The Golden State Warriors did not make Wednesday night easy on themselves, but they made it count.
Behind a career-best performance from Gui Santos and late composure from Draymond Green, the Warriors escaped with a 109-106 win over the Brooklyn Nets at Chase Center, a result that clinched a play-in berth for Golden State and sent Brooklyn to a ninth straight loss. Santos finished with a career-high 31 points, while Brandin Podziemski added 22 points, six rebounds and five assists. Green delivered the game’s final decisive moment by sinking two free throws with 6.9 seconds left.
For much of the night, this did not look like a comfortable home win. Brooklyn led 58-50 at halftime as Golden State, still without Stephen Curry, struggled to find rhythm and committed 15 turnovers in the first half. The Nets controlled long stretches behind Ziaire Williams, who scored 19 points, while Jalen Wilson added 15 off the bench and Ben Saraf contributed 14 points and seven rebounds.
What changed was the fourth quarter. After trailing most of the evening, Golden State finally put together the sharper closing stretch. The Warriors outscored Brooklyn 32-20 in the final period, while the Nets faded offensively, shooting 8-for-20 in the fourth and just 2-for-9 from three-point range over the last 12 minutes. It was not a masterpiece, but it was enough, and for a team trying to steady itself after injuries and a difficult road trip, that mattered more than style points.
Kristaps Porzingis gave the Warriors 17 points, and De’Anthony Melton added 14, including a pair of late free throws that helped Golden State hold the line. The victory pushed the Warriors to 35-38 and gave them their first home win since returning from a taxing 2-4 trip. It also came on a night when Chase Center recorded its 600th consecutive sellout.
There was also a note of perspective afterward. Draymond Green addressed the season-ending injury suffered earlier this week by Moses Moody, saying,
“He does all the right things, he’s a pro. It sucks to see Moses go down. He’s in our prayers, I know he’ll bounce back.”
That sentiment hovered over the night. The Warriors got the win they needed, but they did it while still playing through the emotional weight of losing one of their key rotation pieces.
In the end, the story was simple. Golden State was messy early, resilient late, and rescued by a breakout night from Santos. On a team still searching for stability, that was enough to keep the season moving forward… at least for now.
