Stephen Curry scored a game-high 29 points and converted a clutch three-point play with 1:19 remaining to seal the Warriors' bounce-back 109-98 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night at Barclays Center, two days after a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
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Jonathan Kuminga stayed hot with 28 points and 10 rebounds while Brandin Podziemski had 15 points and 11 boards for his third consecutive double-double and sixth overall.
Podziemski is the Warriors first rookie to have three straight double-doubles since Curry did it in February 2010.
Golden State (22-25) didn’t have anyone else score in double digits but made up for it with a commanding 72-38 scoring advantage in the paint.
Andrew Wiggins didn't play against the Nets because of a sore ankle he hurt Saturday, but Moses Moody came back from his calf injury and Dario Šarić returned after being out sick.
Golden State Warriors
Coming off an historic 60-point performance against the Hawks, Curry didn’t put up the same type of numbers but was still very effective and came through when it counted most. He shot 12 of 24, made four 3-points to go with five rebounds and three assists.
The Warriors needed it on a night that they were terrible from downtown, shooting just 4 of 22 (18.2 percent), their lowest percentage beyond the arc since at least the 2021-22 season.
After the Nets (20-29) cut a nine-point deficit to 84-80 on Royce O’Neale’s 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, Curry scored off his own miss for a bucket down low then followed that up with a little step-back 3-pointer over Brooklyn’s 6-foot-11 center Nic Claxton.
The Warriors still had trouble shaking the Nets, as they got within 94-88 with 3:53 remaining but Golden State rookie Gui Santos scored off an offensive rebound.
Neither team played well during a mostly ugly display of first-half basketball.
The Warriors' season-long struggles with turnovers cropped up again, as they committed 10 first-half giveaways that led to 15 Nets points, and were just 2 of 11 on 3-pointers before halftime. That was critical in a game that the Nets led 49-43 at the break.
The Nets were slightly better, but not by much, shooting just 6 of 26 overall from the perimeter. They weren’t very effective inside the key offensively or defensively.
Kevon Looney played in his 240th consecutive regular season game with the Warriors, the eighth-longest streak in franchise history.
Here are the takeaways from Monday’s game:
Another record for Curry
Two days after making history as only the second NBA player to score 60 points after turning 35, Curry added another major milestone to his resume when he made the 3,600th 3-pointer of his. Curry already is recognized as the greatest distance shooter in league history, and his latest accomplishment is another confirmation of that.
Like in Atlanta when Curry did the majority of his scoring after halftime, the Golden State star was slow to get going against the Nets before he turned things on. He took only two shots in the first quarter then broke loose for 10 points in the second quarter and 17 in the second half.
Another new lineup
After finally finding a lineup that he was comfortable with, Coach Steve Kerr was forced to jumble things up again when Wiggins was declared unavailable. Klay Thompson (eight points, six rebounds) slid over to fill Wiggins’ spot, and Podziemski got the nod at shooting guard. The duo joined regulars Curry, Kuminga and Green in the starting lineup.
Wiggins’ absence had ramifications with the Warriors’ rotations. Moody, who missed nine games with a calf injury, returned and got some run when Thompson sat. Moody finished with four points in 15 minutes.
The Warriors don’t think Wiggins’ injury is too serious, and getting Moody back will help until the All-Star forward returns.
Golden State also received some positive news regarding two of their other injured players. Šarić (three points in four and a half minutes) returned after sitting out two games with an illness. Chris Paul, who has been the subject of some trade rumors, missed his 12th consecutive games with a fractured left hand that required surgery but did some shooting and looked fine during pregame.
Gui's the guy
With the roster constantly in flux due to injuries and performance, Kerr has had to reach deep in to his bench for help. In the little time he’s received, rookie Gui Santos is proving he can provide quality minutes.
The No. 55 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft has logged almost as much playing time in the Warriors’ last three games as he had all season. The 6-foot-8 power forward, who has been inactive for 19 games and held out entirely in 11 others, had career highs against the Nets (nine points and six rebounds in 17:43 minutes), and seems to be increasingly gaining the confidence of Kerr.
Santos, a plus-five in the games against Memphis and Atlanta, was plus-13 in Brooklyn.