SAN FRANCISCO — The chants erupted less than a minute into Friday night’s matchup inside the Chase Center. Boos rained down from the rafters every time Luka Doncic touched the ball, serving as an immediate local reaction to the budding rivalry ignited on Opening Night during an on-court spat with Golden State Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg.
Some 48 minutes later, however, it was Doncic’s newly minted archrival who felt the hostile crowd noise should have been directed his way. Following a 112-95 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Lendeborg offered a blunt assessment of his performance, describing it as the worst game of his life.
Hyperbole aside, the contest marked a punishing low point in the young career of Lendeborg, just six games into his NBA tenure. Days earlier, the rookie had stated he was eagerly anticipating another encounter with Doncic, having declared after their October 21 back-and-forth that he had lost all respect for the Slovenian star. When the rematch arrived, however, Lendeborg found himself thoroughly contained.
Doncic finished with a game-high 37 points, frequently scoring while matched up directly against Lendeborg. Meanwhile, the Warriors rookie was held to single digits for the first time in his professional career. During his 24 minutes on the floor, Golden State was outscored by 20 points. Lendeborg attempted only three shots, converted just one trip to the foul line, and finished with six points, zero assists, and five turnovers before fouling out with 2:45 remaining in the fourth quarter.
“We’re asking a lot of him,” said teammate Steph Curry, who carried the offensive load for the Warriors with 31 points, including eight 3-pointers. “He has a lot of responsibility. He’s playing a ton of minutes. He’s got the ball in his hands a lot. So there are going to be highs and lows to it. It’s a tough demand, but I think he’s built for it, and I’m pretty sure he’ll respond extremely well the next game.”
Entering the contest, Lendeborg noted his primary objective was to maintain his poise and keep his cool amidst the hostile environment. Looking back, he wondered if he achieved that goal a bit too successfully. Rather than engaging, he appeared passive and out of rhythm.
“There were a lot of moments where I could have crashed out,” Lendeborg said. “But I stayed calm — a little too calm I feel like in order to get myself into a groove. I was just in my head the whole time.”
Every outing serves as a steep learning curve for a rookie adjusting to the professional ranks. Asked about his main takeaway from the roughest night of his career, Lendeborg offered a vivid self-evaluation: “Jesus. Man, honestly, I don’t even know. Try not to wet the bed as bad as I did. Or when you’re having moments like that, try to lean on your teammates a little more.”
While Lendeborg labeled himself the lone pessimist on the bench, Curry viewed the rookie’s demeanor as an asset.
“What I love is he’s really established an even-keel kind of presence and mentality that it helps on nights like tonight [that] don’t go his way because he doesn’t kill the energy on the team,” Curry said. “We have his back through all of that.”
Head coach Steve Kerr emphasized that the immediate priority for the rookie is to put the game behind him swiftly. With upcoming matchups against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday and the Phoenix Suns on Monday—part of an unrelenting 82-game regular-season schedule—dwell time is a luxury young players cannot afford.
“You can’t dwell on tough games,” Kerr said. “Young players tend to dwell on things a little bit. And then all of a sudden there’s another game and another game after that. You can’t let anything build up. You have to move forward.”
When informed of his coach’s advice during a postgame media session, Lendeborg broke into a smile and chuckled, acknowledging a personal hurdle he faces.
“I’m a big dweller on bad games,” Lendeborg said. “I don’t know how long that’s gonna take to get out of that habit. But I’ll see what I can do.”
