OAKLAND -- After a tight first half during which the Warriors eventually found some rhythm, they pulled it together well enough Saturday night for a 116-100 thrashing of the Brooklyn Nets.
Playing without Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Shaun Livingston, the Warriors got 28 points from Kevin Durant, a season-high 27 from Quinn Cook -- who started for Curry at point guard -- and 24 from Klay Thompson.
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SIGN UP HERE Here are three quick takeaways from the win that pushed the Warriors to 11-2 this season:
Cook has more than a nice shooting stroke
With Curry out, the Warriors knew they would need scoring from someone other than Thompson and Durant. They hoped Cook would provide it, and he rewarded them even better than they might have imagined.
Cook’s scoring came in a highly efficient manner. He shot 11 of 16 from the floor, including 3 of 5 from beyond the arc. His 19-point first half was a statement. That alone would have been satisfactory, but he added eight more points after intermission.
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Moreover, Cook also delivered in other areas, chalking up five assists and grabbing three rebounds, an stellar number for someone barely 6 feet. He finished plus-16.
The biggest worry entering this game was how well Cook would perform. If he produces anything close to this, the Warriors are in good hands with Curry out.
Durant fills a lot of gaps
The Warriors’ second biggest concern was whether they’d find the required energy in Green’s absence. It was missing in Thursday’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
No one brought more than Durant. It was as if he had absorbed some of Green’s unyielding passion into his soul. Durant not only danced on the stat sheet but also lifted the spirit of the entire team.
Durant led the team in scoring (on 9-of-15 shooting from the field) and assists (11) and was tied for the lead in steals (two), two categories in which Green generally excels. For good measure, Durant also rejected a shot at the rim. He was plus-22 for the game.
Durant’s scoring ability is unquestioned. He’s a four-time scoring champ. But he also has a knack for providing what’s needed beyond that, which is important when other stars are out of the lineup.
Timely defense turns things in their favor
The Warriors were scorching the nets early, reaching 70 percent shooting early in the second quarter, but they couldn’t pull away because they weren’t defending well enough.
That changed later in the quarter. Up 59-53, the Warriors blanked Brooklyn over the final 3:18 of the half, taking a 65-53 lead into intermission.
They didn’t stop there. The Warriors opened the second half by holding the Nets to only one field goal over the first four minutes.
Those two defensive surges -- allowing just two points over a nearly eight-minute stretch -- resulted in a six-point lead growing to 13, and eventually to 20 later in the third.
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