The Brooklyn Nets and Golden State Warriors probably didn’t recognize each other while squaring up for the tip tonight. Their last meeting came in late Autumn, 101 days ago to be exact, and as the seasons have changed since then, so has look of each team — one for the better from a competitive basketball lens ... and one for the worse.
With the Nets missing veterans from days of yore while the Warriors stepped on the court with Jimmy Buckets, it shouldn’t have been hard to figure out who was who: our boys riding a five-game losing streak into this evening’s entertainment while Golden State had won nine of their last 10 since the deadline delivered them Jimmy Butler.
However, with the Nets doing that whole “fight” thing again, some detective work was required.
Brooklyn jetted out to a 22-5 lead to begin tonight’s game. Although it took Steph Curry and company almost the entire game to make up that ground, they eventually did, subjecting the Nets to a sixth straight loss — but also a better chance at more favorable lottery odds. Good news, bad news. It’s interchangeable at this point. Here’s what we learned.
Pressure Never Gets Old
With the game’s most active player both on and off-ball visiting a team that’s made high pressure its most defining trait all year, this evening’s contest represented a clash of the titans with regard to play style and game-planning technique. Steph Curry’s perpetual motion was challenged by Brooklyn’s suffocating defense, and early on, the Baby Faced Assassin struggled to breathe.
Keon Johnson's fullcourt pressure has Steph Curry visibly frustrated. Steve Kerr picks up a technical.
Nets lead the Warriors 25-5... pic.twitter.com/j5lWrfSL2k
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) March 7, 2025
Curry eventually got his, as he almost always does, going for a casual 40 points while shooting 12-of-20 from the field and 7-of-13 from deep. But much of those hits came on his own account rather than within the flow of the offense. That’s why after one, Curry still had a team-high seven points on 3-of-5 shooting — but the Nets sat in front by 20 points after holding Golden State to .318/.143 splits and forcing them into five turnovers.
With Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler being a serviceable table setters in the post and with the Nets getting burned by Bismack Biyombo there two nights ago after bringing the same high blitzes, doing so was a gamble for Brooklyn, but it paid off early nonetheless...
Curry didn’t check in during the second period until only about five minutes remained. There, Golden State was able to get their guy going with a series of transition opportunities spurred by Brooklyn’s cooling offense...
If you thought that was a “what more can I do” kind of shot, well, hold No. 30’s beer...
Trying to stop Steph Curry is a fool’s errand and one no coach or group of defenders has been able to accomplish for over a decade. Given that, it’d be a bit much to ask Jordi Fernández and his lottery-bound batch of ballhawks to do so for a full 48 tonight.
But they did do it partially for a part of the game — and that’s still more of an accomplishment than it sounds like when you remind yourself who Steph Curry is.
Nic Claxton Gets it Done in Multiple Ways
It’s been a good past couple of weeks for Brooklyn centers interested in deepening their bags. Last week it was Day’Ron Sharpe, not the rebounder or passer we met, but the thief in the night. The four-year big came up with a career-high four steals vs the Pistons.
Tonight, we were introduced to Nic Claxton, not the shot-blocker or DHO master of misdirection, but the crafty facilitator. Scratch that, the record-setting crafty facilitator. Nic finished not only with a career-high 10 assists vs the Warriors tonight, but the most by a starting center for a game in Nets history, New Jersey or Brooklyn.
While some were simple dump-offs to willing shooters, others involved vision and spacing worthy of applause.
Claxton flirted with a triple-double in the least exciting way possible, dropping eight points and pulling down nine boards to go with his 10 dimes, but flirted with one all the same. He also tacked on two rejections and two steals for good merit. Tasked with battling the ever-frustrating Draymond Green tonight, and with a suspension for picking up one too many flagrant fouls this year still visible in his rear-view mirror and on his permanent record, the odds were stacked against Clax but he turned in a complete game nonetheless.
“Today, he was that guy finding his teammates,” Fernández said. “Really proud of him. Like you said, close to a triple-double, we’ll see it at some point for sure.”
He’s probably more of a power forward than a center at this point, but if this trend continues, expect to see Noah Clowney handling the rock and creating his own shot when he returns. Consider me excited.
Tyrese is Turning it Up
With a high percentage of his field goal attempts this year being triples, Tyrese Martin got the greenest of green lights when last week Jordi Fernández told everyone that they’d essentially need to “shoot or be benched.”
Although Martin usually comes off the bench anyway, that seemed to motivate him all the same. After doing so only once in his past seven games, Martin has gotten up five or more threes now in four straight contests...
Nets Two-Way wing Tyrese Martin has looked more and more like a piece they should prioritize maintaining, he posted a career high 10 rebounds and 4 assists along with 4 3PM against the pistons yesterday.
Averaging 14.7/6.7/2.3 on 40% 3P as a starter pic.twitter.com/amtHJixSjy
— Nets Film Room (@NetsFilm) January 9, 2025
After pouring in 23 points going 7-of-11 from the field and 2-of-5 from deep vs Detroit and 17 tonight while shooting 7-of-11 from the field and 3-of-6 from deep, he’s now had two of his highest scoring games of the year in the last three...
As a floor spacer before anything else, it’s also no wonder that this spike in productivity from Martin has coincided with both D’Angelo Russell and Cam Thomas’ return to the rotation. While those two certainly take some looks away from the sharpshooter, their ability to penetrate and attract attention queues him up for jumpers as well.
“He’s a true pro,” Fernández said of Martin. I play him off the ball, he plays well. I play him at point guard, he does his best and he’s getting better, like today. He shows up and works every day with a good attitude and he’s a great teammate. That’s what we want from everybody but it’s not that easy to do it. He’s doing it consistently and that’s why he deserves all these good things that are coming to him.”
With the 2024-25 season now more than 75% complete after tonight’s contest, the question asking which of the Martin, Keon Johnson, Jalen Wilson, and Ziaire Williams crew will be on the team next year after the Nets assumedly draft four first round rookies is creeping into everyone’s mind.
While that’s still a decision for another day, Martin strongly endorsed his second year team option as something worthy of a pick up. Shooting never goes out of style — just ask the guy who torched us tonight.