Nets' three-game streak halted by Warriors
Nets coach Kenny Atkinson reacts during the first half of a game against the Warriors in Oakland, California, on Nov. 10, 2018. Credit: AP/Jeff Chiu
OAKLAND, Calif. — The Nets’ recent growth spurt came to an abrupt halt, but at least they could tell themselves it took the two-time defending champion Warriors to cool them off.
The Warriors were without injured starters Steph Curry and Draymond Green, but they still had Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, who totaled 52 points, and Quinn Cook stepped in to do a credible Curry impersonation with 27 points in the Warriors’ 116-100 victory Saturday night at Oracle Arena.
In the recent past, the Nets have dug deep holes against the Warriors and usually managed to claw back. But after scoring the first basket of the second half to cut their deficit to 10 points, the Nets never got closer and trailed by as many as 24 points in the fourth period.
It seemed they were out of gas after scoring a heart-stopping win the previous night against the Nuggets when Caris LeVert hit a floater with three-tenths of a second left. On this night, LeVert scored only four points and shot 1-for-6, and coach Kenny Atkinson played him only 21 minutes. “We kind of ran out of gas,” Atkinson said. “I thought our second group, the ball started sticking. We played too much iso ball. The one thing I’m disappointed about is we weren’t playing Nets basketball. We weren’t moving it like we should. I think fatigue plays a part in it.”
Joe Harris led the Nets (6-7) with 24 points, but their starting lineup totaled only 46 points. Spencer Dinwiddie and Shabazz Napier each chipped in 14 points off the bench and D’Angelo Russell had 12. But after playing great defense during their winning streak, the Nets allowed the Warriors (11-2) to shoot 55.4 percent from the field. Durant had 28 points and 11 assists, Cook shot 11-for-16 and Thompson had 24 points.
Atkinson had been hopeful that the Warriors’ injuries would make it easier to pay more attention to Durant and Thompson, but it didn’t work out that way. “You had Durant and Thompson, and then [Cook] did the Curry imitation tonight,” Atkinson said. “He hit a lot of good shots. Arguably, he made the difference tonight.”
The Nets actually got off to an energetic start, taking a 16-10 lead. Russell was sharp with 10 first-quarter points. But a team that had been playing superb defense during its winning streak was no match for the Warriors’ shooting firepower.
The score was tied at 44 midway through the second period, but the Warriors finished the half on a 21-9 run that included 11 points by Cook for a 65-53 lead. The Warriors shot 65.8 percent from the field (25-for-38) in the first half.
The Nets couldn’t buy a basket in the early going of the third quarter, and the Warriors put together a 23-15 run that included seven points from Thompson and six from Durant to build an 88-68 lead. LeVert, who fell and hurt a knee, could have returned, but there was no point.
“I wouldn’t put anything on fatigue,” Harris said of the letdown. “I think everybody was feeling good after a great win. We came in playing the right way, moving the ball. A lot of it is just [the Warriors]. They’re a great team, great on both sides of the ball, and they put us in tough situations. Defensively, we force teams into the mid-range, but they were, to a man, unconscious.”
The Nets’ four-game road trip ends Monday night in Minnesota.
Looking ahead, Atkinson said, “I told the guys, if we can go get Minnesota, we’ll be happy with our road trip.”
Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.
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