Brooklyn's Strong Defense a Takeaway as Nets Lose to Warriors

The Brooklyn Nets (17-56) stayed on the West Coast for a late-night showdown with the Golden State Warriors (35-38) on Wednesday.

Similar to Monday's game in Portland, the Nets would be facing a team desperate for a win to stay alive in the Western Conference playoff race. Both teams were without their stars, as Michael Porter Jr. and Stephen Curry missed the game with respective injuries. Despite leading for most of the way, the Nets dropped this game 109-106 to lose their ninth game in a row.

Here are the three biggest takeaways from the Nets road loss to the Warriors.

Ziaire Williams' Defensive Prowess

Ziaire Williams was one of the best players on the court Wednesday night, and he was doing it on both ends of the court. He scored 19 points to help pace the Nets offensively. But it was his defensive work that really stole the show.

Williams finished the game with a career-high six steals, singlehandedly ending numerous Golden State possessions before a shot could go up. He got his hand in passing lanes, poked balls out from behind, and was a pest defensively all night long. At 6-foot-9, he has the size to frustrate opposing offenses on a nightly basis. He did just that in the Bay Area on Wednesday.

Brooklyn Made Golden State Pay For Mistakes

The Warriors committed an astonishing 26 turnovers on Wednesday, which was a big reason Brooklyn held a lead for most of the game. Many of those turnovers were forced by the Nets, who did a great job of making Golden State uncomfortable. The Nets turned those turnovers into 28 points, making the Warriors pay for every mistake.

Jordi Fernandez will be proud of his team's defensive effort in this game. Even without some strong defenders in the lineup, his team battled hard and made the Warriors fight for every single point they scored. Brooklyn needs to play with this defensive intensity the rest of the regular season.

A Strong Night For The Bench

The Nets' bench is severely shorthanded at the moment, but that didn't stop them from turning in a strong performance in this game. Brooklyn had three players off the bench who scored in double figures, led by Jalen Wilson's 15 points. Chaney Johnson had 11 points and three assists, while Malachi Smith added some big buckets in the fourth quarter en route to 12 points.

This bench unit is full of guys looking to prove they belong in the NBA, and they certainly played like it. From rookies to guys on ten-day contracts, these players' futures in the league are up in the air, but games like this one go a long way toward proving they can succeed in the NBA.