Lendeborg grabs nine rebounds in Warriors preseason debut

Yaxel Lendeborg finished his first Warriors preseason start with four points, nine rebounds, three assists and a block Sunday. His shot was uneven, but Golden State got an early look at the rookie forward's rebounding and defensive reach in a 104-101 loss to the Clippers in Honolulu.

Lendeborg played 19 minutes and made one of six shots. His lone basket was a corner three in the first quarter, captured in this official Warriors clip.

A debut that extended beyond scoring

NBC Sports Bay Area's Dalton Johnson reported that Lendeborg had seven rebounds in 14 first-half minutes. He stayed in the starting group after halftime alongside Brandin Podziemski, De'Anthony Melton, Gui Santos and Charles Bassey, then played another five minutes.

His final line included eight defensive rebounds, one offensive rebound and no turnovers. Three assists gave Golden State another contribution on a night when its offense shot 39 percent from the field and made six of 33 three-point attempts.

Johnson also described a third-quarter possession when Lendeborg received a transition pass and deferred rather than attacking the basket. That decision and the missed shots give Golden State specific possessions to review as the rookie gets more exhibition minutes.

The defensive highlight came earlier. Lendeborg sprinted back to block a Gradey Dick layup, with the ball going off the Clippers guard, according to Johnson's report. The Warriors posted the play here.

Clippers hold off Golden State's comeback

Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Al Horford finished their work at halftime. Curry scored 10 points in 13 minutes; Horford had three points and three rebounds in 16 minutes.

The Clippers got efficient scoring from Rui Hachimura and Darius Garland. Hachimura scored 21 points on eight-of-11 shooting, including four threes. Garland made all four of his field-goal attempts and finished with 15 points and six assists.

Golden State outscored Los Angeles 30-22 in the third quarter and 28-27 in the fourth. Keaton Wagler's step-back jumper with 12.8 seconds remaining helped the Clippers hold on, Johnson reported.

Sources