Nets’ improved defense no match for Steph Curry, Warriors as win streak ends at three

The NBA’s best defense over the past month was no match for the league’s best shooter of all time.

The Nets saw their season-best three-game winning streak snapped by Steph Curry and his Warriors, beaten 120-107 before a sellout crowd of 18,163 at Barclays Center.

Unlike the past several Golden State visits, the home crowd actually was pulling for the home team. Maybe it was that they came in having won seven of 10, or perhaps fans were responding to the hustle the Nets had shown in leading the league in both scoring and field goal defense over that run. But it ended Monday.

“This is a very special team. Ball movement, they’re No. 1 in passes per game. And the way they shoot the 3, the style of play, they don’t run a lot of pick-and-roll. There’s a lot of off-ball, body movement and ball movement. And you don’t know until you know. You don’t know until you play them. Our young guys have never done it,” coach Jordi Fernández said. “We’re going to have a real test. It’s not going to be a traditional pick-and-roll and that’s it. It’s going to be a different animal out there.”

The Nets string of holding five straight foes under 108 points — second best in the NBA this season — was snapped. Curry had a game-high-tying 27 points, and Jimmy Butler added 21 points, five rebounds and four assists, figuring out an active long-armed defense that rebuilding Brooklyn hopes to make a staple going forward.

Michael Porter Jr. poured in 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists, shooting 5-for-9 from behind the arc.

Lottery pick Egor Dëmin continued his strong play over the past couple of weeks, with 23 points on a career-high 7-of-14 from deep, a new Nets rookie record.

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But despite holding Golden State to just 10-of-33 shooting from 3-point range, the Nets’ defense couldn’t carry them to victory — though it could impress the Warriors.

“They’re a long, athletic team at multiple spots, and they cause a lot of problems defensively with that activity,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.

The Nets fell to 10-20.

The Nets sprinted out of the starting blocks quickly behind Porter. They led by as much as 13, at 28-15 after a bucket by Nic Claxton (15 points, nine boards, three steals, three blocks) with 4:16 left in the first.

And even after the Warriors steadied themselves, it still was 69-64 before they caught a seeming break that ended up working against them.

The Nets’ active, long-armed defense largely had held Curry in check to that point, with 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting, just 2-of-7 from deep. But that didn’t last.

Terance Mann fouled Curry on what Curry thought was a 20-footer, but the play was whistled on the floor. The call seemed to inspire the Golden State star.

A fired-up Curry personally outscored Brooklyn 10-2 over the next two minutes, capping the run with a step-back 3-pointer as he waved and barked at somebody, possibly the Nets, maybe the refs, perhaps both.

But Brooklyn suddenly trailed 74-71 with 5:13 left in the third, and 89-85 going into the fourth.

When Draymond Green found Will Richard for a 3-pointer with 9:49 to play, the deficit had swelled to 97-88. The Nets never erased it.

Dëmin pulled Brooklyn within 98-95 on a 3-pointer with 7:30 left, but that’s as close as they got.

Still, it was valuable for their rookies, with four of their record five first-round picks in the rotation for meaningful minutes.

“Looks like it’s working,” Kerr said. “I watched the Minnesota game. That was impressive. … Every time we’ve played them over the past couple years, they’ve been energetic, well organized, well coached.

“I just think they’re doing a great job. Jordi is doing a great job, his staff, player development, in the face of obviously a rebuild, but seven out of 10 wins, best defense in the league in December. So they’re doing something right.”