The Golden State Warriors were trailing by 16 at the half and they needed a huge second half, led by Curry and Durant, to come back and beat the Nets.
This game was a tale of two halves. The Warriors and Nets looked like they switched bodies before the game then once more at halftime. Golden State defeated Brooklyn 117-101.
The Nets, who lead the league in pace, let it fly early on. They were 7/13 from beyond the arc in the first quarter. Bojan Bogdanovich and Brook Lopez each had 10 points, knocking down two three-pointers a piece.
Golden State couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a boat. They shot 22 percent from three in the first half, missing a lot of wide open looks they’d normally hit. The ball didn’t moved it looked like the Nets were going to hand the Dubs their fifth loss of the season.
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But what makes Golden State really special (and frustrating) is their ability to turn it on at will. They can give no effort then turn around and play hard for a few minutes, knock down a few shots, and get right back into a game. No deficit is too big.
After trailing by 16 going into the halftime break, the Dubs looked like a completely different team in the third quarter. They outscored the Nets 39-19. Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry took over, reminding everyone why they’re MVPs. KD helped lead the change in momentum with a huge (throw-in) dunk over Lopez.
A Klay Thompson three gave the Warriors a lead. They exchanged baskets for a few minutes, but it was clear that the game was shifting in Golden State’s favor. The Dubs turned up the intensity on the defensive end and jumpstarted their offense.
Steph Curry struggled to shoot the ball in this one, going just 3/13 from beyond the arc despite being wide open on most of them. He turned the game around with this defense and passing. He had 5 steals and dished out 7 assists. He had just 15 points, but he was a game-high +25 in 32 minutes.
The Warriors were without Draymond Green, who was back at home celebrating the birth of his son. Kevon Looney started in his place. He had 4 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists in 17 minutes. The defense was shaky without Green early, but they settled in and came away with 19 steals and 7 blocks.
Durant was spectacular, as per usual. He had 26 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block. He took over at crucial times with huge momentum-shifting plays.
Golden State flies to Detroit to take on Andre Drummond and the Detroit Pistons. It’s their final tuneup before they visit Cleveland on Christmas. It’s unclear if Green will make the trip, but they should still be able to beat the Pistons.
