The Warriors overcame a sluggish start and opened their three-game holiday road trip with a 117-101 win in Brooklyn on Thursday night. Kevin Durant led the way with 26 points, Zaza Pachulia logged a double-double and Klay Thompson added 23 points as the Dubs picked up their sixth straight win.
GAME LEADERS
With Draymond Green back at home in the Bay Area to be with his family following the birth of Draymond Jr., the Dubs were out of sorts to start the game. Brooklyn started off hot and made seven 3-pointers in the first quarter. The Nets then reeled off nine straight points to open the second quarter and led by 16 points at the half.
That’s as big of a lead as they had all night, as the Dubs picked up the intensity to start the second half and immediately got back into the game. They out-scored Brooklyn by 20 in the third quarter and 12 in the fourth, and it all started with defense. The Dubs forced 18 turnovers in the second half, leading to 25 points.
“Steph got a steal right away that led to KD’s dunk and that gave us some life,” Head Coach Steve Kerr said after the game. “The overall defensive intensity the next few minutes got us on that run and it changed the game.”
Durant added nine rebounds and seven assists to his stat line and Zaza Pachulia had his best game of the season with 15 points, 14 rebounds and four assists. Also stepping up in Green’s absence was David West, who came through with 10 points, on 4-of-5 shooting, and six rebounds in 16 minutes.
“I thought Zaza and David were the keys to the game,” Kerr said. “We needed that veteran leadership, that poise. They understand games like this.”
This game totally changed at the half and the Warriors wound up cruising to the win. Now 14-2 on the season, the Warriors will continue their road trip when they visit Detroit on the back end of a back-to-back on Friday.