After licking their wounds from the 114-104 Saturday-night loss to the San Antonio Spurs, the Golden State Warriors find a moment to breathe at home on Monday. However, it's possibly a short breath, as the 7-10 Brooklyn Nets offer a shocking level of resistance for a team seeking refuse after a disappointing loss.
The best team in the Western Conference, at 12-4, knows no perfection. Despite harboring one of the best players of all time, Stephen Curry, the Warriors can feel agony. Without Warriors head coach Steve Kerr's favorite two-way guard, De'Anthony Melton, they lack a legitimate third ball-handling option.
As a byproduct of missing Melton, the Warriors' turnovers have since increased, ranking in the bottom seventh in coughing up the rock. As an enigmatic team in the NBA, Brooklyn presents two quandaries on defense.
Although the Nets rank 20th in opponents' points off turnovers from their past five matches, the try-hard Eastern Conference teams crack the top 10 in opponents' fast break points.
Conversely, in the same stretch, the Warriors push the ball exponentially, with 14.5 percent of their points scored in fast break opportunities. Warriors vs. Nets represents a battle of wills, as one team looks to take away their opponent's strength in a potentially stealthy close finish.
Golden State Warriors
Brooklyn Nets
WHEN: Monday, Nov. 25 at 7 PM Pacific Time
WHERE: Chase Center (San Francisco, CA)
TV: NBA Sports Bay Area, NBA League Pass
ODDS: The Warriors are 13-point favorites over the Nets
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