Warriors wipe out deficit, down Nets
NEW YORK -- Kevin Durant scored 26 points as the Golden State Warriors clamped down defensively in the second half and rallied from a 16-point deficit to earn a 117-101 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday.
Klay Thompson added 23 points for the Warriors (26-4), who ran their winning streak to six games by completely turning things around after halftime. Stephen Curry contributed 15 points despite shooting 6 of 19, including 3 of 13 from 3-point range.
Golden State's Zaza Pachulia contributed 15 points and 14 rebounds. Durant added nine boards and seven assists.
Brook Lopez scored 23 of his 28 points in the first half for Brooklyn (7-21), which lost its fourth straight and dropped to 3-16 since Nov. 12. Sean Kilpatrick added 14 and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson contributed 13 for the Nets, who shot 38.8 percent in the second half and scored 36 points after intermission
The Warriors faced a 65-49 halftime deficit by allowing the Nets to shot 48 percent, but it quickly turned. Golden State forced 18 turnovers after the break and scored 25 points off those giveaways.
The Warriors outscored the Nets 37-19 in the third quarter, but the game was still close in the opening minutes of the fourth. Brooklyn was within 92-88 on a layup by Jeremy Lin at the 9:04 mark, but the Warriors seized control with an 11-3 run capped by consecutive dunks from Shaun Livingston in a span of 24 seconds around the six-minute mark.
Golden State finished it off about two minutes later on a 20-footer by Thompson and a 3-pointer by Curry, pushing the lead to 108-93 with 4:12 remaining. Those baskets produced loud roars from many fans in the crowd, and the Warriors wound up with their 18th double-digit win of the season.
Before coming alive on both ends, Curry and Thompson were a combined 7 of 25 from the floor in the opening 24 minutes.
Golden State's comeback began instantly with a 12-0 run in the opening 3:32 of the third quarter. The Warriors never trailed after Andre Iguodala hit a 3-pointer with 1:39 left in the fourth
NOTES: Golden State F Draymond Green returned to the Bay Area for the birth of his son, who was born Thursday morning. Green flew with the team to New York following Tuesday's game before flying back. Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he was disappointed in himself for not convincing Green to stay home. Green told Kerr he was convinced the birth was not occurring for another week. It is unknown if Green will return for Friday's game in Detroit and Sunday's contest in Cleveland. ... Nets rookie G Isaiah Whitehead (left foot soreness) missed his second straight game. ... Asked about the NBA scheduling the Nets for back-to-back games against Golden State and the Cleveland Cavaliers, coach Kenny Atkinson joked: "I asked Sean (Marks, the Nets' general manager) if I could take the week off." ... Helen Brooks, a 107-year-old Warriors fan known as Sweetie, died Thursday.