Nets-Warriors Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Nov 21 2012 2:54AM

The Brooklyn Nets' winning streak is over, but they still have a chance to equal the best 10-game start in franchise history.

Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson realizes it could be tough to stop that from happening.

Brooklyn will try to rebound from its first loss in nearly two weeks Wednesday night at Oracle Arena.

Looking to win six straight for the first time since a franchise record-tying 14-game surge March 12-April 6, 2006, the Nets (6-3) lost 95-90 to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday to fall to 1-1 on their three-game California swing.

"We got off to a tough start, a slow start (falling behind 10-0), and we finally got back to playing our style of basketball, playing our tempo, but I'm proud of our guys tonight," said coach Avery Johnson, whose team hadn't lost since falling 103-73 at Miami on Nov. 7.

Brooklyn can still match the team's best 10-game start, previously done in 2001-02 and 2002-03 - the only two seasons the team has advanced to the NBA finals.

"We're going to have our hands full," Jackson, a Brooklyn native, said Tuesday on his radio show.

The Warriors (6-5) wish they had Andrew Bogut back to face Nets big man Brook Lopez, who had a team-high 23 points and seven rebounds on Tuesday, but the Australian center is expected to miss at least three more games - he's been out the last six - to strengthen his surgically repaired left ankle.

Lopez was injured for the Nets' two wins against Golden State last season, but he's scored 20 or more in his last four games of the series.

Without Bogut, the Warriors will need more big minutes from rookies Festus Ezeli and Harrison Barnes.

Ezeli had season highs with nine points and eight rebounds while Barnes added a season-best 20 points and 12 boards as Golden State ended a 2-1 trip with Monday's 105-101 overtime victory against Dallas.

Barnes, the No. 7 overall pick, is averaging 17.3 points and 8.8 boards during the team's current 3-1 run.

Led by David Lee's 52 boards, the Warriors are outrebounding their opponents by 11.3 per game during this stretch. They're fifth in the NBA with 46.1 boards per game.

"It's very important for us to get five guys rebounding the basketball," Jackson said.

Brooklyn needs to find a way to slow down Stephen Curry, who is scoring a career-best 18.7 points per game. The oft-injured point guard, who did not face the Nets last season due to injury, tweaked his right ankle early in the fourth quarter Monday, but he poured in 20 of his season-best 31 points after the third.

Curry also handed out a season-best nine assists.

"He certainly ran this team down the stretch the way that I envision him running it," Jackson said.

The Warriors didn't envision that second-year guard Klay Thompson would be shooting 33.3 percent at this point, but Jackson is still encouraged by his contributions on the defensive end.

Thompson could see time matched up against Deron Williams and Joe Johnson. Brooklyn's starting guards have totaled 60 points and 29 assists on the trip while shooting a combined 30.4 percent (17 for 56).

Williams averaged 16.5 points, 15.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds in the 2011-12 sweep of Golden State. He had nine points and a season-high 20 assists in a 102-100 victory in Oakland on March 30.

Forward Gerald Wallace added 24 points and a season-best 18 boards in that contest as the Nets rallied from 19 down in the second half to snap a six-game skid by the Bay.

Thompson rallies Warriors past Nets 102-93

By MICHAEL WAGAMAN
Posted Nov 22 2012 2:08AM

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Another slow start offensively didn't prevent Klay Thompson from continuing to shoot.

That's just the way Golden State coach Mark Jackson wants his second-year guard to think.

Two nights after going 2 for 14 from the floor and missing a potential game-winner at the end of regulation during an overtime win against Dallas, Thompson found his rhythm - in a big way.

Thompson made two 3-pointers and scored 10 of his 23 points during a pivotal run late in the third quarter and the Warriors held on to beat the Brooklyn Nets 102-93 on Wednesday night.

"I've said all along I'm not concerned about Klay's shooting," Jackson said. "That's like being worried about Albert Pujols not hitting. It's going to turn."

Thompson might not have the biceps or have the hefty contract to match the Los Angeles Angels slugger, but he came up big against the Nets.

