Lendeborg leads Warriors past Nuggets to end losing streak

Yaxel Lendeborg scored 31 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 134-114 win over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. The victory gave the Warriors their first win of the season and prevented them from starting 0-4 for the first time since the 2007-08 campaign.

The team shot 54.1 percent from the field and made 22 of 44 three-point attempts. Golden State also controlled the boards, outrebounding Denver by 50 to 36. Stephen Curry provided steady offense, scoring 21 of his 24 points in the second half. He went 8 of 8 from the floor as the lead grew.

Nikola Jokic recorded 19 points, seven rebounds, and 11 assists for Denver. He left the game with 3:33 remaining while the Nuggets trailed by 21 points. The home team allowed 74 points in the second half. Jokic told fans who booed during Saturday's overtime loss that they could leave early if they wished, as some did during this late-starting contest.

Aaron Gordon showed frustration in the fourth quarter. He received a double-technical foul and sat out the remainder of the game after scoring seven points. The Warriors also received a boost from returning starters Draymond Green and Brandin Podziemski, who missed the previous game in Phoenix. Podziemski scored 18 points and finished with a plus-33 plus-minus rating.

DeMar DeRozan led the rest of the Denver bench with 21 points. The Nuggets played without Alpha Diallo, Cameron Johnson, Spencer Jones, and Julian Strawther due to injuries. Golden State will play at Minnesota on Wednesday night. Denver will travel to New Orleans on the same evening.

Lendeborg shot 9 of 19 from the field and 1 of 8 from three-point range. He made 12 of 13 free throws. The Michigan product had been averaging 18.7 points and 8.3 rebounds before this game.