Getty Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson
The performance Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson put together against the New York Knicks Tuesday was nothing short of spectacular. And best of all? He racked up his 43-point night by taking just four total dribbles in the game. It’s an eye-opening accomplishment and one that left fans stunned.
And apparently, it also left a decent amount of NBA players in awe as well. This includes Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, as Bleacher Report’s Mike Vernon revealed.
The numbers from Thompson’s performance are almost unimaginable. This means the Warriors guard made more 3-pointers than the total number of dribbles he took during the game.
Klay Thompson’s Huge Night vs. Knicks
The four-dribble stat is tough to even evaluate since it’s literally unheard of. But the fact Thompson did this while playing 34 minutes and making 18-29 attempts and 7-16 from deep. He also had two rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Attempting to evaluate how Thompson had two steals but only dribbled four times in the game is one big question.
His play led the Warriors to their 122-95 win over the Knicks, as his 43 points were good for 19 more than the next-closest player (Kevin Durant). Thompson was so dominant in this game that he actually scored the same number of points as the entire Knicks starting lineup on Wednesday.
New York’s starting group totaled exactly 43 points, with only Tim Hardaway Jr. (13) and Kevin Knox (12) hitting double-digits. The Knicks bench outscored their starters, as four players alone in Mario Hezonja, Enes Kanter, Allonzo Trier and Trey Burke combined for 52 points.
Thompson’s 2018-19 Season
While much was made about a cold streak Thompson ran into just weeks ago, the sharpshooting guard has managed to put together an all-around strong season. Through 41 games, he’s averaging 21.6 points, up from last season, as well as career-bests in rebounds (4.2) and steals (1.2) per game.
His field goal percentage has taken a dip due to the rough stretch he had during December in which he went eight-straight games with sporadic shooting. During that run, Thompson had a three-game span where he made just 1-13 from deep.
Fortunately, he bounced back nicely from that, pouring in 20 or more points in four of the next five games. The run was capped off with his 43-point showing on Tuesday night, and it’s safe to say Klay has completely broken out of the slump.
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