Awful things tend to happen to teams who fall too far behind on the scoreboard at Chase Center, historically speaking, at least.
Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Steve Kerr have four championships to their credit. The Golden State Warriors can pour it on in a hurry and know how to close out opponents on their home court — and do it emphatically in most cases. They know how to completely shatter a team’s will.
However, Jordi Fernandez’s Nets do not break so easily. Monday night in San Francisco, severely shorthanded, in the second game of a back-to-back set, Brooklyn found itself trailing the Warriors by 18 points with 7:13 left in the third quarter.
Cam Johnson sprained his ankle in the first quarter and was ruled out at halftime. Curry was starting to cook, and Fernandez was forced to call a timeout to stop the bleeding. The No. 2 seed in the Western Conference was ready to run up the score.
“Try to find a spark and hold the guys accountable,” Fernandez said. “But they did it to each other and they kept fighting.”
The Nets were staring down the barrel in one of the most hostile venues in the league and they barely flinched. The team once again rallied behind the never-say-die attitude Fernandez had instilled from Day 1. Brooklyn responded with a 24-6 run to tie the game at 92 with 11:10 left. It outscored the Warriors 41-28 in the fourth quarter, in total, to hang on for an improbable 128-120 win.
The Nets had the Knicks, Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers all on the ropes at various points this season but could not finish. They finally closed against an elite opponent Monday night in San Francisco. And in doing so, Fernandez finally got his first signature win as an NBA head coach.
“I want to believe preparation is a big part of it, but you never know,” Fernandez said. “I think the day-to-day and the culture we’re trying to establish is important.”
The Nets improved to 8-10 with the win and have now won three of their last four games. They are 5-1 against Western Conference opponents this season, and everyone had a part to play in Monday’s comeback win.
Dennis Schröder finished with a game-high 31 points, 17 of which came in in the fourth quarter on 5-for-7 shooting. Ziaire Williams essentially served as the Nets’ center and had 19 points and 10 rebounds in 37 minutes. Cam Thomas had 23 points in his first 23 minutes on the court, and while he did not play in the fourth, his early production helped Brooklyn keep pace with the Warriors early.
Every player stepped on the court made at least one 3-pointer, as the Nets shot 20-for-25 from behind the arc as a team. And while Golden State’s reserves outscored Brooklyn’s 47-32, Shake Milton, Keon Johnson and Trendon Watford all made timely shots, especially in the second half, which helped the Nets pull away late.
Brooklyn shot 57.1% from the field and 55.6% from deep in a 41-point final frame.
“Everyone’s just ready. Everyone’s ready for the opportunity,” said Jalen Wilson, who finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and two assists. “Obviously you don’t want to see one of your brothers go down, but Jordi always says next man up, and that’s a mentality that we all have.”
