, putting Golden State ahead 40-39.
The production came through more than one kind of possession: outside shots, a rebound that preserved an opportunity, and points inside.
The Warriors created plenty of extra chances. They collected 19 offensive rebounds to Phoenix’s nine, and Graham Ike supplied five of Golden State’s 19 while finishing with 10 total boards. Charles Bassey added seven rebounds and 10 points. That work helped Golden State reach 122 points despite making only 41 of 91 shots.
De’Anthony Melton made sure Lendeborg was not left carrying the entire scoring burden. Melton had 25 points, made four 3-pointers, supplied five assists and stole the ball three times. Williams added 20 points and five assists. Those contributions gave Golden State several scoring sources despite the absence of Curry and other established players.
Phoenix had the more damaging answer: it converted ordinary advantages into points before Golden State could recover. The Suns shot 50 of 86 overall, scored 60 points in the paint and finished with 27 fast-break points. Golden State’s nineteen offensive rebounds helped, but second chances are a poor substitute for stopping the first one.
Those scoring totals left Golden State needing more than second chances to keep up. Its extra rebounds preserved offense, while Phoenix kept converting at the other end.
Devin Booker supplied the obvious headline, with 43 points on 17-of-25 shooting, seven rebounds and seven assists. He made 15 of 18 two-point attempts and supplied seventeen points during the third, when Phoenix expanded a 57-54 halftime lead into a 102-92 advantage. Golden State did produce an occasional interruption: Lendeborg blocked Booker’s 27-foot attempt with 33.2 seconds left.
But a single rejection late in the night could not erase the 60 points Phoenix scored in the paint.
