The Warriors kept their winning streak going with a 114-98 road win over the Nets on Sunday.
The Warriors kept their winning streak going with a 114-98 road win over the Nets on Sunday. Stephen Curry led the Dubs with 28 points while Klay Thompson added 21 of his own, marking the fourth consecutive game in which both players have scored 20-or-more points. Draymond Green stuffed the stat sheet with 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, while Festus Ezeli and Leandro Barbosa both scored in double figures off the bench. With the victory, the Warriors become the first team in NBA history to begin a season with a 12-0 record on the road.
GAME LEADERS
Despite playing their second game in as many days, the Warriors appeared headed for an easy victory with the way they came out of the gates. Klay Thompson scored seven points as part of a 9-0 Warriors’ run to begin the game. After the Nets found their footing and climbed to within 16-8 with 6:14 left in the frame, Golden State responded with another 9-0 run, capped by Stephen Curry’s finger roll with 2:44 remaining. The two sides would then play it even for the duration of the quarter, until a Jarrett Jack free throw and a Shane Larkin layup sent the game into the second quarter with the Warriors holding a 30-16 lead.
After weathering the initial storm, Brooklyn began to climb their way back into the game towards the end of the second quarter. After Curry had given Golden State a 57-42 lead with 1:49 remaining in the half, the Nets closed out the quarter on a 12-0 run to cut the Warriors’ lead to 57-54 heading into halftime. While the 38 points scored by Brooklyn in the quarter were the most the Warriors had allowed all season in the second frame, the Dubs weren’t doing themselves any favors at the free throw line. Golden State struggled from the charity stripe, shooting 6-of-15 from the line in the opening half.
Brooklyn continued their burst and scored the first four points of the second half, as Thaddeus Young’s jump shot with 10:56 left in the third quarter gave the Nets their first lead of the game. Soon after, Young would score six-straight points for the Nets to give Brooklyn their largest lead of the game at 68-63. From there, however, the Warriors began to find their form, following the lead of Curry and Green. The duo would combine to score 20 of Golden State’s 24 points in the remainder of the frame, as the Warriors regained the lead and took an 87-80 advantage into the fourth quarter.
Curry closed the frame in a flurry as he so often does, scoring six points in the final 30 seconds to give him 16 points in the quarter.
Luke Walton sat the starters at the start of the fourth quarter, and after Brooklyn had cut the Warriors lead to 89-85 less than a minute into it, the Dubs’ reserves began to break the game open. Festus Ezeli’s dunk started a 20-4 Warriors’ run, as Golden State held Brooklyn without a field goal for more than three minutes to take a commanding 109-89 advantage. With the game firmly in hand, the Warriors coasted the remaining few minutes to their 22nd-consecutive win to begin the season. Currently 4-0 on their season-long seven-game road trip, the Warriors will look to keep the streak going when they take on the Pacers in Indiana on Tuesday.