Golden State Warriors Blow Early Lead, End Win Streak at 10 in Brooklyn

Jan 8, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets shooting guard Joe Johnson (7) controls the ball against Golden State Warriors small forward Andre Iguodala (9) during the first quarter of a game at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

If you’re a Golden State Warriors fan, you’re trying to grasp the idea that you’re not content with a 6-1 road trip. If you’re a Brooklyn Nets fan, you’re excited that your team has cooled the hottest team in the NBA with a 102-98 win. At the end of the ballgame, it came down to who was making more shots. The Warriors’ defense was rock solid as usual, but their offense could have been better. They missed three last minute 3-pointers, and didn’t have a field goal till the final 10 seconds (previous one was at 4′ mark).

In the early part of this game, the Warriors were connecting on all their shots. Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry owned Brooklyn as the Splash Brothers, and it really sounded as if they had a lot of support there. The Dubs were leading 32-16 until the final minutes of the quarter, where back-to-back 3-pointers cut the Lead to 10 at 32-22. This was the beginning of the end.

To begin the second quarter, the bench unit took over for the Warriors. Playing horribly, they gave up a run to Brooklyn, who was able to get back in the game, take the lead and surge into halftime up by seven points. The Warriors were really struggling as they trailed 59-52 at the half.

They made up for some of their mistakes in the third quarter by furiously rallying back to take the lead entering the fourth at 76-75. It looked like the type of game that the Warriors should have had, but seemed to tired to grab it. The Nets simply outplayed them.  With about four minutes left in the ballgame, after trading baskets here and there, the Warriors led by 4. The Nets then shut them out until the final minute, which was quite hectic.

After a couple of turnovers with only a 3-point deficit, the Nets got to the line to ice the game. On the ensuing possession, however, Curry was fouled on a 3-pointer in a 2-possession game, and he made all three. Unfortunately for the Warriors, Kevin Garnett, who finished with 15 points (10 in the fourth) nailed both free throws afterwards. Curry then drilled a wondrous shot, just short of a 3-pointer, and it was too little, too late.

There were a lot of contributing factors to the Warriors’ loss tonight, but one of them was turnovers. This has been the biggest issue for the Warriors this season, as they gave the ball away 18 times with 27 personal fouls. They turned the ball over in crucial times, and just lost focus at the end. Fatigue surely played a role, and the Nets, making a lot of their shots, certainly didn’t help either.

The Warriors finally head back home where they will face the Boston Celtics, who have been struggling lately.