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BROOKLYN — The Warriors might’ve hit rock bottom Wednesday in Brooklyn.
Playing without five players, including three starters, the reigning champions were embarrassed with a uneven 143-113 rout at the hands of former teammate Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets.
Brooklyn dominated the first half. Kevin Durant shrugged his shoulders after draining a mid-range basket that kickstarted a 20-2 run for the Nets over a 6:53 stretch in the opening stanza.
The Warriors were outscored 46-17 in the first quarter for their most lopsided quarter of the season. In fact, the 29-point deficit is tied for the Warriors’ worst first-quarter differential in franchise history, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
It didn’t get any better from there. The travel-weary Warriors who were without Stephen Curry (left shoulder injury), Andrew Wiggins (strained thigh muscle), Klay Thompson (injury management), Donte DiVincenzo (non-COVID illness) and JaMychal Green (health and safety protocols) looked absolutely deflated, allowing the red-hot Nets to score all over them. Golden State gave up a franchise-record 91 points by the half and trailed by 40, with still another 24 minutes to go.
The first half was the worst the Warriors have looked in a season that hasn’t at all gone according to plan. But the Warriors showed some signs of life in the second half.
While Golden State trailed by as many as 44 points, the visitors didn’t back down. They slowly chipped away at the Nets’ commanding lead, outscoring Brooklyn 28-18 in the third. Then, in the fourth, the Warriors went on a 15-2 run to trim the Nets’ advantage to 18 but that was the closest they would get as Brooklyn extinguished Golden State down the stretch.
The Warriors’ bench outscored their starters 71-42. Rookie Patrick Baldwin Jr. made his first five 3s and finished the night going 6-for-10 from the field for 17 points. James Wiseman added a career-high 30 points and six rebounds, and Ty Jerome had 14 points, seven assists and three rebounds.
The Nets took advantage of the Warriors’ porous defense, especially on the perimeter. The home team shot 54-of-84 from the field (good for 64.3%) and went 21-of-33 on 3s (63.6%). Meanwhile, the Warriors went 41-for-83 from the field (49.4%) and 12-for-33 from 3 (36.4%)
Nine Nets finished with double-digit scoring. Durant led the way with 23 points and seven rebounds.
Golden State totaled 21 turnovers to the Nets’ 15. Brooklyn scored 36 points off the Warriors’ turnovers.
The rout capped off a nightmare 1-5 road trip, during which Curry got injured and they suffered other blowout losses to the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks.
Golden State dipped to 15-18 and would miss the playoffs if the season ended Wednesday night.
The Warriors, who have won only three of their 19 road games this season, will return home in dire need to turn this thing around. They should have some reinforcements on the horizon. The team was targeting Wiggins to return during its eight-game homestand, which will kickoff with a marquee Christmas Day matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies. DiVincenzo and JaMychal Green will also hopefully be able to kick the illnesses they are battling sooner rather than later.
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