Blowout wins are always preferable, but there’s something to be said for flexing your muscles on a challenging day. A certain belief follows when a team proves capable of overcoming a deficit, or some adversity, or simply waking up on the wrong side of the bed. And the Golden State Warriors did all three of those things on Thursday night, beating the Brooklyn Nets 121-119 to cap a fantastic road trip in which they’ve arguably re-established themselves as contenders.
Beating the Nets by two points isn’t the stuff dreams are made of, but again: sometimes you just have to prove you can win. The Warriors did that in Jimmy Butler III’s debut, when they turned a 24-point deficit into a blowout win against the lowly Chicago Bulls. And they did it again in Brooklyn, tired on the final game of a five-game road trip, and playing their third contest in four days.
It couldn’t have started worse. Less than a minute into the game, Brandin Podziemski signaled to the bench that he needed a sub, and walked gingerly to the locker room. He was ruled out for the game with lower-back soreness.
Steve Kerr’s first timeout came with the Warriors being held scoreless, trailing 5-0. After the timeout, the Nets immediately drained a three. It took the Dubs three-and-a-half minutes to score, and they trailed 18-5 at the halfway mark of the first quarter. Their offense looked beyond lost, while Cam Johnson was getting whatever he wanted against Golden State’s defense.
Frustration was mounting for the Dubs. Down 21-5 now, Curry was getting mugged on an inbounds with no foul called, and let out his frustration in an attempt to create separation. He was called for an offensive foul, followed by a technical when he argued his case.
A few minutes later it was a 27-5 game, and Brooklyn had scored 17 unanswered points. It was uglier than ugly.
Curry finally stopped the onslaught with a floater, and the Warriors started to play a little tougher, and with a little more energy. But despite that, they either couldn’t create contact, or couldn’t get a whistle — the first quarter would end without a single foul having been called on Brooklyn.
The offense did start to come to life late in the quarter, mostly on counterattacks. But just as they started to find some life, Brooklyn answered with a run. At the end of the first quarter it was a 35-15 demolition, and we went to the commercial break with tensions flying high as Gary Payton II and Ziaire Williams got into a shoving match.
It was going to take a team effort to overcome the deficit. Not only was Podziemski out, but Curry would need some time to catch his breath: Kerr had let his superstar play the full 12 minutes in the first, trying desperately to keep the game within reach.
That team effort showed up to start the second quarter, when Quinten Post drained a quick three, and the Dubs scored the first five points. Brooklyn, however, was ready with five straight points of their own. But the Warriors had found life and energy, and finally were playing with some belief. A few possessions later, another three by Post made it a 40-26 game, prompting an early timeout from the Nets.
The Warriors were starting to flex on their opponent, and control the style of the game. Down 45-32 and quickly gaining momentum, color commentator Kelenna Azubuike was prompted to say, “Let me tell you something: the Warriors are confident they’re gonna win this game.” The words had barely left Azubuike’s mouth when Moses Moody drained a three, and Brooklyn called another timeout.
They had started a comeback with Curry on the bench, but it took them a while to finish it, even when Curry returned. Golden State couldn’t get the deficit to single digits, and trailed by 14 with just under three minutes remaining. And then came perhaps the defining sequence of the game.
Gui Santos, who brought all sorts of energy, flew into the corner to block a Brooklyn three, then got back in transition. The ball found him, and he made a cross-court pass to a streaking Curry, who pulled the trigger on a deep three that sailed through the net. The Dubs got another stop and Curry — clearly feeling it — pulled up for another deep transition three, draining it without hesitation. One more stop, and Curry whipped a brilliant pass to Butler for a transition dunk. The Nets tried to break things up with a timeout, but Santos answered with a pair of free throws out of the break, capping a 10-0 run that pulled the Warriors to within four.
Brooklyn scored the next four points, and it looked like they would take an eight-point lead into the break, when Curry decided to play with his food, dancing his way into trouble near halfcourt, before cockily, arrogantly, and downright ruthlessly nailing a 40-foot turnaround three to make it a 60-55 game at halftime, and give the Warriors all the momentum.
Santos started in Podziemski’s place to begin the second half, and the Warriors immediately made clear their intentions when Curry found a rolling Draymond Green for an and-one on the first possession. Two minutes in, Curry backcut for a layup to tie the game. Less than a minute later, Butler drained a three to give Golden State their first lead of the game.
You might have expected the Nets to fold, but they would do no such thing. They bounced back strong, and the teams exchanged blows all quarter long, with Brooklyn building up a six-point lead again. This time Curry was on the bench to end the quarter, and the Warriors trailed 89-86 going into the final frame.
It was at the start of the fourth quarter where the Butler trade really shined. With Curry resting, Butler and Green put the team on their backs, aided by excellent minutes from Post and Santos. They grabbed control for the Warriors, and Curry returned to finish off a 13-2 run that gave the Warriors a 101-93 lead as we neared the halfway mark of the fourth. A few minutes later it would be a double-digit game.
But, as they so often do, the Warriors got sloppy. Multiple times. They let the Nets pull back to within five points with three minutes, before the closing lineup — Curry, Butler, Santos, Green, and Post — built things up again. A brilliant Curry three off a corner inbounds made it a 10-point lead with 1:01 remaining, and prompted night-night celebrations out of both Curry and Green.
Perhaps they’ll wait a little longer next time. A few turnovers of their own and some wild shots by Brooklyn put quite a scare in the Dubs: the Nets scored eight straight points, making it a two-point game with about 10 seconds remaining. But Curry calmly drained a pair of free throws, and by the time Brooklyn could score on the other end, the buzzer was ringing.
The Warriors get to go home happy. They had a 4-1 road trip, and are now 10-2 since Butler debuted … and 10-1 in the games that Butler has played in. They’re in sole possession of the sixth seed in the Western Conference, with their sights set even higher. And after playing 12 of their last 14 games on the road, they now get to settle into their beds for a seven-game home-stand. Life is good.
Curry led the way with a dazzling 40 points on 12-for-20 shooting, including 7-for-13 from deep and 9-for-9 from the charity stripe, putting a cap on a superstar trip. Butler was hilariously efficient, shooting 7-for-13 from the field and 10-for-10 on free throws en route to 25 points and a team-best +17.
But it was the bench that saved the day. Payton was dynamic, with 16 points and nine rebounds in just 20:38 of action, while Post (10 points and seven rebounds) and Santos (six points, three rebounds, and three assists) made key play after key play, with clutchness and energy abounding. Even with Buddy Hield having a serious clunker (he shot 0-for-8 from the field), the bench was the difference-maker. The Warriors outscored the Nets by 13 points with Post on the court, and by 12 with Santos on. That allowed them to do what would normally be unthinkable: win a game in which they were outscored by 16 points when Curry was on the court.
The Dubs now get a day off to head home, before hosting the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night.
