The Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors faced off tonight at the California Classic, where the Warriors came away with a 104-72 win.
This fixture was headlined by the first-round picks from both teams in the 2026 NBA Draft, Cameron Carr and Yaxel Lendeborg, who faced off for the first time tonight. Both of them were the leading scorers for their teams.
Carr ended the game with 19 points, two rebounds, and one assist while going 7-15 from the field (46.7 FG%) and 5-11 from beyond the arc (45.5 3P%).
Meanwhile, Yaxel Lendeborg finished with 19 points, six assists, and five rebounds while shooting 6-6 from the floor (100 FG%) and 4-4 from behind the three-point line (100 3P%).
Both players were exceptional from the front for their teams, but Carr did not get much support offensively from the Lakers, who had only two players with double-digit scoring, as compared to the Warriors’ six players.
The fans of each of these teams were very excited about what they saw from their rookies. They flooded social media with praise for both of these players. But since the Warriors won, Lendeborg earned a lot more praise than Carr.
“I’ve seen enough, start building the statue.”
“He will be the rookie of the year.”
“100% FG is crazy s–t, bruh, we got a demon.”
“There’s no way this man should not have been a top-five pick.”
The Lakers’ fans were a bit more critical but still happy with what they saw from their rookie starlet.
“Carr cooking already with those threes? Solid debut, jumper looks smooth… The team is getting torched but hype for the kid.”
“We’re getting belted, but you can’t tell me he doesn’t look nice!”
“Cameron Carr is making the most of every minute. The Lakers might’ve found something special. 🔥💜💛.”
Following the game, Lendeborg spoke to the media and addressed what his debut experience was like in the Warriors’ jersey.
“It felt great, everything felt great until the fourth quarter, where I got like four turnovers, so it kind of ruined the perfect game I had in my mind, but I felt really good to be out here, and the team here is very unselfish, so it felt really good to play with those guys,” said Lendeborg in his postgame sideline interview.
Carr also addressed his nervousness, combined with excitement for tonight, during the postgame press conference.
“If I said I wasn’t nervous, I’d be lying. I was probably nervous, excited. I was just ready at the first opportunity for the ball to go up in the air and just get to compete with these guys,” said Carr.
Even though the performances in July don’t mean much in the bigger picture, they give an initial idea of what to expect from a player and a glimpse of what could be their potential strength. It also gives them a chance to build some chemistry with players who may end up with them on the final roster.
Lendeborg’s confidence reflects a promising future for the 23-year-old. While Carr was not as efficient and probably also needs to work on his strength, he also displayed a level of faith in his shot that shows each of these teams has found a sharpshooter who can space the floor, which is crucial in the modern era.
The Lakers are now set to play six more games over the next 12 days to potentially compete for the Summer League title on July 19th. Meanwhile, the Warriors have nine more games (including the GSW Blue and Gold’s separate games).
This is the most action-packed basketball that fans will get to see over the next month, before having to wait until the end of October when NBA basketball resumes with the 2026-27 regular season.
