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Warriors try to pick up first win on the road vs. Nets

Nov 1, 2008 - 10:22 AM Golden State (0-2) at New Jersey (1-0), 7:30pm EDT

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- For primarily logistical reasons rather than any sense of disrespect, the Golden State Warriors were expected to take a step back this season after two winning seasons in a row.

The offseason loss of Baron Davis and severe ankle injury to his replacement Monta Ellis in August left them without one of the major components of head coach Don Nelson's offense coming into the year.

But as the first week of the regular season draws to a close, the Warriors have been, perhaps surprisingly, as competitive as ever - now all they have to do is get in the win column. They get their third chance to do just that on Saturday as they visit the New Jersey Nets.

After a season-opening loss to Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesay, the Warriors went on the road two days later and took the Toronto Raptors to overtime. However, they still fell short despite a stellar performance from Al Harrington and a surprisingly efficient offensive showing run by a trio of non-point guards playing out of position - among them Stephen Jackson, Kelenna Azubuike and DeMarcus Nelson.

The offense has been there. The problem, as usual for the Warriors, has been their inability to get stops down the stretch. Their man coverage has shown improvement over last year, with their defenders showing a nose for the ball that has helped set the table for the transition offense. However, they're still yielding 110 points per contest.

They will try to remedy the situation against the Nets, who will be fresh off two days' rest when they take the court. They opened the season with a 95-85 road victory over the shorthanded Washington Wizards, who are without injured starters Gilbert Arenas and Brendand Haywood for the foreseeable future.

Vince Carter collected 21 points and six assists and offseason pickup Yi Jianlin showed a nice shooting touch with 17 on 7-of-11 from the field as the Nets put together an efficient performance, turning the ball over just nine times. However, their lack of a major inside presence could be something Golden State could exploit.

The Warriors have had success utilizing a big lineup that, despite its size, doesn't sacrifice much in the way of speed and athletic ability. Al Harrington, Corey Maggette, Ronny Turiaf, Stephen Jackson and Andris Biedrins are all between 6-7 and 6-11, and all can play multiple positions depending on the lineup. In fact, with Jackson running the point, those five can even play at the same time, providing a major matchup problem for practically any opponent.

The Nets' biggest player, 7-foot rookie center Brook Lopez, is still raw at this point and will come off the bench.