The 11th overall pick in 2011, Thompson missed four of his first six shots but was almost flawless while sparking a 16-5 run at the end of the third quarter that put Golden State in front for good. He made an 18-foot jumper, followed with back-to-back 3-pointers and added a driving layup to give the Warriors a 70-65 lead.

After Reggie Evans made one of two free throw attempts for Brooklyn, Stephen Curry made a 3-pointer and was fouled by former Warriors teammate C.J. Watson with 2.5 seconds left in the quarter. Curry completed the four-point play to make it 74-66 heading into the final period.

Thompson made his third 3 of the night to push Golden State's lead to 96-84, then sealed the win with a backdoor layup with 52.7 seconds remaining. He also provided the bulk of the defense against Brooklyn's leading scorer Deron Williams, who was held to nine points on 4 of 12 shooting.

"I got in the gym and got my shot down a bit," Thompson said. "I just stayed with it and didn't get down on myself."

David Lee added 20 points, 13 rebounds and six assists for his fifth straight double-double while Stephen Curry had 25 points for Golden State.

The Warriors trailed by as much as 13 in the first half and didn't take their first lead until Carl Landry's layup with 2:42 left in the third, but outshot the Nets down the stretch and pulled away for their fourth win in five games.

It was a good night all around for Golden State and came on the heels of news that 7-foot center Andrew Bogut will return to practice Monday.

Brook Lopez scored 22 points for the Nets, who played without starting forward Gerald Wallace.

Brooklyn, playing the second half of a back-to-back after losing to the Los Angeles Lakers 95-90 on Tuesday, looked sluggish and tired after taking an early 39-26 lead.

"When we saw that lead, we got a little greedy and started thinking we could do it by ourselves," Williams said. "A lot of what happened out there was my fault. We didn't (do) the little things that you need to do to win games."

The Nets shot 73.7 percent in the first quarter, but went 24 of 64 (37.5 percent) the rest of the way and lost their second straight following a five-game winning streak.

Wallace was given the night off because of the back-to-back games, but it didn't seem to bother the Nets early.

Lopez got Brooklyn off to a fast start, but went to the bench midway through the first quarter after picking up his second foul.

Even without their 7-footer, the Nets seemed fine.

They shot 73.7 percent in the opening 12 minutes, had nine assists and took a 30-18 lead on a spinning layup in the lane by Williams with 23.8 seconds left.

Brooklyn extended its lead to 13 in the second quarter before Golden State went on a 15-6 run to close the gap. Lee had six points while Harrison Barnes had four, including a reverse under the basket that helped pull the Warriors within 46-41 at the half.

Golden State kept chipping away at the deficit after the break and pulled even at 58-all before Thompson hit his stride.

"Our defense really had a low grade in the third quarter," Nets coach Avery Johnson said. "They ran it up our throats, and then offensively we couldn't get anything going."

Joe Johnson had 13 points and six assists for Brooklyn. Kris Humphries added 10 points and six rebounds.

Landry finished with 11 points and five rebounds for the Warriors, who snapped a three-game losing streak to the Nets.

Note: Golden State forward Brandon Rush revealed he has a torn MCL in his left knee, the same knee in which he suffered a season-ending torn ACL earlier this year. The MCL injury must heal before Rush can have ACL surgery, which means December at the earliest. ... The Warriors improved to 7-0 when outrebounding their opponents. ... Thompson's 23 points matched his season high.

Notebook: Warriors 102, Nets 93

Eric Gilmore, For NBA.com
Posted Thu Nov 22, 2012 2:08 AM - Updated Thu Nov 22, 2012 2:08 AM

THE FACTS: Guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined to score 48 points, leading the Golden State Warriors to a 102-93 victory Wednesday night over the Brooklyn Nets at Oracle Arena.

Curry poured in 25 points on 7-for-13 shooting, while Thompson busted out of his shooting slump for 23 points, tying his season high while hitting 10-for-19 from the field.

David Lee had his fifth straight double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Warriors, who won their second straight game and improved to 7-5. Carl Landry came off the bench to score 11 points.

