Golden State Warriors crumble twice as old enemy comes back to bite

If Friday’s win over the Cleveland Cavaliers was one of the best of the Golden State Warriors‘ season, then a 120-116 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday may have to go down as one of their worst losses.

Cruelly aware of what Kyrie Irving can do in the tight moments, the Warriors failed to snuff out the Nets star as he went for 12 fourth-quarter points to elevate his team to victory. A Royce O’Neale triple with less than 30 seconds remaining gave Brooklyn the lead, with the visitors closing on a 22-6 run to steal a game Golden State had right there for the taking.

The Golden State Warriors twice had a double-digit lead…and twice crumbled, falling to the Brooklyn Nets in a disappointing performance at Chase Center.

Two triples from O’Neale sprung the Nets out to an 8-0 lead, but the Warriors soon discovered their mojo with an efficient first-quarter to hold a five-point advantage. Both teams combined to go 6-for-6 from deep early in the second, though Golden State began to turn the screws midway through the period. A one possession ball-game quickly blew out to a 17-point Warrior lead as Donte DiVincenzo went 4-for-4 from three-point range.

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After nearly an entire half with only one turnover, a couple of sloppy ones to close the second allowed Brooklyn to take some momentum despite trailing 72-60. Still, it was a blueprint of what the Warriors’ offense can produce, even if Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins were struggling for efficiency from the field.

The Nets continued their momentum into the third as that Warrior blueprint went by the wayside. Just ten points in nine minutes from Golden State allowed Brooklyn to climb all the way back into the lead, but the hosts steadied to end the quarter on a 10-2 run to hold a 90-86 lead heading to the fourth.

Golden State built on their momentum and at one stage looked as if they’d roll into a comfortable win. Jonathan Kuminga continued to attack the rim in an ultra impressive 20-point display, with a nice cutting layup from the second-year forward giving the Warriors a 110-98 lead with less than six minutes to play.

That’s where it all went awry. Irving came up with clutch buckets on one side and the reigning champions failed to match it the other way. Stephen Curry had began the game extremely efficient but went cold, while Klay Thompson never had it in a 4-for-17 shooting display. Jordan Poole took just 11 shots for the game and Wiggins was benched for the final nearly nine minutes in favour of Kuminga and Kevon Looney.

It was a weird and wacky game that the Warriors often felt in control of but never once took an overwhelming stranglehold. The bench trio of DiVincenzo, Kuminga and Looney came to play, but the Golden State starters were ultimately outplayed by Irving and friends.

It feels like another ‘one-step forward then one-step back’ moment for Golden State, with the loss signifying their season to date. They’ll have to regroup before a hungry Grizzlies team arrives on Wednesday.