(Sports Network) - The New Jersey Nets hope to salvage the finale of a four- game road trip and snap a five-game skid against the Golden State Warriors when the two teams lock-up in Oakland on Monday. The Nets continue to plod along despite the ever-present distraction of trade rumors that have the franchise acquiring Denver All-Stars Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups in a potential three-team deal that would reshape the team.
New Jersey dropped its fifth straight game in Portland on Saturday and fell to 0-3 on its current trek whenLaMarcus Aldridge scored 27 points, pulled down nine rebounds and dished out five assists, as the Trail Blazers used a late surge to take down the Nets, 96-89. Brook Lopez finished with 32 points for New Jersey, while Sasha Vujacic and Travis Outlaw added 13 and 11 points, respectively. Outlaw also pulled down seven rebounds as New Jersey fell to a miserable 3-20 away from north Jersey.
"We had a pretty good flow for 3 1/2 quarters of the game, but we've got to fight through the mental and physical fatigue on the road if we want to be a good team," Nets head coach Avery Johnson said.
The Warriors, meanwhile, improved to 1-1 on a five-game homestand Friday when Monta Ellis scored 30 points and dished out six assists to help Golden State beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 122-112. Stephen Curry drained five shots from beyond the arc en route to 23 points for the Warriors, who have won three of their last five games. David Lee posted 19 points with nine rebounds and Reggie Williams totaled 16 points off the bench.
"It's no secret I've been trying to get [Williams] to play that way all year long," said Warriors head coach Keith Smart. "And he finally played. I tried to get him to be the ball handler, and use Monta as a decoy, and I wanted him to be the playmaker and he did make some plays."
Golden State, which is 10-7 at ORACLE Arena, will finish its residency against Indiana and Sacramento. The Nets haven't beaten the Warriors since Dec. 22, 2007 and have lost five straight trips to Oakland.