On Saturday, Kevin Durant helped push the Brooklyn Nets to a 134-117 victory over the Golden State Warriors in his highly-anticipated return to the Bay Area. In Durant’s first appearance at Chase Center since joining the Nets, the former Warrior tallied 20 points on 8-of-19 shooting from the field with six assists, five rebounds and two blocks in 33 minutes.
At the first break in the first quarter, the Warriors welcomed Durant to San Francisco with a tribute video that highlighted some of the top moments from his three-year run with Golden State.
Along with Durant, the Warriors got a full dose of the new-look Brooklyn Nets. While Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field, new addition James Harden notched an impressive near triple-double with 19 points, 16 assists and eight boards.
With a quiet shooting night from Steph Curry, the Warriors couldn’t keep pace against Brooklyn’s arsenal of playmakers.
The Warriors will have the chance to bounce back on Monday against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Chase Center.
Beyond The Arc
After hitting at least 17 triples in their previous two victories, the Warriors went quiet from beyond the arc against the Nets on Saturday night. Steph Curry, Damion Lee and Kent Bazemore led the Warriors from deep, making two 3-pointers each.
While Brooklyn buried 16 3-pointers at Chase Center, the Warriors shot 26.5% on 9-of-34 attempts from long distance.
Steph Curry
Heading into Golden State’s matchup against the Nets, Steph Curry was on a tear, averaging 37.8 points on 56.8% shooting from the field over his previous five games. While he managed to score a game-high 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field, the Golden State point guard couldn’t get a rhythm from deep.
Curry registered only a pair of 3-pointers on 2-of-9 shooting from long range. After tying an NBA record, the sharpshooter failed to notch four or more triples for the first time in 16 contests.
Draymond Green
In the second quarter, the Warriors dodged a potential disaster. While closing out on a Kevin Durant jumper, Draymond Green fell to the floor and grabbed his leg. After laying on the court in pain, Green left the game for the locker room with a noticeable limp.
Draymond Green left for the locker room after awkwardly falling after defending Durant.
There didn’t appear to be any contact on the play. pic.twitter.com/YcuT6TEjxW
— ESPN (@espn) February 14, 2021
Luckily for Golden State, Green’s injury didn’t appear to be serious. The former Defensive Player of the Year was able to return at the start of the second half against Brooklyn. After the game, the three-time All-Star said his knee “locked up,” something that happens from time to time in his career.
Draymond Green said his knee "locked up" again. It's happened sporadically over his career. He says sometimes soreness lingers from it, but he will play Monday.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 14, 2021
Green finished the contest with eight assists, seven rebounds, six points a block in 32 minutes.