Center Brook Lopez led the Nets with 22 points, and guard Joe Johnson scored 13. Forward Andray Blatche came off the bench to score 11 points and grab a team-high seven rebounds for the Nets (6-4), who played the second game of a back-to-back after losing Tuesday night to the Lakers. Kris Humphries added 10 points and six rebounds.

The Nets, with Lopez and Humphries dominating inside, owned a 30-18 lead at the end of the first quarter -- but the Warriors heated up in the second and trailed just 46-41 at halftime.

Golden State grabbed its first lead of the night with under three minutes left in the third when Landry scored from inside, putting the Warriors ahead 65-63. The Warriors never trailed again.

QUOTABLE: "I feel like I got my game back. It felt great."

-- Klay Thompson on regaining his shooting touch

THE STAT: The Warriors outrebounded Brooklyn 43-35 and improved to 7-0 when winning the battle of the boards. They're 0-5 when they get outrebounded.

TURNING POINT: Trailing 63-60 with under four minutes left in the third quarter, the Warriors went on a 14-3 run and took a 74-66 lead into the fourth. Thompson started the run with a 3-point basket, and Curry ended it with a four-point play -- drilling a long 3, drawing a foul and sinking his free throw. Thompson had eight points during the spurt.

QUOTABLE II: "When we saw that lead we got a little greedy and started thinking we could do it by ourselves. I played like crap. A lot of what happened out there was my fault. I have to play better."

-- Nets guard Deron Williams on his team blowing a big first-quarter lead

HOT: Thompson, who went 2-for-14 Monday night against Dallas and shot 29.2 percent over his previous six games, got back on track in a big way. He shot 10-for-19 from the field and 3-of-6 from long range.

NOT: The Nets' Williams had a rough shooting night, going 4-for-12 from the field and 0-for-5 from 3-point range. He finished with just nine points.

GOOD MOVE: After getting overpowered and falling behind 30-18 in the first quarter, the Warriors switched up on defense and hit the Nets with a zone for much of the second. The change worked for Golden State. They cut the Nets' lead to 45-41 late in the period and trailed just 46-41 at the half.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Curry is heating up. One game after scoring 31 in an OT win at Dallas, he poured in 25 more against the Nets. In his past three games, he's averaging 26 points. Lopez is red-hot, too. He's averaging 22.3 points over his past four games.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Warriors swingman Brandon Rush attended his first game since suffering a season-ending knee injury Nov. 2 versus Memphis and received a standing ovation from the home fans. Before the game, Rush said he has yet to have surgery on his torn left ACL because he also tore his MCL and is waiting for that to heal on its own before undergoing surgery. Rush said he expects to have ACL surgery in December and be ready for the start of training camp next season

ROOKIE WATCH: Warriors small forward Harrison Barnes scored nine points -- all in the first half -- and grabbed five rebounds. Warriors center Festus Ezeli scored six points and grabbed five rebounds, and forward Draymond Green had four rebounds and three points.

NOTABLE: Nets starting forward Gerald Wallace, who missed seven of the first eight games with a sprained left ankle, got the night off for precautionary reasons after playing Tuesday night against the Lakers. Keith Bogans started in his place. ... Curry's streak of made free throws ended at 32 late in the second quarter when he made the first two but missed on his third free throw after being fouled on a 3-point shot. ... Warriors forward Richard Jefferson, who had an MRI on his right calf Wednesday, missed his second straight game. ... Warriors guard Jarrett Jack had a season-high nine assists. ... The Warriors overcame a halftime deficit to win for the first time this season. They were 0-5 before Wednesday.

UP NEXT: For the Nets, Friday vs. L.A. Clippers, Sunday vs. Portland, Monday vs. New York. For the Warriors, Friday @ Denver, Saturday vs. Minnesota, Thursday vs. Denver.

• Nets: Stackhouse, Wallace
• Warriors: Bogut, Rush

• Nets: --
• Warriors: --

• Lead Changes: 1
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: ORACLE Arena, Oakland, CA
• Officials: #13 Monty McCutchen, #73 Tre Maddox, #72 JT Orr
• Attendance: 18374
• Duration: 2:12