Without Kevin Durant, Warriors top Nets convincingly

A female fan was in the middle of an enormous version of skee-ball when the two-time reigning NBA MVP intercepted the ball midair and tossed it into a big container in the back row. In a game pitting teams at opposite ends of the NBA hierarchy, Curry was free to help the timeout-show participant win a $2,500 prize. Curry (27 points) and Klay Thompson (24) shouldered the offensive load while the frontcourt nagged Brook Lopez, a recognizable face in a cast filled with spare parts, into 3-of-13 shooting. With Durant out, head coach Steve Kerr inserted rookie guard Patrick McCaw into the starting lineup to preserve his second unit. The new-look group seized an early 14-4 lead before the Nets trimmed the deficit to four points by the end of the first quarter. Brooklyn, which entered Saturday with as many wins (nine) as the Warriors had losses, attacked the paint and feasted on second-chance points and trailed 52-51 .