The Brooklyn Nets welcomed the short-handed Golden State Warriors to Barclays Center on Wednesday and won 143-133. The Nets are now on a seven-game winning streak and have won 11 of their past 12 games.
For the Nets, Kevin Durant had 23 points and seven rebounds while Edmond Sumner had 16 points and two assists off the bench. Royce O’Neale had 14 points and Patty Mills had 13 points off the pine.
For the Warriors, James Wiseman had 30 points and six rebounds while Moses Moody had 17 points and three assists. Patrick Baldwin Jr. had 17 points as a reserve and Ty Jerome had 14 points.
This game became lopsided very fast as the Nets were on fire from the field. It was clear that the Warriors were beat up as they did not have the services of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, or Andrew Wiggins. Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving was a late scratch because of tightness in his right calf, but it looked like the Nets didn’t need his services to win this game.
The Warriors did a good job of out-rebounding the Nets and did not have the worst game offensively, but it was clear that they did not have the firepower to keep up with the Nets. Brooklyn found itself getting wide open shots on virtually every possession as it looks like the Warriors were tired and wanted to just go home.
Here are your Nets player grades:
Kevin Durant: A+
As he had done all season, Durant was able to get any shot he wanted against this depleted Warriors team. He was able to drive to the rim at will and displayed a good ability to draw fouls as well. Durant did a good job of finding teammates for easy scores throughout the game. He also played solid defense in this game for the most part and had active hands to get deflections and disrupt the Warriors’ offense.
Ben Simmons: B
Simmons was aggressive on the offensive end, but it was more with the intention to pass the ball rather than shoot it. It’s clear that Simmons is more of a facilitator than a scorer, but it’s good to see Simmons take some shots when he is near the rim. He did a good job on the boards as he had to fight with the Warriors’ bigs all game long. Simmons did a great job of pushing the ball in transition and using his vision to find teammates for easy layups or open threes and everything in between.
Joe Harris: B+
Harris did a good job shooting the ball in this game. Most of his shots were from three, but he looked confident shooting those shots and it was clear that he is in a groove with his outside shooting. Harris was crucial in filling the lanes on the break to put pressure on the defense to either defend the rim or find him in transition and that led to some easy looks for himself and his teammates throughout the night. He even did a good job passing the ball as he was able to find his teammates for easy buckers with regularity.
Royce O’Neale: A
This is going to sound like a broken record, but O’Neale was on fire from behind the three-point line. He has one of the better shooters on the team and he put that on full display tonight as he couldn’t miss. O’Neale played good defense throughout the game and was one of the reasons why Golden State struggled on offense in the early going before the game got out of hand.
Nic Claxton: B
Claxton did a good job on the boards as he finally played against a team that he has comparable size with. Claxton is tall, but isn’t the biggest guy in the league, but thankfully, the Warriors don’t have any large human beings either so Claxton wasn’t at a size disadvantage like he can be on most nights. He did a great job finishing at the rim and rebounding the basketball. Claxton has been one of the better defenders, not only on the Nets, but in the NBA.
Seth Curry: B
Curry had a solid game on offense. He wasn’t the sharpest from three-point land, but he was able to work his mid-range game to perfection. Curry is regarded as one of the better three-point shooters in the league, but games like this remind people that he can do damage inside the arc as well. He did a good job of finding his teammates when they got open cutting to the basket and popping out for three-point shots.
Edmond Sumner: B+
Sumner provided great energy in this game from the moment that he stepped on the floor. It looks like Sumner fills the Simmons’ role in terms of pushing the pace and trying to put pressure on the defense to make choices while getting back. Sumner was able to score at the rim with surprising ease and was even able to show off his range from behind the three-point line.
TJ Warren: B
Warren did not start this game with the hottest hand from the field, but he did pick up his scoring in the second half. He did a good job of remaining aggressive shooting the ball despite having tough misses early on. Warren did a solid job on the boards and finding his teammates in spots where they can score. He has been giving more effort on the defensive end as he wants to dispel that notion about him not being a good defender and he showed that effort tonight in helping to stymie the Warriors’ offense.
Yuta Watanabe: B
Watanabe did a good job of scoring the ball, especially from three-point land. Watanabe is having a career-year shooting the three-ball and he has been even more effective shooting from the corners. In addition to that, Watanabe was active as he was all over the court and was keeping the energy up for the Nets especially when the Warriors made a run in the fourth quarter.
Cam Thomas: C+
Thomas did a good job of scoring the basketball when he came in the game. He took some tough shots, as he tends to do in compressed minutes, but he was able to make them in this game so no harm, no foul. It looked like Thomas was more relaxed in this game since Brooklyn had a huge lead to work with.
Markieff Morris: B
Morris was incredible shooting the ball from the three-point arc. Morris does not play a lot of minutes, but when he is in the game, he usually provides some scoring. He did have trouble defending the dribble in this game, but he made up for that by helping out on the boards and playing a part in limiting the Warriors to one-shot possessions.
Patty Mills: B+
Mills looked like he got over his illness by being on fire from the second that he stepped on the court. He was hitting shots from all over the floor and was even able to finish at the rim. It was good to see Mills being aggressive and getting to his sweet spots.
Story originally appeared on Nets Wire
