Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) drives to the basket against Brooklyn Nets guard Caris LeVert (22) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

by Jerry Feitelberg

BROOKLYN — The Warriors were without Kevin Durant, but were able to build a 22-point lead at halftime behind the play of their leader, Steph Curry. The Warriors then had to hang on for dear life as the Nets outplayed them in the second half and almost were able to upset the Warriors. Shaun Livingston and Klay Thompson made key buckets late in the fourth quarter, and the Warriors won 118-111.

With the Warriors trailing 10-8, they took the lead for good as they went on an 8-0 run to lead 16-10. Curry led the charge, and the team got some help from Nick Young who made two three-pointers as they finished the first quarter leading 32-20.

The Warriors ended the first half leading 64-42. Curry led the team with 22 points, and he had eight rebounds, four assists and he made three steals. Curry committed his third personal foul late in the first half and had to finish the half on the bench.

The Warriors increased the lead to 28 (78-50) early in the third quarter. The Nets refused to fold and started chipping away at the lead. The Warriors led by 20 with 2:20 left in the period when the Nets made some three-point shots and went to the free throw line as the Warriors committed too many fouls. Curry committed his fifth personal foul late in the third quarter and went to the bench. The Warriors led 98-84, but the Nets were now feeling confident that they were back in the game.

The Nets kept chipping away at the Warriors’ lead. The Warriors still led by 14 with 8:28 left to play. Little by little, the Nets crept closer and cut the deficit to four (107-103). Curry fouled out of the game with three minutes to play. It was at this point that Livingston made a huge bucket and Thompson then followed with a two-point bucket and then a three-pointer to lead 114-106. The Nets refused to go down as they made a trey. The Warriors made a two-pointer to lead 116-109. The Nets closed in at 116-111. They fouled Thompson, who made the two free throws to put the game away 118-111.

Game notes and stats: Curry led the Warriors with 39 points, seven assists, 11 rebounds and four three-point shots. Thompson also finished with a double-double (23 points and 10 rebounds). Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, and Omri Casspi started in place of Kevin Durant. The trio played well on both ends of the court.

As a team, the Warriors had eight steals and 14 blocks. Young, Iguodala, David West and Kevon Looney all made contributions to the Warriors’ win.

The Nets had five players in double figures. Allen Crabbe led the Nets with 25. Crabbe made six three-point shots in 11 attempts. Spencer Dinwiddie finished with 21. DeMarre Carroll had a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson added 15 and Caris LeVert came off the bench to tally 13.

The Nets were 27-for-39 from the free-throw line. The Warriors were 16-of-23 from the charity stripe. The Nets also made 16 three-pointers while the Dubs were 10-for-24.

After the game, Green had this to say about the game: “Not many teams can keep up with us running.” Green added: “So, slow the game down, I think you give them more of a shot. Something we always talk about is defending without fouling. We didn’t do a good job of that today.”

Coach Steve Kerr also commented on the team’s narrow escape, saying, “We had to withstand their run, and luckily, we did with some good execution in the last few minutes after Steph (Curry) went out.”

With the win, the Warriors are now 13-4 for the season, and the Nets drop to 6-10.

Durant did not play as he sprained an ankle Saturday night in Philadelphia. Durant is expected to play Wednesday night as the Warriors travel to Oklahoma City to face his former team (Thunder).

The Thunder has a new look this year as they signed star forwards Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. Game time is at 5 pm.