The Houston Rockets beat the Golden State Warriors 115-108 on Wednesday at Toyota Center, ending Golden State’s eight-game winning streak after Stephen Curry exited in the first quarter with right abdominal soreness. The loss dropped the Warriors to 8-4 while Houston improved to 9-3.
Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg led all scorers with 25 points on 9-of-19 shooting to go with 10 rebounds, his third double-double of the season. He scored 18 of those points in the first half. Brandin Podziemski added 22.
Golden State’s bench outscored Houston’s reserves 49-25, but the production wasn’t enough against a Rockets lineup in which every starter reached double figures. Kevin Durant scored 20, Alperen Şengün had 19 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, Amen Thompson added 19, Fred VanVleet had 18 and Jabari Smith Jr. finished with 14.
Curry played six minutes and scored three points before leaving the game holding his side. He was ruled out for the remainder and underwent an MRI afterward, with the Warriors still awaiting results. Coach Steve Kerr said afterward, “Concern is high, but I have no idea the extent of the injury.”
A Rookie Is Carrying More Than Expected
Lendeborg entered the night averaging 21.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists across 11 games. That he produced a 25-point double-double on the road against a quality defense, with extra attention coming his way once Curry left, is the clearest evidence yet that Golden State’s offense has a second option who doesn’t disappear against good competition.
The Warriors built their 8-4 start around a 38-year-old Curry while managing injuries across the roster. Wednesday showed both the value of having Lendeborg to absorb a larger role and the limit of it: his scoring alone could not replace Curry’s production, and Houston pulled away once its defense turned toward him in the second half.
San Antonio Is Next, and It Counts Twice
Golden State continues its five-game road trip Friday, Nov. 13, at the San Antonio Spurs, a game that doubles as an Emirates NBA Cup group fixture the Warriors need. Curry’s MRI results and his status for that game had not been announced.
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