Warriors send beloved franchise figure off in style after disastrous start

The Golden State Warriors have overcome a slow start in Brooklyn to record a 120-107 win over the Nets at Barclays Center, and in doing so sent beloved assistant coach Chris DeMarco off in positive fashion.

Monday's outing was DeMarco's last as an assistant coach with the Warriors after over a dozen years, with the 40-year-old becoming the head coach of the New York Liberty in the WNBA.

Warriors bounce back from slow start in Brooklyn

After being mauled in the final two minutes of regulation and overtime in Toronto on Sunday, the Warriors struggled to regather themselves through the opening minutes against a Nets team entering with confidence having won seven of their last 10 games.

Golden State trailed 28-15 through eight minutes, but fortunately a Jimmy Butler-led second unit wrestled back the momentum quickly in ending the opening period on a 13-2 run. The game remained close over the remainder, but more brilliance from Stephen Curry ensured the Warriors wouldn't go away empty-handed as they had done just over 24 hours earlier in Toronto.

Curry backed up his 39 points against the Raptors with 27 on an efficient 8-of-15 shooting from the floor and 5-of-12 from 3-point range, while fellow veteran star Jimmy Butler went for 21 on 11-of-12 shooting from the free-throw line.

Steve Kerr went 13 deep in the rotation in the first-half, buying time for Curry and Draymond Green who each played less than 29 minutes on the second night of a back-to-back. Other starters Moses Moody and Quinten Post only played 17 combined minutes, with Golden State getting production from multiple players off the bench.

Four Warrior preserves were in double digits, with De'Anthony Melton going for 10 points, eight rebounds and finishing as a +26 after resting in Toronto. Trayce Jackson-Davis returned to the rotation and had 11 points, six rebounds and two blocks, while Will Richard and Gary Payton II also had 10 points apiece.

The Nets surprisingly made eight more threes on the night, headlined by seven from rookie guard Egor Demin who had 23 points. Michael Porter Jr. -- a possible Warrior trade target leading into the deadline -- showcased his skillset with 27 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals on an efficient 10-of-18 shooting from the floor and 5-of-9 from 3-point range.

Golden State move back above .500 at 17-16 on the season, and will now head to Charlotte for an early tip-off against the Hornets at Spectrum Center on Wednesday.