Jacque Vaughn wasn’t conscious his Brooklyn Nets had the pleasant first half of their history.
One of the exceptional in NBA records, certainly.
Kevin Durant scored 23 points, all but in a 91-factor first half that was the 0.33-largest in the league, and the Nets routed the Golden State Warriors 143-113 on Wednesday to send the reigning champions extraordinary home with their second blowout loss in two nights in New York.
“That’s what happens while you come to work and also you’re prepared to paintings from the beginning,” Vaughn said.
With Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins all sidelined, the Warriors finished 1-five on their journey to the East and could wish to get wholesome earlier than they have to get returned at the court on Christmas against Memphis.
Curry will remain sidelined by a shoulder injury, however Wiggins may be back, and the Warriors will take all the help they can get after trailing by way of forty four in this one.“It’s the Warriors,” Durant said. “You always respect them irrespective of who’s at the ground. They have a championship device and championship gamers.”
The Nets matched a franchise record with nine players in double figures and received their 7th directly, inspite of Kyrie Irving out with proper calf tightness.James Wiseman scored a career-high 30 points on 12-for-14 shooting for the Warriors, who lost through 38 points to the Knicks on Tuesday night time.
The Nets needed to come from 18 and then 19 points down of their closing two victories, however this one became over no longer long after the Warriors’ bus in the end arrived after a few New York vacation site visitors.
The Nets made eleven of their first 12 shots and by the point the first zone turned into over it become 46-17, a 29-point differential that turned into the most important in any duration within the NBA this season.
Coach Steve Kerr said the Warriors’ early turnovers — they completed with 21 that led to 36 factors — helped the Nets get going.
“And then they made the whole lot,” Kerr said. “They had been phenomenal inside the first 1/2.”
It became sixty eight-31 while Durant changed into whistled for a technical foul for his sideline celebration after Ben Simmons slammed down a long lob skip. The Warriors scored the following seven in considered one of their best highlights of the night time before Brooklyn extended it to ninety one-fifty one at the 1/2 on Durant’s three-pointer.
Phoenix set the NBA record with 107 points inside the first half towards Denver on Nov. 10, 1990. The Warriors — with Durant gambling for them — scored 92 against Chicago on Oct. 29. 2018.
Simmons were given the primary baskets of the third for the largest lead at 95-fifty one, but Durant become 1 for eight playing all 12 mins because the Nets controlled most effective 18 factors within the length.
TOGETHER AGAIN?
Kerr hopes to have Durant on his aspect once more on the 2024 U.S. Olympic team. Durant is the leading scorer in U.S. Men’s history and Kerr stated USA Basketball management hopes he’s going to play in Paris, where he may want to end up the primary man to win 4 basketball gold medals.
“That could be best,” stated Kerr, who joked he might “maximum in all likelihood pull him apart tonight” to make a recruiting pitch. “I mean, he’s been so dominant with Team USA and prefer I said, he’s a guy who simply, he loves to play. So we’re hoping he makes a decision to preserve going.”
