The chance to score 40 points in an NBA game does not come around very often, but Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg earned that opportunity just seven games into his career.With veterans Steph Curry and Draymond Green resting for the first leg of a back-to-back on Sunday, Lendeborg was the star of the show as the Warriors won their fourth consecutive game, 124-112, against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday at Chase Center.
The rookie led both teams with 37 points on 13-of-19 shooting from the field, including six made 3-pointers, which tied his output against the Phoenix Suns earlier this season.
Lendeborg returned to the game with 10:12 left in the fourth quarter with 29 points, and proceeded to score his final eight points over the next four minutes. Only three points away from his first 40-point game, Lendeborg told reporters after the game that his teammates urged him to reach that mark.
“I think [Brandin Podziemski] was shooting a free throw, and then [De’Anthony] Melton, it’s all Melton’s fault, guys, by the way,” Lendeborg said. “De’Anthony Melton went up to me and said,...