Right from the start of the game, the Nets played with high energy and hustle.
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But the Warriors simply would not let their slate be blemished, and that goes for those slate uniforms as well.
But Andre Iguodala’s clutch three before Lopez’s miss sent the game to OT.
But they almost did just that until self-destructing in the closing seconds and ultimately falling in overtime, 107-99, in Oakland on Saturday night.
It’s no small thing that all of the Warriors’ streaks remain intact. Thanks to overtime, they have scored 100 points in 40 consecutive home games. Still, you can make a good argument that the Warriors didn’t deserve to beat the Nets – that a different coaching decision here or a different bounce there would have lead to a very different outcome. I wasn’t sure what time I’d grabbed the basketball, and how much time had elapsed, but even still, I should have been smarter than that.
Curry is determined to show the rest of the league he’s a far more polished player, capable of spectacular performances and leading the new-and-improved Warriors during another special season. Eventually Jarrett Jack realized what was happening and started to move it up court, but by then the referees had called an eight-second violation, giving the ball back to Golden State.
The Warriors – particularly Stephen Curry – weren’t particularly happy to see their old friend Jarrett Jack on Saturday night. He hit a 3-pointer with 7:27 left to cut it to four, and after the two teams traded buckets, he canned another 3-pointer from the left wing to draw Golden State within 85-84.
Curry led the nation in scoring with 28.6 points per game. Harrison Barnes followed up with a short jumper to give Golden State an 88-85 lead with 3:45 to go.
Well, with the Nets up three and nine seconds left in regulation, Warriors forward Andre Iguodala, who’s shot 62.5% from the free throw line in his Warriors tenure, buried a three-pointer to tie the game. The Nets got two shots off on the other end, missing a Brook Lopez tip at the buzzer.
Utah was without starting center Rudy Gobert, the NBA’s No. 3 shot-blocker, who has a sprained left ankle. So no matter how bad the Nets are this year the end of the tunnel is still dark because the Celtics get their pick.
The Warriors looked primed to deliver a second-half knockout blow after rallying from 17 down in the second quarter to briefly late in the first half.
Draymond Green recorded a triple-double, the second of his career, with 16 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.
As the final moments of the third quarter waned, the Warriors still trailed.
Without Klay Thompson and Leandro Barbosa, Brandon Rush got the start at shooting guard. It was all behind the lead of Thaddeus Young, who scored 14 points in the quarter – finishing with 26 points and 10 rebounds on 12-of-22 shooting.
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Jack made up for that lapse by deflecting a Curry pass on the ensuing possession, and after Young caught the loose ball and was fouled, he made a pair of free throws with 9.9 seconds remaining to make it 97-94 Nets. But faced with solid defensive pressure most of the night, Curry’s efficiency fell (13-31 from the field, 5-16 from behind the arc).
