The Brooklyn Nets had full control over the Golden State Warriors as a 143-113 win extended their winning streak to seven games.
The Warriors showed little signs of life and had no chance of stopping the Nets Wednesday night, being down by as much as 45 points in the third quarter. The Warriors came into last night’s game without their star players Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins, and Klay Thompson, all out due to injuries.
Curry suffered a shoulder injury in a game against the Indiana Pacers last week. Wiggins is recovering from a right adductor injury he suffered in a December 3rd game against the Chicago Bulls, while Thompson is recovering from soreness over his surgically repaired knee. This left the Warriors with very little offensive prowess to take on the Nets.
The Nets took full command against the Warriors and looked unstoppable. The Nets scored 91 points in the first half, the highest-scoring first half in franchise history and the third-highest in NBA history, only behind the Warriors’ 92 points against the Chicago Bulls in 2018 and 107 points by the Suns against the Denver Nuggets in 1990.
The Nets ended the first quarter with a 46-17 lead and continued their dominance throughout the rest of the game. Kevin Durant and the rest of the team looked focused and determined to win, despite the large deficit they had over the Warriors. The key to victory says Durant was just “making shots.”
"We've been generating solid shots all year. I think they just started to fall now. It's going to come with time. ... It's about shooting the ball with confidence, being aggressive downhill to make plays for others, tonight was one of those nights,” Durant said.
The Warriors played sloppy basketball as they trudged through the game and could not get much of anything to put a dent in the Nets’ lead. The Warriors had 13 turnovers in the first half and ended with 21 turnovers to end the game. James Wiseman was a force off the bench, however, putting up 30 points on 12-of-14 shooting.
Moses Moody scored 17 points on 7 -of -11 shooting, with Jordan Poole behind him with 13 points. Poole struggled to keep the ball in play for the Warriors, garnering seven turnovers in the game. The effort put up by Wiseman was not enough and the Warriors' star players were not available to give them a fighting chance against the scoring deficit put up by the Nets.
The Warriors have had a tough season so far, especially on the road, as they are currently 3-16 on the road and came into Wednesday's game after falling to the Knicks, 132-94, on Tuesday. Despite a championship season last year, this year shows that the Warriors may not have a chance to repeat as champions due to the injuries to their star players.
The Nets were able to take control of the game even without Kyrie Irving, who is currently out due to tightness in his right calf. Durant led the Nets to victory, scoring 23 points and gaining seven rebounds, five assists, and four steals, with the rest of the Nets’ starters scoring at least 10 points.
In a postgame interview, Ben Simmons commented on how they were able to play well and keep the lead where it was throughout the whole game.
"I think it was our focus coming into the game. I think the last two games, we came out of the game kind of slow and not focused. It was the little things for us that got us going so defensively, knowing our matchups, communication, I think that’s really what got us going."
The victory over the Warriors puts the Nets to 20-12 and fourth in the Eastern Conference. Despite a drama-filled early start to the season, the Nets were able to block out the noise and play their brand of basketball.
