The Brooklyn Nets are counting on their productive bench to energize the team on a back-to-back as they visit the Golden State Warriors on Monday night in San Francisco.
Noah Clowney scored 18 points, including five 3-pointers, and Shake Milton added 10 as the Nets’ reserves contributed 44 points in a 108-103 win at Sacramento on Sunday. Jalen Wilson chipped in seven points, including a crucial late free throw, and Keon Johnson had six, as Brooklyn’s bench provided 101 minutes of support.
The Nets dominated the battle of the backups 44-9.
Starter Cameron Johnson credited the second-stringers for adapting quickly to new coach Jordi Fernandez’s up-tempo style, helping the Nets, who won just 32 games last year, to victories in two of their last three games.
Sunday’s win in Sacramento came after they blew an early 19-point lead.
The Nets will face the Warriors for the first time this season. Golden State has won five straight at home, including victories over the Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies that lifted them to first place in the West: Group C of the NBA Cup.
The Warriors secured a spot in the tournament’s Western semifinals with a 112-108 win at New Orleans on Friday. However, they didn’t fare well in their own back-to-back, falling 104-94 at San Antonio on Saturday.
Despite the recent loss, Warriors coach Steve Kerr emphasized that it wouldn’t affect their upcoming three-day, two-game homestand. Golden State hosts Oklahoma City on Wednesday.
The Warriors have lost two of their last four games, during which Stephen Curry’s scoring has decreased from 26 to 23 to 19 to 14 points.
Meanwhile, Andrew Wiggins has stepped up, scoring 20 or more points in all four games, shooting 57.6 percent (34 of 59).
Winning Monday’s series opener could hold extra significance if the recent trend continues. Each team’s two-game series since the 2015-16 season has ended in a sweep, with Brooklyn winning both games in 2022-23 and Golden State doing the same last season.
In their most recent meeting in San Francisco last December, Brooklyn’s Cam Thomas and Curry put on a show, with Thomas scoring 41 points and Curry 37. The Warriors’ bench outperformed the Nets’ reserves 30-13 that night.
