NBA

Garnett-led Nets snap Warriors’ 10-game win streak

The Nets have waited all season long for the Kevin Garnett who spent the past six seasons roaming the paint in Boston to arrive.

In the fourth quarter of Wednesday night’s game against the Warriors, he finally did.

Garnett turned back the clock, scoring 11 of his 13 points in the final 12 minutes — while also coming up with the game’s biggest defensive play — to lead the Nets to a 102-98 victory over the Warriors inside Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

With the win, the Nets (14-21) now have a four-game winning streak — their longest of the season — and finally climbed back into the Eastern Conference playoff picture, passing the Pistons to move into eighth place.

“I work on my craft every day, so I expect it to be a certain way,” Garnett said after going 5-for-7 to finish with 13 points to go with five rebounds, four steals and a blocked shot. “When I got to dial her up, I want her to pick the phone up. Tonight, I dialed and she was right there and answered like she was supposed to.

“I work really hard on my craft, and tonight I was able to get into a nice little groove, and some shots fell.”

It’s been a season-long struggle for Garnett to find his jumper. He entered the game shooting a career-worst 36.8 percent from the field in his first 30 games and was averaging just 6.3 points per game. Last Wednesday in San Antonio, Garnett said he had “no rhythm” and was trying to figure out where he fit into the offense.

But after taking — and making — just one shot through the first three quarters, the Nets, who remain undefeated in 2014, went to Garnett early and often in the fourth against the red-hot Warriors (24-14), who entered the game riding a 10-game winning streak and hoping to become the first team in NBA history to complete an undefeated road trip of at least seven games.

After opening the quarter with an and-one layup, Garnett then knocked down a pair of turnaround jumpers before hitting a stepback jumper over Warriors center Andrew Bogut to help the Nets stay even with Golden State through the early part of the fourth.

“It was good,” said Paul Pierce, who had 11 points and five rebounds. “We made an effort to get him the ball in the post when he had a favorable matchup, and he hit some big shots for us.”

But Garnett’s biggest contribution came with 12.8 seconds left and the Nets clinging to a 96-93 lead with the best shooter in the league in Stephen Curry — who finished with a game-high 34 points — on the other side of the court. But after Warriors coach Mark Jackson elected not to call timeout after a Garnett miss, Curry wound up throwing a pass straight into Garnett’s chest to commit the most crucial of Golden State’s 18 turnovers in the game.

Garnett then passed the ball to Johnson (team-high 27 points), who was fouled and knocked down a pair of free throws to ice it.

“Offensively and defensively [Garnett] has been off the charts,” Nets coach Jason Kidd said. “Defensively he has been incredible for us since [the Nets’ win in Oklahoma City last Thursday].

“He looks like he’s 25 and tonight, offensively, he looked like he was 21.”

Even throughout his struggles this season, it has been evident Garnett still has the same passion within him for the game he has had since his rookie season in Minnesota almost 20 years ago.

That’s why so many of his teammates were happy Garnett the kind of game he had — the kind of game the Nets and their fans rarely have seen since giving up the rights to four future first round picks to bring Garnett, Pierce and Jason Terry to Brooklyn this summer.

“I loved it,” said Shaun Livingston, who had 13 points, four rebounds and four steals filling in for Deron Williams (sprained left ankle) at point guard. “Obviously we’re all fans, and just to see the warrior he is, what he goes through … he deserves it.

“Just to see him rewarded and hit those shots, hit those free throws, get the steal, get the block … that’s kind of epitomized his career. That’s what he does.”

Suddenly the Nets — who seemed ready to be left for dead a week ago coming off a pair of losses in Indiana and San Antonio and heading into a game against Western Conference leading Oklahoma City — now hold the NBA’s longest winning streak heading into Friday’s game in Brooklyn against the two-time defending champion Heat.and Saturday’s game against Atlantic Division-leading Toronto

“We’ve just been coming out taking each team at a time,” Garnett said. “[The Heat are] a very good team, probably the best team in the league, and we understand that. We’ve just got to be prepared, and be ready.”

For the Nets, more games like this from Garnett would be a good way to start.