Nets rout Warriors, rain on D'Angelo Russell's homecoming

It sounded like a good opportunity for D’Angelo Russell when the Nets traded him for Kevin Durant last summer to the Warriors, who were coming off their fifth straight NBA Finals appearance. But the Warriors have been gutted by injuries and have the NBA’s worst record, and no matter how incentivized Russell might have been to put on a show, it wasn’t in the cards Wednesday night at Barclays Center.

After all the hype, Russell’s return was anti-climactic as the Nets led by as many as 44 points on their way to a 129-88 blowout in which they limited Russell to 17 points, including just two in the second half. The game drew only 14,352 fans.

Russell had a 7-for-20 shooting night, and the Warriors (12-40) suffered a miserable 5-for-39 effort from three-point range that was the lowest percentage (.128) by a Nets opponent in franchise history, in part, because they learned before the game that Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III were on the verge of being traded. The Nets (23-27) completed a 5-2 stretch against sub-. 500 teams and were led by 23 points and eight assists from Caris LeVert, who was an amazing plus-43, and they outrebounded the Warriors by an embarrassing 65-34 margin that marked the Nets’ season-high.

LeVert said the Nets learned Burks and Robinson were out just before tipoff. That gave the Nets an opportunity to focus their defensive energy on Russell.

LeVert got the assignment and had help from Spencer Dinwiddie and Garrett Temple. “I was just trying to make all his shots contested, make his catches tough,” LeVert said.

Admitting the Nets ganged up on Russell, LeVert added, “That was the game plan really. Make the other guys try to beat us because we know what he’s capable of.”

No specific trade was announced by the Warriors ahead of Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET NBA trade deadline, but coach Steve Kerr made it clear Burks and Robinson are gone.

“For the team to find out that those two guys are most likely going to be traded was pretty tough,” Kerr said. “That’s not really a good way to prepare for a game, and I think it showed. Brooklyn played great; I thought they were fantastic. We were definitely affected by the circumstances, and we took it on the chin.”

Shortly before tipoff, Russell exchanged hugs with several members of the Nets’ performance team and said hello to good friend Joe Harris. Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said he shared a good moment with Russell before the game. But the Nets built a 40-25 first-quarter lead that marked their most opening-quarter points this season.

Russell had 15 points at halftime, but the Warriors trailed at 68-47. The highlight of the first half for Russell came between the first and second quarters when the Nets played a tribute video to him on the scoreboard. When the Nets opened the third period with a 20-5 run, the Nets had a 36-point lead at 88-52, and the air leaked out of the balloons for Russell’s homecoming.

“It was awesome to see D-Lo,” said Harris, who visited with Russell over the summer. “It’s sort of bittersweet to see guys that close to you leave in [trades], but you kind of pick up right where you left off, just obviously him in a different jersey. Those friendships you make, they are lasting.”

After the game, Russell’s No. 0 Warriors jersey was sitting in Harris’ locker.

By Greg Logan

Gregory.Logan@newsday.comGregLogan1

Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.