Stephen Curry and Yaxel Lendeborg are rightully drawing the plaudits for the Golden State Warriors' recent surge, but they're also quietly building an elite bench after another impressive victory over the Miami Heat on Thursday night.
The Warriors dominated the second half to record a 120-100 victory, their sixth-straight in a quite remarkable turnaround after things looked incredibly bleak following an 0-3 start to the season.
Warriors quietly building elite bench behind star duo
Curry and Lendeborg again led the show against the Heat, particularly in the final 24 minutes after the hosts made a slow start once again. The Warriors trailed by double digits early in the first-quarter, but battled back to tie the game at half-time despite never leading.
They quickly took over in the third-quarter behind a Curry flurry, with the ageless superstar going for 22 of his team-high 29 points in the second half. Lendeborg wasn't the same dominant player we've seen across this current winning streak, but even an average game for the rookie forward yielded 17 points, eight rebounds, six assists, three steals and a block.
It was the Golden State bench that was a big part of the difference in the game. Having entered sixth in bench scoring across the league, the hosts outscored the visitors 53-27 behind consistent performances across the board.
Veteran forward Georges Niang had 13 points, four rebounds and three assists on 5-of-8 shooting in 22 minutes, while Brandon Williams added 10 points and four assists in less than 21 minutes. Charles Bassey continued his impressive recent form with eight points, seven rebounds and three blocks in only 14 minutes, combined effectively with fellow reserve big man Al Horford who had eight points, five rebounds and one assist.
Warriors' strong bench still influenced by Stephen Curry and Yaxel Lendeborg
As much as the individual players still deserve credit for how they're performing amid this six-game winning streak, much of the bench production is still owed to Curry and the extraordinary emergence of Lendeborg.
The 11th overall pick's ability to lead the non-Curry minutes, and just in general be the second go-to scorer for the Warriors, allows all the other rotation pieces to fit into place without being asked to do more than their skillset allows. Oh, and it's easier to play with Curry who garners so much of the defensive attention.
What's more extraordinary is that Golden State continue to play without injured duo Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody who will return mid-season, while they'll presumably get a valuable rotation piece in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis in a trade.
The red-hot Warriors will have a chance to win a seventh-straight when they host the short-handed Orlando Magic at Chase Center on Saturday night.
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