Warriors ride Yaxel Lendeborg's 37 to fourth straight win, host Suns on back-to-back

The Golden State Warriors started the season 0-3. They are now 4-3, and their No. 11 pick is the main reason. Yaxel Lendeborg scored a career-high 37 points Sunday in a 124-112 win over the LA Clippers at Chase Center, and he did it with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green both sitting.

According to CBS Sports, Lendeborg played 34 minutes, hit 13 of 19 shots and 6 of 11 from 3-point range, and added six assists, four rebounds and a steal. He also spent much of the night at point guard with Curry out. No Warriors rookie had scored that many since Curry put up 42 in 2010. Through seven games he is averaging 22.3 points, which puts him alongside Wilt Chamberlain and Rick Barry as the only Warriors to average 20 or more over their first seven career games. ABC7 San Francisco reported that the Warriors rested Curry and Green for the game.

The performance came right after the worst game of his young career, a rough night against Luka Doncic and the Lakers. Steve Kerr told CBS Sports that the rookie's pull-up shooting surprised even the staff: "I didn't expect what I saw tonight."

The bigger question is what the front office does with this. CBS Sports argues that Lendeborg's start could push Golden State toward a trade before the deadline rather than waiting for cap space next summer. Jimmy Butler is expected back sometime after the new year, and the Warriors have the Green and Kristaps Porzingis contracts plus draft capital to offer. For now the roster is still thin. Athlon Sports listed Butler and Moses Moody as out after knee surgeries, and Porzingis as away from the team. It also noted that Curry's absence Sunday was right-knee management, with Green held out for lower-back management.

What it means for Monday against Phoenix

Sunday was the first half of a back-to-back, and the Suns come to Chase Center on Monday. Curry and Green were held out of the front end, but their status for Monday had not been confirmed in the reports reviewed here. Phoenix is also one of the three teams that beat Golden State this season, winning 131-122 at home. Curry sat that game too, on the second night of a back-to-back.

The streak has substance. Golden State has won its four games by an average of 13.5 points, scoring 122.3 per game and allowing 108.8. Over all seven games the Warriors average 117.7 points and give up 114.9.

On this site's board, which tracks 12 venues, the Warriors are favored. Novig has Golden State at -133 on the moneyline, with Phoenix at +130. On the spread, Novig lists the Warriors at -2.5 (-111) and the Suns at +2.5 (+108). The best Phoenix number anywhere is BetMGM's +3.5 at -115, a full point more than Novig's line. The total sits at 227.5 on Novig, with the Over at -104 and the Under at -100. Elsewhere the total runs from FanDuel's 226.5 on the Over to DraftKings' 228.5 on the Under, both at -115. Sportsbook hold runs from about 2.4% to 5.2% across the markets. Golden State's seven games have averaged 232.6 combined points, a little above that number.