After missing the previous two games, Klay Thompson was back in the Warriors lineup for Friday night’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets. The Warriors certainly missed Thompson in their exciting (but challenging) win over the Philadelphia 76ers and their blowout loss at home to the Boston Celtics.
Thompson showed no signs of rust from his two-game hiatus as the shooting guard was in a groove from the very start. Thompson scored 10 points in a first quarter where the Warriors held a 19-point lead before ending the quarter ahead by 10. The Warriors have shown an unfortunate tendency of late to fall behind big early. But there was none of that in this game against the Nuggets. The Warriors raced ahead early with Thompson doing his part to make sure they didn’t fall into another early hole that they’d have to fight to climb out of during the rest of the game.
Thompson’s defense in that first quarter was also an important part. Thompson had two first-quarter steals as the Warriors held the Nuggets, one of the best offensive teams in basketball, to just 20 points on 4/18 shooting in the first quarter.
The Warriors did let their foot off the gas in the second quarter, allowing the Nuggets to briefly take the lead. But the team closed the second quarter magnificently. With the Hamptons 5 lineup on the court for the final three minutes of the quarter, the Warriors outscored the Nuggets by 15 points as they went into the halftime break possessing a 17-point advantage. Thompson scored six points during that three-minute run, including this shot to close out the first half.
Klay is on
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 9, 2019
6 3's. 27 first half points. pic.twitter.com/McENolzrRq
After two quarters, Thompson had already scored 27 points. It was clear from his halftime interview with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Kerith Burke that Thompson was feeling good out there against the Nuggets.
KLAY IS A MOOD pic.twitter.com/ICqWnvWtfK
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 9, 2019
Thompson’s stellar play continued into the second half. Thompson scored 12 points with 10 of those points coming in the fourth quarter as the Warriors were able to put the game away for good.
Thompson finished the game with 39 points, going 9/11 from three-point range. It was the eleventh game this season in which Thompson has scored 30+ points and the third time this season Thompson made 9+ three-pointers in a single game. Thompson also tallied 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block in Friday night’s win while also boasted a game-best plus/minus of +32.
I have to wonder if Thompson’s inspired performance was the result of spending some time out in the sun with his dog Rocco in Alameda’s Washington Park, as per this video released recently from the Warriors’ YouTube account.
But whatever the reason, Klay Thompson looked great against the Nuggets and was vital in the Warriors picking up an impressive win against the team with the second-best record in the Western Conference. For that reason, he’s my Warrior Wonder for Friday night’s big win.
Poll
Who is your Warrior Wonder for Friday night’s win over the Denver Nuggets?
This poll is closed
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1%
Stephen Curry
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88%
Klay Thompson
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5%
DeMarcus Cousins
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0%
Draymond Green
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0%
Kevin Durant
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0%
Andre Iguodala
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0%
Shaun Livingston
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0%
Kevon Looney
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0%
Jordan Bell
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0%
Jonas Jerebko
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0%
Alfonzo McKinnie
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0%
Damion Lee
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1%
Quinn Cook