Lendeborg scores 31 as Warriors beat Nuggets 134-114

Yaxel Lendeborg scored 31 points with 12 rebounds, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Denver Nuggets 134-114 on Monday, October 26, with 22 threes and a 40-point third quarter.

Lendeborg shot 9-of-19 from the field and 12-of-13 at the line, and the Warriors outscored Denver by 27 points while he was on the floor. He also had six assists for a double-double.

The Warriors scored 40 points in the third quarter to Denver's 28 and led by as many as 24, at 125-101, in the fourth.

Denver (1-2) took the early lead, going up 26-18 late in the first quarter and finishing the period ahead 32-28. Golden State (1-3) was the underdog, with an 18.1 percent chance in our projection before tip-off.

A 10-0 run put the Warriors up 36-32 soon after, and the game stayed close until the third quarter, when they pulled away for good.

Stephen Curry made all eight of his shots, three of them from beyond the arc, and added five free throws for 24 points in 27 minutes. Brandin Podziemski scored 18 and finished plus-33, the best mark on either roster.

DeMar DeRozan led Denver with 21 points off the bench on 7-of-15 shooting. Nikola Jokic had 19 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds, but Denver was outscored by 16 points in his 35 minutes. Jamal Murray scored 19 with eight assists.

The three-point line separated the teams. Golden State made 22 of 44 and finished with an effective field goal percentage of 67.1, while Denver made 10 of 29 from deep.

LJ Cryer hit a three with 55.6 seconds left for a 131-109 lead, Zeke Nnaji answered for Denver, and Graham Ike, assisted by Cryer, made another three to make it 134-112. Ryan Nembhard's 17-foot pull-up with 24.2 seconds left set the final score.

Up next

Warriors: at the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, October 28.

Nuggets: at the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday, October 28.