The Golden State Warriors selected Yaxel Lendeborg with the No. 11 pick in the draft hoping that the 23-year-old rookie with an NCAA title from Michigan is ready to contribute right away.
He looked the part Sunday night while leading the Warriors to a 94-90 win over the Grizzles in the NBA Summer League championship game in a high-profile matchup against against Memphis rookie Cameron Boozer.
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The game was tied at 47-47 at halftime. Boozer exploded for 10 of his 19 points in the third quarter, including a 3 in the final seconds to extend a Grizzlies lead to 76-66.
But the fourth quarter belonged to Lendeborg, who scored seven straight Warriors points late in the stanza, including a pull-up 3 from the wing to give the Warriors an 89-87 lead.
Lendeborg finished the game with 21 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 3 turnovers while shooting 9 of 18 from the field and 2 of 56 from 3 to lead the Warriors to win and outplay his lottery-pick counterpart.
Boozer countered with 19 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 4 turnovers while shooting 7 of 17 from the field and 3 of 7 from 3. He had two late chances to give the Grizzlies the lead, but came up short at the rim against Lendeborg’s defense and then missed an open 3 with 13 seconds remaining.
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