The Brooklyn Nets’ journey out West has included another victory. The away team faced major setbacks in the middle of the game that should have affected them mentally. The Golden State Warriors came off a loss against the San Antonio Spurs after giving up a 17-point lead. So why did the Warriors repeat the same performance against the Nets?
Game Recap: Brooklyn Nets-Golden State Warriors
The Brooklyn Nets started the first quarter strong. Though the Golden State Warriors made the first quarter competitive, the Nets came out on top, leading 34-30. To beat the Warriors, you would need more than a four-point lead. Yet, we need to give credit to the Brooklyn Nets’ performance in the first quarter, led by Cam Thomas.
Moving into the second quarter, the Brooklyn Nets struggled to maintain their lead. The Golden State Warriors dominated the second quarter with a stellar bench performance. Most of their points in the first half came from the bench. In the end, they led the Nets 67-58 at the break.
The Golden State Warriors maintained their lead against the Nets in the third quarter. At this point, the game was over after Steph Curry helped extend the team’s lead to 18 points. The Nets had to face a tragedy as Cam Thomas exited the game with a back injury. The team’s offense ran through Thomas as he scored 23 points in 23 minutes with 16 points in the first half. Cam Johnson also left the court due to an injury.
How Did the Warriors Lose To the Nets?
Sudden injuries like this should kill the morale of the team. Imagine losing your best players mid-game due to an injury. The Brooklyn Nets were affected mentally in the third quarter. That’s why the Warriors dominated that quarter with Steph Curry’s performance.
Net fans concluded that this game should be an easy win for the Warriors, but Dennis Schroder said hold my beer. The 30-year-old German helped the team come back from their 18-point deficit. In the fourth quarter, Schroder’s shooting efficiency from deep helped the team take the lead. Also, Ziaire Williams and Jalen Wilson followed Schroder’s leadership to outperform the Warriors.
The Brooklyn Nets scored 41 points in the fourth quarter while the Warriors had 28 points. Also, Schroder contributed 27 points with the buckets and dishes he made in the fourth quarter. The 30-year-old finished with 31 points, five rebounds, seven assists, and two steals. Also, he shot 10-for-18 from the field with 4-of-8 attempts from downtown. In a post-game interview, Nets Coach, Jordi Fernandez, praised Schroder.
“He took control of the game and took control of the lead. He put everybody in the right place on both ends of the floor, and that’s the kind of leadership he brings. It’s like having a coach on the floor. And when those things happen, I just let him do his thing, and if he has a question for me, I’ll try to give him an answer. Just his performance overall in the second half was that of a true leader.”
Golden State Warriors Flaws
The Golden State Warriors struggled from the charity stripe. The team did everything right and outperformed the Nets on paper. Yet, the Warriors weren’t successful from the line. The home team made 11-of-17 attempts from the foul line. The Brooklyn Nets made 26 of their 30 attempts from the line. Brooklyn’s defense was efficient and avoided multiple fouls that could have given the Warriors an additional advantage.
Moses Moody had a good game in the first half. He led Golden State’s offense and scored 15 points with a rebound and an assist. However, Steve Kerr’s poor rotation strategy cost the team more points. Moody didn’t see the floor again after the first half. Moody started the season well with a good shooting performance. Currently, he is shooting 46% from the field and 41% from deep. Also, he has the best bench performance on the team’s roster. Thus, his performance should be enough to earn him real NBA minutes.
Final Thoughts
Warriors fans couldn’t believe that their team gave away an 18-point lead to the seven-man Brooklyn Nets. The Golden State Warriors are second in the Western Conference, topped by the Oklahoma City Thunder. While Warrior fans are questioning Kerr’s decisions, it isn’t the time to panic as these things happen in basketball. Hopefully, the Warriors regroup and clinch the first seed as they will face the OKC Thunder on Wednesday.
