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Warriors shift focus to visiting Nets

Feb 22, 2014 - 2:10 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Golden State Warriors needed overtime to cool off the Houston Rockets their last time out and are set to host the Brooklyn Nets Saturday from Oracle Arena.

The Warriors posted a 102-99 overtime triumph versus the Rockets on Thursday and were led by David Lee's 28 points and 14 rebounds. Stephen Curry scored 25 points and his layup over Dwight Howard with 3.2 seconds left in regulation sent the game into overtime with the score knotted at 89-89.

"We had a dribble play to see if we could get a quick look at an open 3. The way the screen was set up I had an open lane, it was just a matter of finishing over Dwight. Thankfully I got the soft touch," Curry said.

Jordan Crawford and Klay Thompson scored 12 points apiece for the Warriors, who had a 13-10 advantage in the extra session. Jermaine O'Neal, filling in for injured center Andrew Bogut, had a huge block on Chandler Parsons to preserve the win in OT.

"He (Parsons) made a great play going baseline and when you're a big you kind of look at it like being a free safety; you see plays develop," O'Neal said.

Golden State has won six of its last nine games and owns a 17-10 home record this season. It is 25-4 when holding opposing teams under 100 points and has played in more games decided by four points-or-fewer than any team in the NBA (20), going 9-11 in those contests.

After hosting the Nets, the Warriors will play six in a row on the road against Detroit, Chicago, New York, Toronto, Indiana and Boston. They went 6-1 on a season-long seven-game trek from Dec. 29-Jan. 8.

In injury news, Bogut is questionable Saturday and hasn't played since Feb. 4 with a balky shoulder.

The Warriors made a move before the trade deadline and acquired guard Steve Blake from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for guards Kent Bazemore and MarShon Brooks. Blake played almost 18 minutes versus the Rockets and posted three points.

Brooklyn is 1-1 so far on its seven-game road trip after losing at Chicago before the All-Star break and defeating Utah on Wednesday.

Joe Johnson scored a game-high 27 points, Deron Williams scored 19 and handed out seven assists and Shaun Livingston had nine points, seven assists and five boards for the Nets, who have won three of four and five of their last seven games. The Nets were down 68-55 midway through the third quarter before rallying to improve to 9-16 outside of Brooklyn.

"This is a crucial part of the season for us. We have to be mentally focused for this trip. Coming straight off the All-Star break, going on the road for two weeks, it's not an easy task," Williams said.

The Nets acquired guard Marcus Thornton on Wednesday from the Sacramento Kings in exchange for forward Reggie Evans and guard Jason Terry. Thornton is expected to be in uniform Saturday night.

Brooklyn still has the Lakers, Portland, Denver and Milwaukee to visit on the trip and is 6-1 against teams from the West since Jan. 1. A win over Golden State would give the Nets a 10-3 mark in the first game of a back-to-back set.

The Nets topped the Warriors 102-98 back on Jan. 8 at Barclays Center behind Johnson's 27 points. The victory snapped the Warriors' 10-game winning streak. The Warriors are still 8-4 in the last 12 matchups in this series.

The Nets have lost seven of eight and 10 of their last 13 trips to Oakland.