Getty Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson celebrate after a 2019 playoff win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Klay Thompson was in vintage form for the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, scoring a game-high 33 points to lead his club to a win over the Lakers. It was the first time in 1,068 days that the five-time All-Star had scored 30 or more points in a regular-season game.
While that, in and of itself, is an accomplishment after his brutal injury saga, the way in which Thompson closed the game is what really made the effort special.
On a night when Stephen Curry’s shot wasn’t falling at its usual rate and the Warriors were in a full-on battle with LeBron James and his crew, Thompson scored 16 of those points during the final frame to secure a two-point win at Chase Center.
After the game, Curry couldn’t help but rave about what he had seen from his fellow Splash Brother. And he continued to hype the performance on social media the following morning.
Steph Shouts out Klay
On Sunday, Curry was still riding high thanks to his teammate’s big-time shooting display. So, he took to Instagram to put a spotlight on the incredible effort, posting a picture of Thompson along with the following caption:
“That’s a baaad man!! @klaythompson so good to have #11 back 💪🏽🔥 Good win #dubnation.”
As of this writing, the Insta-update has more than 750,000 likes. Of course, the post served as a continuation of comments Steph had made in the immediate aftermath of the win.
“That was awesome. We needed it obviously,” Curry said during his post-game media availability. “Right place, right time. The confidence to take those shots. The thing I’m most excited about or proud of, was great to see just knowing how last game ended, how much he wanted to perform down the stretch.”
Curry continued, raving about Thompson’s swagger on the hardwood.
“That’s how basketball goes, you make some, you miss some but the confidence I talk about all the time, if there’s anyone else who exudes that at the level it should be, it’s Klay. It was great to hear the crowd get into it, great to see him live in the moment. And it was a special 12 minutes for sure.”
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Warriors Holding Strong in SI Power Rankings
Sports Illustrated just put out its pose-deadline NBA power rankings and the Warriors came in at No. 2 once again. Although Golden State elected not to participate in the trade-making frenzy, the outlet noted that the club could still add to its mix through the buyout market:
The Warriors were another team that stayed quiet at the trade deadline, though they did so while struggling on the court. Golden State suffered losses to the Jazz and Knicks while pulling off a close win over the Lakers to close out the week. The Warriors remain a top candidate in the buyout market; will they pick up a piece to help put things back on track?
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