The Nets came into this game after snapping a 3 game losing streak. Kevin Durant was out in their last game but was back for his first game back in the Bay Area since leaving the Warriors. The Nets also had 2 days of rest going into the game. The Warriors were coming off of a 2 game win streak and had a day of rest. The Warriors were still missing both of their centers in this game. Luckily for the Warriors Deandre Jordan was out for the Nets so both teams were playing small ball. As he has been and will be for the whole season Klay Thompson was injured so this wouldn’t really be a full 2017, 18, and 19 reunion. For the Nets to win they needed to score well, defend Curry, and force a lot of turnovers. For the Warriors to win they needed to play amazing defense, limit turnovers, and limit fouls. This was a game with an extremely star studded lineup and looked like it would be a very exciting and entertaining game. Would Curry and the Warriors beat KD and the Nets or would the Nets take home the win in this reunion of 2 former teammates? To the game!
The Warriors won the tip but after a turnover Joe Harris made a 3 for the Nets. After a second straight turnover from the Warriors Bruce Brown made a putback layup to give the Nets a 5 point lead. Then at 10:41 Juan Toscano-Anderson made a layup for the Warriors first points of the quarter. At 10:11 Stephen Curry made 3 free throws to tie the game at 5. At 9:01 Brown made a layup to give the Nets a 2 point lead. At 8:58 Curry made a 3 to give the Warriors a 8-7 lead. At 5:47 Durant made a 3. At 4:51 Stephen Curry made a layup to retake the lead for the Warriors. Durant quickly followed that up with a turnaround jumper to give the Nets the lead. At 3:24 Draymond Green made a layup to give the Warriors a 2 point lead. Then the Warriors and Nets traded layups leaving the Warriors with a 2 point lead going into a Nets timeout. At 2:25 James Harden made 2 free throws to give the Nets the lead. At 2:02 Landry Shamet made 3 free throws to give the Nets a 5 point lead. With 28.6 seconds left in the quarter Durant made a jumper to give the Nets an 11 point lead. To end the quarter Curry made a layup to cut it to a 9 point game at the end of the quarter. The Nets were leading 37-28 going into the second quarter. Curry and Durant were the leading scorers with 12 points and 8 points respectively. A nice 13-4 run to end the quarter for the Nets helped them take a nice lead. The Nets played good defense in the first quarter with 3 steals and 2 blocks. The Warriors also had 5 turnovers compared to the Nets’ 2. The Nets also had 2 more rebounds, 3 more assists, and shot better than the Warriors with 46.4% from the field, 33.3% from 3, and no missed free throw. The Warriors on the other hand shot 44% from the field, 20% from 3, and 57.1% from the free throw line. The Warriors hoped to take a lead in the 2nd quarter and the Nets hoped to expand their lead.
To start the 2nd quarter Damion Lee made a 3 to make it a 6 point game. At 10:05 Andrew Wiggins made a 3 to cut the deficit to 3 for the Warriors. At 8:56 Durant made a 3 to give the Nets their first points of the quarter. At 8:18 Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot made 2 free throws to give the Nets a 10 point lead. At 5:29 Kent Bazemore made 1 of 2 free throws to lower the Net lead to 10. Near the minute and 30 second mark Draymond Green injured his right leg while contesting a Durant 3. Draymond ended up walking into the locker room. At the end of the first half the Nets were leading 66-51. The Nets played well in the first half with 10 more rebounds and 4 more offensive rebounds than the Warriors. The Nets were also playing good defense forcing 7 turnovers. The Nets did have 8 turnovers though which wasn’t good. The Nets played well as a team with no player with a negative +/-. The Nets shot well with 46.9% from the field, 34.8% from 3, and 92.3% from the free throw line. The Warriors shot 39.1% from the field, 20% from 3, and 73.3% from the free throw line. The Warriors went into the 3rd quarter looking to take the momentum and the lead. The Nets went into the 3rd quarter looking to make it very unlikely for the Warriors to be able to comeback. To the third!
Luckily for the Warriors Draymond Green was fine and was back in the game in the 3rd. To start the 3rd quarter Kelly Oubre Jr. made a layup to cut it to a 13 point game. At the 11 minute mark Brown made a layup to give the Nets their first points of the quarter. In the first few minutes of the quarter the Nets kept building up their lead. At 5:51 Jeff Green made a layup to give the Nets a 20 point lead. At 4:01 Durant made a floater to give the Nets a 26 point lead. At the end of the third quarter the Nets were leading 108-82. After the 3rd quarter the Nets had 9 more assists and 9 more rebounds than the Warriors. Curry and Durant were still the leading scorers with 24 points and 19 points. The Nets kept shooting well with 54.7% from the field, 37.5% from downtown, and 93.3% from the free throw line. The Warriors on the other hand were shooting 44.1% from the field, 21.4% from deep, and 76.2% from the free throw line. The game was pretty much over after the 3rd quarter so both teams were looking to finish the game well.
To start the 4th quarter Brad Wannamaker made a layup to cut the Net lead to 24. At 10:11 Tyler Johnson made a 3 to give the Nets their first points of the quarter. At 6:55 Eric Paschall made a layup to cut the Nets’ lead to 19 points. For the rest of the quarter the Net lead hovered around 22. The Nets ended up winning 134-117.
Leo’s Courtside Commentary: The Nets played an amazing game in Kevin Durant’s return to the Bay Area. The Nets had 10 more assists, 8 more rebounds, equal turnovers, and equal fouls. The Nets also had 3 more steals, 1 less block, and shot better than the Warriors with 53.8% from the field, 41% from 3, and 90% from the free throw line. The Warriors shot 48.9% from the field, 26.5% from downtown, and 80% on free throws. The leaders for the Nets were James Harden with 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 16 assists and Kyrie Irving with 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. The Nets also had 6 players with 14 or more points. The leaders of the Warriors were Stephen Curry with 27 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists and Draymond Green with 6 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, and a block. The Warriors ended up getting outscored by the talented Nets offense which was the story of the game. Overall, this was a disappointing game for the Warriors in a reunion of former teammates.
Out of LF 
Thank you so much for the detailed recap. I missed this game but would have found it hard to watch – especially because of KD’s return to the Bay Area.
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