G16 GS Warriors (12-4) vs Brooklyn Nets (6-9)

Game Thread 227

Can the Nets surprise the league by beating the Durant-less Warriors?

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“Love it,” Carroll said. “Like I tell all these guys, this is what you live for. It’s going to be a packed house. We don’t know how many of them — Brooklyn Nets fans — we’ll have. But at the end of the day, this is where you show and improve. Just like we did against Cleveland, everybody doubted us and counted us out, but we gotta go out and show who we are.”

Those were Carroll’s comments after the Nets played arguably their most complete game of the season in a 118-107 win over the Utah Jazz. The Nets shot a season-high 50.8 percent, led for the final 41-plus minutes and by as much as 22, setting up the excitement of facing the defending champions.

Those words were spoken about 24 hours before the Warriors pulled off the largest comeback in the NBA this season by rallying from 24 points down to get a 124-116 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. The Warriors are heading to Brooklyn after allowing 47 points in the first quarter and, also producing a 47-point third quarter.

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Golden State’s impressive comeback was its seventh win in eight games. It also was the Warriors’ fourth when trailing by at least 15 points, two shy of last season’s total.

“The communication was on a different level coming into that third quarter,” Warriors forward Kevin Durant said. “It was just like a perfect storm. We don’t want to have to do that every night, but it was good that we came out and played with a different level of energy and intensity.”

While hoping not to experience the same fate as Philadelphia, the Nets will be attempting to get consecutive wins for the second time this season. They also will be curious to see if Spencer Dinwiddie can come close to replicating the best game of his career.

Dinwiddie is the starting point guard until D’Angelo Russell returns from arthroscopic knee surgery.

On Friday, Dinwiddie totaled 25 points, eight assists while hitting six 3-pointers and not committing a turnover. He was the first player in franchise history to produce such a game and Dinwiddie shot 9 of 14, including 6 of 10 from 3 to set career highs in field goals and 3-pointers.

The 24-year-old, whom the Nets signed Dec. 8, is averaging 16 points in four starts on 46.8 percent shooting. Overall, Dinwiddie is averaging 11 points, 5.6 assists and shooting 44.6 percent from 3-point range.

Before Friday, Dinwiddie’s previous career high was 22 in a 112-107 win over Cleveland on Oct. 25. The Nets are 3-7 since beating the Cavaliers, whom like the Warriors will visit Brooklyn on the second night of a back-to-back.

Besides seeing if Dinwiddie can produce another steady offensive showing, the Nets will be curious to see how he fares defensively against Curry, who is averaging 23.2 points in 14 games against the Nets.

“With anybody, especially with great scorers, there has to be some level of help,” Dinwiddie told reporters after practice Saturday. “Obviously you have to pick (Curry) up a lot further out than most people and be cognizant of him off the ball because he’s a great mover off the ball. His gravity that he creates on offense is second to none, but you’ve got to stick to your principles. Boston got a win by doing that. That’s what we’re looking to try to do.”

The last time the Nets hosted the Warriors, they struggled to contain Durant. Durant scored 17 of his 26 points after halftime with 11 of those points coming during a 39-point third quarter that resembled what unfolded in Philadelphia Saturday.

Durant is averaging 25.8 points in 15 games against the Nets and among those tasked with defending him is Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.

“He’s a scoring champion, so it’s our job to come out and make everything tough,” Hollis-Jefferson said. “He makes tough shots all the time. That’s his game. So, we’ll live with those fadeaways and step-backs but make sure you make him work for every point.”

The Warriors are 8-2 in the last 10 meetings against the Nets and 11-5 since Curry entered the league in 2009.

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