Warriors Get Harsh First Taste of Life Without Stephen Curry in 38-Point Loss to Spurs

The Golden State Warriors knew that surviving without Stephen Curry would be difficult. They probably did not imagine it looking this ugly. In their first game since Curry went down with an oblique tear that is expected to sideline him for at least two weeks, the Warriors were blown out by 38 points in San Antonio on Friday night, as the Spurs poured in the first 18 points of the game and never looked back.

Nobody felt the loss more than Yaxel Lendeborg. The rookie has been sensational to open his career, averaging north of 20 points per game on highly efficient shooting through his first 12 contests, and he entered Friday having scored at least 23 points in three straight games. Two weeks ago he dropped 37 on the Clippers in a game Curry missed, and on Wednesday he posted 25 points and 10 rebounds against the Rockets after Curry exited just six minutes in. Against the Spurs, with the defense squarely locked on him, he managed three points on 1-of-13 shooting.

Afterward, Lendeborg did not hide from any of it. "It was an awful performance by me," he said. "I let everybody on this team down. I'm not gonna forget this ever." He admitted he was flustered for the entire night, adding, "I couldn't make a damn layup." Asked whether he could simply move on, he refused, saying there was no hope at all against San Antonio. "It felt helpless out there," he said.

Brandin Podziemski did not fare much better. The guard, who had been averaging nearly 17 points per game while hitting 2.8 3-pointers a night at a 40 percent clip, finished with eight points on 2-of-10 shooting. Between them, Lendeborg and Podziemski, the team's top two offensive options with Curry out, missed 20 of their 23 shots.

Coach Steve Kerr went small against Victor Wembanyama, starting De'Anthony Melton and Will Richard alongside Draymond Green at center in the hope of pushing the pace. There is at least some reason for optimism about the young duo: in their minutes without Curry this season, Lendeborg and Podziemski have led Golden State to a plus 2.6 net rating, according to Databallr. Carrying full games, though, is a very different assignment than holding the fort while Curry rests.

The schedule offers little breathing room, but there is a path. The Warriors, now 8-5, visit a struggling Pelicans team on Monday, then face the Mavericks and Grizzlies on a back-to-back before returning home to play the Celtics. The Kings come to town on Nov. 25, which marks the two-week point in Curry's recovery timeline.

If Golden State can beat New Orleans and Sacramento and Curry returns after that Nov. 25 game, the Warriors would be 10-8 when he comes back. And even if his absence stretches an extra week, two of the three games after the Kings matchup are against the 3-8 Clippers, whom they have already beaten without Curry, and the 1-12 Jazz. Friday was miserable, but the season is far from lost.