Red-hot Curry leads Warriors past Nets

Scores 12 of 29 points in fourth quarter to thwart Brooklyn

February 6, 2024 John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Stephen Curry carried the Warriors past the Nets in crunch time Monday night at Downtown's Barclays Center. AP Photo by John Munson

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Sixty points in a defeat? Or 29 points in a win?

That’s an easy choice for a four-time NBA champion like Stephen Curry.

Two nights after torching Atlanta in defeat with one of the highest-scoring performances of his career, Curry saved his best for last Monday night in front of a sellout crowd of 17,919 fans at Downtown’s Barclays Center.

The 2022 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player went 12-of-24 from the floor, including the only four 3-pointers Golden State made all night, and put up 12 points over the final seven minutes to hand Brooklyn a 109-98 loss.

“It was ugly on both sides,” Curry noted. “But I think everybody was trying to execute and trying to settle into the style of the game, and then thankfully in the second half we made the right adjustments and took control and never looked back.”

Curry, who fell two points shy of his career best in an overtime loss to the Hawks on Saturday, joined the rest of the Warriors (22-25) in being stone cold from everywhere in the first half, falling behind 49-43.

But power forward Jonathan Kuminga and the future Hall of Famer took over thereafter.

Kuminga finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds, scoring on consecutive trips after the Nets (20-29) cut the deficit to 84-80 on a 3-pointer by Royce O’Neale with 7:37 left in regulation.

The Warriors, who outscored the Nets 66-49 following intermission, watched Curry do his thing down the stretch.

The 35-year-old 10-time All-Star hit a floater, drained a step-back 28-footer, drove for a layup off a feed from Draymond Green, drilled a short jumper and converted a three-point play with 1:19 to go that gave Golden State a 105-94 cushion.

Brandin Podziemski amassed 15 points and 11 boards for the Warriors, who grabbed 60 rebounds, the most by any Net opponent this year, and scored 72 points in the paint to offset their poor outside shooting touch.

Brandin Podziemski pushes past Cam Johnson Monday night in Downtown Brooklyn as the Warriors rallied past the Nets in the second half. AP Photo by John Munson

“If there’s one area we’ve kind of slid in, it’s definitely the rebounding piece and we need multiple bodies to participate,” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn admitted.

“They were 2-of-11 from 3(-point range) in the first half, so we were trying to keep them away from three. … You react to some of those guys making 3s and they’re pretty good (inside).”

Good enough to roll to their third win in four games while handing Brooklyn its seventh loss in its last nine home contests.

“Against that kind of switching defense, if you’re kind of jogging through stuff it’s really easy to just switch and say in front,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told the Associated Press.

“So I thought the first five minutes of the second half really set a good tone. Our guys were much sharper and harder with the cuts,” he added.

The Nets put up 136 points in beating Philadelphia on Saturday in the City of Brotherly Love, but back on the corner of Atlantic and Flatbush they shot 34 percent (34-of-89) in the opener of this five-game homestand.

With Ben Simmons (rest day), Dorian Finney-Smith (ankle) and Day’Ron Sharpe (knee) out, Brooklyn couldn’t take advantage of a Golden State team missing Andrew Wiggins due to a sore left ankle.

Cam Thomas tried to repeat his 41-point effort against the Sixers on Saturday, but went 4-of-21 from the floor, missing all six of his shots from beyond the arc, to finish with a team-high 18 points.

Nic Claxton, who was ejected for a flagrant foul in the fourth quarter, finished with 15 points and a career-high seven blocked shots.

O’Neale also added 15 points, but Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson only managed 13 apiece on a combined 10-for-24 shooting performance, including 4-for-13 on 3s.

“It’s on me to get our group to adapt,” Vaughn said of his squad playing short-handed.

The Nets won’t get much time to lick their wounds as former Brooklyn superstar Kyrie Irving makes his much-anticipated return to Barclays with the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.

Irving, who was dealt to Dallas last February, scored 23 points in Philadelphia Monday night to lead the Mavericks (27-23) to a 118-102 triumph.

The Nets were burned for 33 points by former teammate Kevin Durant last Wednesday as he made a triumphant return to Brooklyn with the Phoenix Suns.

Irving and Durant were both dealt away prior to last year’s trade deadline after failing in their quest to deliver our borough’s first major pro sports title since the 1955 Dodgers beat the hated Yankees.

Nic Claxton blocked a career-best seven shots before being ejected in the fourth quarter of Brooklyn’s loss to Golden State Monday night. AP Photo by John Munson

NOTHING BUT NET: Simmons, who had nine rebounds and five assists in 14 minutes off the bench in Philly Saturday, took Monday night off to rest after playing for just the second time since Nov. 6, when he was first shelved with a nerve impingement in his back. The 6-foot-10 point guard is expected to suit up against Irving and the Mavs on Tuesday. … After hosting Dallas, the Nets will welcome Cleveland to Barclays on Thursday, San Antonio will be here Saturday and Boston invades Brooklyn next Tuesday before the teams conclude a home-and-home in Beantown on Valentine’s Day. … Golden State finished 4-of-22 from long range Monday while the Nets went 13-of-42 from 3-point land.