Nets Unable to Overcome Miscues, Blow Huge Lead vs. Warriors

Heading into a Thursday night matchup with the Golden State Warriors, the Brooklyn Nets were amid an ugly slump. Jordi Fernandez and company had lost five-straight, creating an urgent need for a momentum-building victory. Brooklyn proved unable to replicate its Nov. 25 success against Golden State, falling 121-119.

Cam Johnson led the Nets with 26 points and six rebounds in the sixth-straight loss.

In a stark contrast from the recent skid, Brooklyn's offense and defense were dominating in unison. Back at the Barclays Center, the hosts opened the contest on an 8-0 run as the triple was an early go-to on the offensive end. Golden State's fortunates began dwindling early, especially once Brandin
Podziemski exited early in the first quarter with an apparent back injury.

Without a primary scoring threat, the Warriors' struggles only continued to mount. They proved unable to defend on the perimeter while surrendering another 15-0 run just minutes following the first. As the frustrations increased, Steve Kerr received a technical foul, perfectly summing up the visitors' chaotic opening frame. Thanks to the dramatics and a 5-of-11 hit rate from deep, the Nets held a 35-15 advantage through one.

Despite boasting as large as a 22-point advantage, Brooklyn wouldn't remain unstoppable for a full 24 minutes. Late in the second quarter, it allowed a 10-0 Warriors run — courtesy of Stephen Curry. The NBA's all-time leader in three-pointers drilled two shots from beyond the arc on back-to-back possessions before darting Jimmy Butler in transition for an emphatic slam.

Late in the quarter, Thomas converted twice in the paint, regaining some momentum before the half, but Curry wasn't finished. In his signature fashion, he buried a turnaround 28-foot bomb, and suddenly, a once-massive lead had shrunk to just five at the break.

It took Curry and Golden State just two minutes through the third quarter to tie the game, the matchup's first even score since the first possession of the game. The out-of-conference opponents continued to trade buckets throughout the stanza.

Even though the Nets had blown a massive lead, that didn't prevent Nic Claxton from reaching a career milestone. He dished out his ninth assist of the evening, setting a career-high while assisting Brooklyn in its attempt to regain an advantage. Thanks to another four-point spurt from Thomas, he and the Nets had carved out a three-point cushion with 12 minutes to play.

Unfortunately, Golden State waited to reciprocate Brooklyn's early-game runs until the fourth quarter. The visitors began the final stretch on a 13-2 run as Curry and Butler continued gashing the Nets' defense seemingly every time down the floor. As the Warriors' complimentary pieces — Gary Payton II and Quinten Post — got involved, the Nets had no answer. Fernandez's offense went completely dry, reversing a 20-plus-point lead into an eight-point hole.

Brooklyn did manage to make things interesting in the final minutes of the game, courtesy of a Thomas triple to cut the deficit to two with 10 seconds to play. However, after sending Curry to the free-throw line in need of a miss, the game was essentially over.

Now 21-41, Brooklyn's next opportunity to pick up a much-needed victory will be this Saturday when the team travels to Charlotte for a matchup with the Hornets. The Nets are 3-0 this season against the Hornets, and look to complete the season sweep at 6 p.m. EST.

To access the final box score from the Nets' loss to the Warriors, click here.

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