Headband Klay Thompson showed out with a historic performance in Chicago

Klay said he felt something special brewing early in the first quarter after his third made three-pointer of the contest.


“I think the whole team did,” Thompson said. “I saw Steph’s face when that happened and he couldn’t stop smiling so that in turn made me not be able to stop smiling… it was kind of a relief.”


Klay had made five threes coming into tonight; as one of the greatest shooters of all time, something had to give. And by a few minutes into the first quarter, the dam broke.


But three wasn’t enough; it never is with the Warriors.


By the end of the first, Klay had 6. By halftime, he had 10, breaking the record for threes in the first half.


So Steph – who held the record – told him to get 14.


“Even before the 2nd half, Steph looked at the box score and said ‘go get it.”


Donning a bright yellow headband  – which now belongs in the Hall of Fame – that he said made him look like Jackie Moon, he did, dropping in his 14th three-pointer – an NBA record – with 4:53 left to spare in the third quarter, putting the Warriors up 113-69.



The three capped of an 18-29 shooting night, 14-24 from three, and gave Klay 52, his most in a game since his 60-point performance – similarly in three quarters – against the Pacers a little less than two years ago.



“Demarcus [Cousins] was making fun of me because he knew I was in a slump, so I had to break out of it with a record,” Thompson said.



Curry, who previously held the record of 13, which he set on Nov. 7, 2016, against the Pelicans, said he doesn’t know how high Klay’s count could have gotten.



“Klay had 24 of em [shots] and 20 of em were great shots. It coulda been higher… When we break these records, things go so well that we don’t see the full 48 minutes.”



Curry said they were trying their best to get him there.



“I think you could tell by how we were playing in the third, we didn’t wanna cheat the game, but we definitely wanted to give Klay every opportunity and he took it and ran with it… I was the best screen-setter out there today.”



Even without Klay’s record-breaking shooting, the 149-124 win was still remarkable.



The Warriors broke a franchise record with 92 points in the first half and an NBA record with 17 threes, leading by 42 points at halftime, and ended with an NBA season-high 149 on 53-96 shooting (over 55 percent, and 53 percent from behind the arc).



Almost most impressively, the Dubs only turned the ball over seven times.



Kevin Durant, who was averaging over 30 ppg coming in and just put together a truly dominant 41-point game in Madison Square Garden, had a plus/minus of plus-45 in 28 minutes, adding 14 points and 8 assists, his final dime coming on Klay’s final three.



Draymond Green, who is quietly (almost deafeningly quietly) playing the best he ever has, added 11 assists, six rebounds and three blocks, logging a plus-34 pm in 25 minutes.



And Alonzo McKinnie, who earned a spot on the opening night roster amidst the Patrick McCaw fiasco, hit four threes of his own, scoring a season-high 19 and 10 rebounds in his hometown of Chicago.



Both Steph and Klay raved at Alonzo’s performance this season.



“He’s shown that he can have [an] impact on the floor, but he was doing it from the 3-point line, rebounding the basketball,” Curry said.

“Look what Alonzo did tonight, he’s back home and he hit four threes,” Thompson said. “He’s been on fire all season and he had to make the team.”



With the Warriors clicking on all cylinders, we’ll have to wait and see what record they break on Halloween when they take on the Pelicans.



Klay said he wouldn’t be surprised if Steph takes back his three-point crown.



“He’s a pretty good player, he might do it pretty soon.”

Zachary Engberg