Vegas Summer League Notebook: Lendeborg leads Warriors to championship game win
Arion Armeniakos
Host · Writer
LAS VEGAS – The Golden State Warriors were worthy winners in the end.
The Warriors saw off the Los Angeles Lakers, 92-88, in the semifinals Saturday, before taking down the NBA-seasoned Memphis Grizzlies, 94-90, on Sunday to clinch their first Summer League championship since the inaugural one in 2013.
Golden State finished its stint in Vegas with a 5-1 record — ultimately proving its franchise-wide championship mettle with a pair of close, high-pressure situation wins on back-to-back nights at Thomas & Mack Center.
While their victory over the Lakers was a constant back-and-forth, the Warriors had to really dig deep to erase a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter against the Grizzlies. Afterward, Summer League MVP Yaxel Lendeborg used no filter in describing how his team got the job done.
“Man, their butts got tight,” he said. “They puckered up, you know what I mean? Some of us are built for the moment, some aren’t. When you get those opportunities like that, and you go attack the moment, then you know you belong in that moment.”
The rookie No. 11 Draft pick earned his right to talk after scoring nine of his 21 points in the fourth quarter — including seven of the Warriors’ last 10 in the last 2:51 of the game. He added 10 rebounds to complete a double-double. He shot 9-for-18 from the field and 2-for-6 from three-point range.
Lendeborg stepped up to the plate when the Warriors needed him most — showing off his polished offensive game and taking on the Cameron Boozer (No. 3 pick) assignment on both ends down the stretch.
“I always think about [revenge] every time I play [Boozer],” Lendeborg said. Boozer’s Duke famously beat Lendeborg’s Michigan in February. “It is a competitive nature [with] everybody that gets drafted ahead of me.”
The matchup of the two skilled bigs was mouthwatering at times. Boozer was still able to get his — dropping 19 points, eight rebounds, and four assists on 7-for-17 shooting (3-7 3PT). 10 of his points came in the third quarter as Memphis climbed out to a 76-66 lead — the largest of the game for either team.
“I think we can take a lot from this week,” Boozer said. “We had two great games [to advance into the final], and obviously we didn’t win this one, but I think just that toughness and being able to push through adversity shows a lot about the character of the guys on our team.”
Boozer was supported by players with league experience, who only chose to play this summer to get a head start on building chemistry with him ahead of the regular season.
Cedric Coward added 19 points and was a perfect 5-for-5 from beyond the arc. Taylor Hendricks chipped in with 13 points (3-7 3PT). Javon Small had 10 points and eight assists.
Lendeborg mostly ran in tandem with second-year guard Will Richard. They are likely set to feature the heaviest for the Warriors come the fall. Richard showed much improvement in his three-point shot, going 3-for-6 from deep in the championship game en route to 13 points.
Guard LJ Cryer (4-8 3PT) added 15 points and six assists. Undrafted Deivon Smith emerged off the bench for a huge 21 points and nine rebounds on an efficient 9-for-14 from the field.
While Lendeborg went to work to bring the Warriors back from down 87-84 to taking a 91-90 lead with 1:19 remaining in the fourth quarter, Smith kept a cool head and knocked down two important free throws with nine seconds to go, extending Golden State’s advantage to 93-90. Cryer split a pair with two seconds left, adding late insurance. The Warriors outscored the Grizzlies 28-14 in the frame.
Lendeborg kicked off his offensive clinic with a close-range driving floater. He followed it up with a 28-foot stepback triple, with a hand in his face, and wrapped up by walking into a smooth 18-foot pullup jumper — a decisive solo 7-0 run in the span of 81 seconds.
There are certainly high hopes for the 23-year-old reigning NCAA National champion to contribute to the Warriors right away. Standing tall and strong in his 6-foot-9, 250-pound frame, he looks ready in every sense of the word.
After hoisting the championship and MVP trophies, he spoke about what it means to have won the first title available to him as a Warrior — knowing that the franchise prides itself on always expecting to win.
“It’s very, very special because this is a prestigious organization,” Lendeborg said. “I think they are in the top three for most championships. It definitely just shows the history, and I think that’s a little bit [of] why we won. Just the history itself helped. The basketball Gods came and helped us out, too.
“I’m just really, really proud of this moment, and hopefully it can continue to spread through the regular season, and I can continue to keep that within my career.”
