Klay Thompson warned the rest of the NBA of what is to come after the Golden State Warriors snapped a three-game losing skid with a gutsy 124-120 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday, December 16, at home.
Stephen Curry had a perfect fourth-quarter shooting en route to a game-high 37 points. Unlike their previous losses, he drew plenty of help this time. Foremost among them was Thompson who added 24 points, his second consecutive big-scoring game, after his early season struggles.
“Last three of four [games], I shot well,” Thompson told reporters. “So it’s a good trend but yeah, “Strength in Numbers.” It’s pretty self-explanatory and I know we all step up. We all help [Curry].”
Six players scored in double figures for the Warriors. Rookie Brandin Podziemski was a revelation with 19 points and five assists in his second consecutive start since Steve Kerr’s lineup tweak.
“We’re more than capable and I know it’s coming. It’s early still really. Big performances, not just from myself, but from the whole squad, they’re coming,” Thompson warned the rest of the league.
Thompson has scored more than 22 points in three of his last four games. Minus his 1 of 8 3-point shooting against the Phoenix Suns, he’s connected on 16 of 30 3-pointers during that stretch.
His back-to-back 3-pointer in the fourth quarter kept the Nets at bay, 120-115, with under three minutes left.
“It feels great [Saturday night]. “I had like four open looks though and I forced a few shots so I still have another level to get to. I really believe that,” Thompson said.
After Thompson’s solid stretch, his season averages have improved to 16.4 points on a 41/37/91 shooting split giving more credence to Steve Kerr’s earlier label of Thompson as just a notoriously slow starter.
With Thompson starting to heat up, the Warriors enter a critical juncture of the season more confident they can stay afloat without the suspended Draymond Green.
Warriors GM Hints At Future Moves
The Warriors will need more big games like this from Thompson if their dynasty core is to stay together.
The team’s new general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said that the next 15-20 games will tell what’s next for this Warriors roster as the February 9 trade deadline approaches.
“That’ll probably determine where we go,” Dunleavy told reporters before the Warriors lost to the Clippers on December 14.
Dunleavy said the Warriors are trying to spin Green’s indefinite suspension into something positive.
“I want to evaluate, get an opportunity to see some of these other guys play some more,” he said. “Look this team was built around great depth. We’ve got really good depth that’s enabled us to stay in and be really competitive in a lot of these games when we’ve missed guys. We’ll continue to lean into that and we’ll see how it goes.
Former Warriors Star Monta Ellis Drops By
Curry’s former backcourt mate Monta Ellis was among the 18,064 soldout crowd that witnessed the Warriors end their losing streak on Saturday.
Ellis, vilified for his infamous “Can’t play with Steph” comment in 2009, explained what prompted him to say that which signaled the start of the end of his Warriors tenure.
“We would have had two small guys in the backcourt,” Ellis said via NBC Sports Bay Area at Chase Center on Saturday, December 17. “And the West was tough at that time. We were just too small. Just too small. I didn’t lie.”
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Klay Thompson Sends Warning to NBA After Warriors Barely Beat Nets