NEW YORK —— — It’s the return of the NBA season, which also means the return of Kevin Durant, who hadn’t played in 18 months, but you wouldn’t have known by his play tonight as he scored 22 points in 25 minutes to help the Brooklyn Nets beat the Golden State Warriors 125-99.
Durant showed no signs of rust on the court, getting to his spots with ease and having no trouble against the Warriors defense while his running mate Kyrie Irving scored 26 points in 25 minutes of play. The two stars played well together, as did their supporting cast shooting 45% from the field and 42% from the three-point range. The Nets played well on opening night, led by their first-time head coach and NBA Hall of Famer Steve Nash.
The Warriors struggled to score the basketball with their new-look squad and with no Draymond Green (foot) and Klay Thompson (Achilles). Stephen Curry with 20 points and ten assists led his team, but it wasn’t nearly enough to stop the Nets’ onslaught. It was also the debut of Warriors big man and the 2nd overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, James Wiseman, who struggled to find his footing early but started getting in a rhythm late in the game playing 24 minutes; Wiseman put up
19 points and six rebounds. This game gave us a small glimpse of the Warriors’ future and their fans have a lot to be excited for, but as for tonight, not so much.
Brooklyn can’t be crowned NBA champions after one game, although this season has been shortened from 82 to 72 games. The Nets have a long way to go and a lot of tough teams to face before hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy, but if this is just a taste of things to come, the Nets will be a nightmare for opposing teams.
UP NEXT
Warriors: Visit Milwaukee on Friday (Christmas Day) to kick off a four-game Eastern road trip.
Nets: Visit Boston on Friday in what will be Irving’s first regular-season game there since leaving the Celtics
