Finally, Kevin Durant will make his return to the Bay Area when the Brooklyn Nets face the Warriors at the Chase Center on Saturday.
While their meeting is not a big fanless celebration in the arena, from a basketball standpoint, there probably couldn’t be a more intriguing time for the two teams to face off.
The Warriors (14-12) are on the rise in a three-game winning streak, and Steph Curry is going even further. In fact, Curry’s game lately creeps reminiscent of his NBA MVP days, and Brooklyn coach Steve Nash took notice.
The Nets (15-12) are still setting up a new team chemistry since acquiring the eight-time NBA All-Star James Harden in January, and they are out of Durant last week due to the league’s health and safety protocols.
However, Durant is set to return in time for Saturday’s clash, and although the Warriors look very different from his time in the Dubs dynasty, he still knows what to expect from his former team and former coach. (h / t Nets Daily).
“They are playing at a fast pace,” Durant told reporters about the Warriors after Friday training. “They are going to move the basketball at high speed. Steph is shooting basketball as well as before, probably. It looks like the basket is open for him. He’s giving a lot of confidence to the players when making pitches, giving Steve (Kerr) confidence as a coach when making pitches like this. “
It is true that Curry has been doing some supernatural performances recently, and his confidence is growing for his teammates. Curry had a 40-point performance in Golden State’s 111 to 105 victory over the Orlando Magic on Thursday, and was shooting so well from a distance that Juan Toscano-Anderson started celebrating his shot before the basket even counted.
With DeAndre Jordan reportedly out of Saturday’s clash, the Nets could roll out a small ball game plan in the center, much like the Warriors in recent games, while centers James Wiseman and Kevon Looney are battling their respective injuries. Durant, however, will be a “full go” in his first return game, according to Nash, and the Golden State defense must pass a difficult test in guarding Durant, Harden and Kyrie Irving’s trifecta.
When the Golden State faced Brooklyn on opening night, the result was a 125-99 loss to the Warriors. Now, after almost two months, the second round is likely to be very different. Durant knows this too.
“It must be a different game than the first,” said Durant. “Obviously, we’ve incorporated James (Harden) into our schedule. So, we’ll see what happens and I’m looking forward to the competition.”
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Curry, the Warriors and NBA fans certainly too. After Thursday’s victory, Curry told reporters that his and Durant’s race with the Warriors were “one of the best basketball games the world has ever seen”.
Although the two will no longer share a locker room, they will share the wood on Saturday, and with both teams looking for a break, it will certainly be an unmissable game.
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