The Golden State Warriors came up short against the Los Angeles Lakers in Tuesday’s Game 1, 117-112. Though the loss was a tough one, star guard Klay Thompson told reporters that he and his teammates aren’t letting it affect morale.
“It was a quick turnaround, but can’t dwell on it because you got a really good team over there and they do things differently than the Kings, but present some big challenges and saw that tonight, so the morale is not low,” Thompson told reporters via NBC Sports Bay Area. “We know we let one slip away, but we got an opportunity to watch the film tomorrow and see how we can attack them better.”
“Morale is not low.”
Klay is looking forward to bouncing back in Game 2
Starting the series with a loss at home certainly isn’t ideal. Especially when the game was tied with 1:30 to play. Not to mention that the Warriors will now have to win on the road, which they’ve struggled to do all season.
Golden State won just 8-of-41 games away from Chase Center in the regular season. However, the playoffs have been different. The Warriors buckled down and took Games 5 and 7 from the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center in the first round.
Thompson finished with 25 points in Wednesday’s loss. He made just 6-of-16 attempts from beyond the arc, and shot 3-of-9 on two-point attempts against the Lakers.
Draymond Green Defends Jordan Poole After Big Miss in Warriors Loss
Though Thompson was wildly inefficient in Game 1, he hasn’t had to deal with the brunt of the blame. That fortune has been thrust on his teammate Jordan Poole.
The 23-year-old caught flack online all night because of his questionable 3-point attempt in clutch time. He hoisted up a 28-footer in an attempt to tie the game in the closing seconds.
Jordan Poole missed the potential game-tying shot from DEEP 😳
Despite the tough miss, Draymond Green had Poole’s back, claiming that he liked the shot on the latest episode of his podcast.
“I know everyone’s talking about the last three that he missed,” Green said on the May 3 edition of “The Draymond Green Show.” “Quite frankly, I liked the shot. Obviously, you tell ’em to eat up the space and take the three a little bit closer [to the basket]… but Jordan can shoot the ball and he got a good look at it. Yes, you want him to take a couple of steps in and get an even closer three. Jordan taking that three is not why we lost that game… I know everyone is going to point at that one play and say he should have never shot that three. Prior to that three, he was 6-for-10. You got a guy 6-for-10 that you know can shoot the piss out of the ball and you get an open three, you live with it.”
“You got a guy 6-10 that you know can shoot the piss out of the ball and you get an open three, you live with it.”
—@Money23Green defends Jordan Poole’s late-game three-point attempt
Stephen Curry Backs Jordan Poole’s Desperate Attempt in Warriors Loss
Stephen Curry was on the same page as Green, in terms of standing by his young teammate. Curry was sure to defend Poole during his postgame availability on Tuesday.
“He had made six of ‘em tonight,” Curry said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “It was decisive and it was a shot he was open. Considering how they guarded us that possession – trapping me at halfcourt and Draymond swinging it over – it’s one of those where it’s kinda in a rhythm shot. I’m sure he felt pretty good about it, that’s why he shot it. There’s no doubt or regrets on that. It’s just a make-or miss situation. [I’ve got] a lot of trust in his ability to put the ball in the basket.”
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Klay Thompson Gets Real on Warriors’ Morale After Crushing Game 1 Loss to Lakers