Feisty Nets shake off injury woes to beat Golden State
Nets forward Trendon Watford, left, is congratulated by Jalen Wilson after scoring against Golden State during the second half of an NBA game in San Francisco on Monday. Credit: AP/Jed Jacobsohn
SAN FRANCISCO -- The Nets were feeling high after Sunday’s emotional win in Sacramento. They found a greater lift two hours south against Golden State.
Down 18 points in the third quarter, the Nets rallied for a 128-120 win at Chase Center. It was an improbable turnaround given they were down multiple starters because of injury and Golden State entered as the Western Conference’s best team by record.
The Nets, who played nine of 10 healthy players, outscored Golden State, 41-28, in the fourth quarter and led or tied for all but 50 seconds. With no healthy centers, Ziaire Williams started in the middle and had 19 points and 10 rebounds for his second career double-double
Dennis Schroder had 17 points and four assists in the period. His fourth assist, a three-pointer by Trendon Watford, put the Nets (8-10) up 124-115 with 1:04 left and sent fans heading to the exits.
Schroder, who missed Sunday’s win with an ankle injury, had a game-high 31 points. Jalen Wilson, who moved into the starting lineup, added 18 points in a season-high 41 minutes, and the Nets tied a season-high with 20 three-pointers.
“Just continue with the fight, continue to believe in what we do and how we play,” Wilson said. “It’s still a long game. There’s no 15, 16-point plays that we could make but we can definitely inch away, fight every single minute and that's what we did.”
For the second time in 24 hours, the Nets used a strong fourth quarter to pull away after starting this road trip with a late collapse against the 76ers. They needed it, too, after looking defeated with 7:13 left in the third quarter.
A layup by Trayce Jackson-Davis put Golden State (12-5) up 86-68 and had coach Jordi Fernandez calling timeout.
“Trying to find a spark and hold the guys accountable,” Fernandez said. “But they did it to each other, and they kept fighting. They brought the game under 10. We ended up winning the third quarter . . . and ended up winning the fourth so it was a complete team effort.”
They went on an 11-0 run after that break. It kept going with a Schroder three-pointer that cut it to six. The Nets closed the third on a 19-6 run and trailed 92-87. Then Schroder went on an 8-0 run to open the fourth, giving the Nets a 95-94 lead with his second three of the period.
It was an impressive effort given how many Nets were in street clothes. Ben Simmons (injury management), Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle sprain) and Noah Clowney (left ankle sprain) were all out. Clowney had an MRI done after his injury Sunday and the Nets were still awaiting results.
Nic Claxton (lower back soreness) also was a pregame scratch. Things got worse midway through the first quarter when Cam Johnson stepped on Draymond Green’s foot and grimaced while grabbing the back of his leg. He exited the game and although he returned with 7:22 in the second, he labored through the end of the period.
Johnson was ruled out at halftime with a sprained right ankle. Cam Thomas had 23 points but sat out the final 18:43 after Fernandez said he looked tired after taking a foul.
“He was available and I didn’t feel like it was right," Fernandez said. "I just wanted to protect him from himself."
It made the comeback even more incredible relying mostly on the bench. Shake Milton had a season-high 13 points. Watford and Keon Johnson each had eight points. Even Tyrese Martin, one of the Nets’ two-way players, contributed with tough defense, including a key block.
Stephen Curry had 28 points to lead Golden State. He had eight in the third, including a four-point play to put his team up 16.
It should've pushed the Nets further near the edge of defeat. Instead, it was prologue to another gritty win that improved them to 5-1 against Western Conference teams. They’re also 2-1 on this road trip heading to their final stop Wednesday at the Suns.
“Early in the season, we didn’t have some great fourth quarters,” Williams said. "So it's all about just learning, man. Learning experiences. Every loss is a lesson and the past we’ve learned from it.”
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
