Nets too tough for Warriors
Dubs, Curry struggle against KD, Brooklyn in season opener
Despite the challenging schedule, head coach Steve Kerr had looked forward to Tuesday night’s season opener in Brooklyn as a chance to measure how the Warriors stack up to the league’s elite. In their 125-99 loss to the Nets, it was made clear that they have a ways to go.
Missed shots, flimsy defense and a lack of playmaking helped the Warriors dig themselves into an early hole. Brooklyn dominated from start to finish, as forward Kevin Durant — who made his Nets debut after sitting out last season with an Achilles tear he suffered in the 2019 Finals in his last season with the Warriors — powered the Nets to a 40-25 lead after the first quarter.
Durant (22 points on 7- of-16 shooting, five rebounds and three assists in 25 minutes) and point guard Kyrie Irving (26 points on 10-of-16 shooting, four rebounds and four assists in 25 minutes) reminded the Warriors that they no longer are the beneficiaries of elite talent.
“I just didn’t like our level of competition. It just felt like we were out there,” Kerr said. “I actually thought that we would compete harder and play better defense and we didn’t do that. We didn’t get into their airspace.”
While the Nets’ offense flowed freely, point guard Stephen Curry’s 20 points on 7-for-21 shooting (2-for-10 from 3-point range) and 10 assists in 30 minutes was not enough to make up for the Warriors’ shortage of shot making.
Without Klay Thompson (Achilles, out for season) and Draymond Green (foot, day-today), the offense struggled. Curry was forced to create on his own, using screens to wiggle free for a moment before stepping back into a 3-pointer or attempting a layup over several Brooklyn limbs.
Golden State’s two scoring wings, Andrew Wiggins (13 points on 4-for-16 shooting, two rebounds, one assist, four turnovers) and Kelly Oubre Jr. (six points on 3-for-14 shooting, seven rebounds), struggled from the field, and the Warriors as a team shot just 36.7% overall and 28.1% (10 of 33) from 3-point range.
Meanwhile the Nets poured it on, and shot 45.7% overall and 42.9% (15 of 35) from 3-point range.