Nets at Warriors
One of the biggest mismatches of the season is on tap on Saturday when the Golden State Warriors host the woeful Brooklyn Nets. Golden State owns the top record in the NBA and has won 17 of its last 20 games, while Brooklyn possesses the worst record in the league and has lost 15 consecutive games and 26 of its last 27.
Golden State resumed play after the All-Star break with a 123-113 home win over the Los Angeles Clippers, a contest that featured 35 points from Stephen Curry and a 50-point third quarter by the Warriors to overcome a 12-point halftime deficit. "That's a lot of points. Is that the most we've had all season in a quarter?" shooting guard Klay Thompson asked reporters, unaware it was the franchise's first 50-point quarter since March 21, 1989. "Being down 12 was good for us because it really pushed our focus to be better." Brooklyn opened up its eight-game Circus Trip with a 129-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday to drop to 2-24 on the road. It was the second straight game in which the Nets allowed 129 points and they have given up 100 or more in 32 of the past 33 games.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), CSN Bay Area (Golden State)
ABOUT THE NETS (9-48): Point guard Jeremy Lin (hamstring) returned on Friday after a 26-game absence and had seven points and five assists in 15 minutes off the bench. It was only the 13th game Lin has played this season and Brooklyn management is interested in seeing how Lin and center Brook Lopez mesh over the rest of the campaign. "We, obviously, are confident in what we can do together. We know we have to go out there and do it game-by-game," Lopez told reporters. "We've had a little taste of it before. We're excited to help our team win in whatever way possible. That's the most important thing, is just putting wins on the scoreboard."
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (48-9): Curry was in a shooting funk prior to the All-Star break when he averaged 12 points on 8-of-32 shooting (3-of-19 from 3-point range) in the final two games. He has no such issues against the Clippers as he was 10-of-16 from the field, including 6-of-10 from 3-point range while reaching 35 or more points for the eighth time this season. Small forward Kevin Durant briefly left Thursday's game with a left pinkie injury and finished with 25 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Warriors won 10 of their previous 11 home games versus the Nets.
2. Thompson was 2-of-5 from 3-point range against the Clippers after being 26-for-44 over his previous four contests.
3. Rookie SG Caris LeVert scored 10 points on Friday and will get a long look after Brooklyn traded starter Bojan Bogdanovic to the Washington Wizards on Thursday.