OAKLAND, Calif. — The defending champions have lost back-to-back games at home for the first time since December, and suddenly seem ready to dash any hopes of reaching the NBA Finals for the third consecutive season.
With the winless Houston Rockets also waiting to pounce on them after Monday night’s loss at Utah, it’s hard to miss what the expected result of this matchup was.
Stephen Curry was held to just two points on 1-for-9 shooting by the Nets defense, but Klay Thompson had a huge fourth quarter to help propel the Warriors to a 113-107 victory. Thompson hit five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, the last of which gave Golden State the lead for good with less than a minute to play.
Thompson finished with a game-high 37 points, draining 11 of his 16 shots from the field for the night. After Irving hit a 3-pointer to give the Nets a 104-103 lead with one minute to play, Thompson’s 3-pointer put the Warriors up to stay. He also had eight rebounds and four assists.
Jarrett Allen led the Nets with 23 points, while D’Angelo Russell added 20.
After the Nets led 91-91 heading into the fourth quarter, the Warriors took a brief lead on two Thompson 3-pointers just over a minute apart. Curry kept the Nets in the game by making five free throws, including two to tie the game with 5:42 to play.
Russell made his first 3-pointer of the night, giving the Nets their biggest lead, 104-100, with 3:04 to play.
Following a miss by Curry, the Nets went ahead 105-104 on a free throw by Damion Lee, but again, the Warriors responded.
Curry’s jumper pulled the Warriors within a point with two minutes left. Andrew Bogut answered Lee’s basket with a layup that gave the Warriors a two-point lead.
The Nets had the ball after Bogut’s basket, but even after making one of two free throws, they were still down two points. Two possessions later, Thompson buried a 3-pointer to put the Warriors up 110-105 with 2:26 to play.
In a game with 18 lead changes, the Nets jumped out to a 37-30 lead following a pair of Brooklyn free throws. The Warriors responded with a 7-0 run to get within two. But after a Warriors miss, the Nets got a short bank shot to give them a 44-36 lead.
The Nets then went up by 13 on a Russell layup before Curry sank a 3-pointer that sparked an 8-0 Warriors run that saw the Warriors within two before going into halftime trailing 56-53.
Thompson made the game’s biggest 3-pointer to give the Warriors their first lead since the first quarter, 60-58, with 2:04 left in the third quarter. Thompson made back-to-back 3-pointers from the top of the key to put the Warriors up by three points.
Two Allen free throws gave the Nets a 72-68 lead after three quarters.
The Warriors shot poorly early, going just 7-for-25 in the first half.
Stephen Curry sank just two of his first 11 shots. He went 2-for-7 in the second quarter, and the Warriors went to the locker room down 48-41.
The Nets got off to a slow start. They made just 5 of their first 26 shots from the field, and trailed by as many as 10 points.
Wilson Chandler hit back-to-back jumpers from the top of the key to give the Nets a 17-13 lead.
However, Golden State responded with a 9-0 run over the next five minutes, and the Warriors led 33-27 after a quarter.
The Warriors got off to a fast start in the second half, going on a 11-2 run. That put the Warriors in front 44-35, but Allen’s floater put the Nets within one point.
Bradley Beal made back-to-back free throws, but Curry made two 3-pointers.
After Allen’s jumper, Thompson made a 3-pointer for a 51-47 lead.
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After a Nets turnover, Curry made a 3-pointer to give the Warriors a 53-49 lead. Curry added another 3-pointer that gave the Warriors a 61-53 lead.
The Nets cut the lead to one point on a two-handed dunk by Allen, but Curry made a 3-pointer on the next possession to give the Warriors a 64-57 lead with 4:30 to play.