Klay Thompson Gives Kings Flashbacks with Second Quarter Outburst
The score was 34-25 to start the second quarter. The Kings have been trying to claw their way back into the game after the Warriors came out with a 13-2 lead to start the game.
Then Klay Thompson happened.
With the splash brother already having a perfect first quarter, Klay scored 11 points in just three minutes of play. Sound familiar?
"2011 NBA Draft," Thompson said. "With the 10th pick, the Sacramento Kings don't select me. People don't forget, that's all I gotta say.”
When Klay Thompson goes nuclear, there's nothing quite like it. In just a blink of an eye, Klay turned a nine-point lead to a 20-point advantage for the home team, and the Kings never saw it coming.
The Kings know all too well about his shooting ability. Since his return, Klay has looked better and better with each game. And after the victory over the Kings, the splash brother turned in one of his most complete nights on the basketball court.
"It's been a minute, my goodness," Klay said. "When that happens, you just want to get a little sliver of daylight, and I'm letting that fly. I made a couple of tough ones tonight, a couple in transition. But man, it felt so good, all the hard work paying off. I'm never going to doubt myself because nights like these are bound to happen."
His first heat check moment came in the first quarter. Warriors superstar Stephen Curry drove around the basket ala Steve Nash and found Klay moving to the opposite corner. Curry whipped a one-handed pass right by Damion Jones' ear, and Klay stepped into a three.
In the second quarter, the splash brothers connected twice. First, in mid-transition. No one on the Kings picked up Klay (they should know better by now, right?), and Klay pulled up for a left-wing three. Then, Curry threw another bullet of a pass to Klay, this time on the opposite side, and Klay splashed the three.
Finally, after forcing the Kings into a turnover, Klay leaked out, took two dribbles, and hit nothing but net while fading to his left. And now, with yet another Kings defensive miscommunication (seriously, they still haven't learned?), Klay found himself wide-open for another corner three.
Though Klay's hot shooting in the second quarter was fun, the best sequence came in the fourth quarter. With the Warriors having complete control of the game, Klay found a leaking Jonathan Kuminga, who threw down a fancy dunk to get Chase Center on its feet.
Then, a double team from Juan Toscano-Anderson and Curry forced Davion Mitchell to throw an errant pass; Klay read the passing lanes, took one dribble, and swished in a transition three, just like old times.
The splash brother finished with 23 points while shooting a ridiculous 7-for-9 from three. After securing his sixth three of the night, Klay passed the late-great Kobe Bryant for 20th on the NBA's all-time threes list. Though his shooting was on full display tonight, Klay also had an impressive seven assists.
"I know teams are going to jump at me, especially when I had a half like I did," Klay said. "For me, it's easy. Just hit the open man and it's like a domino effect. Whether the guy I throw the ball to gets a shot or someone else does, just trying to be the complete player that I can. People fall in love with the shooting but I can pass too."
The Warriors get a rare three-day weekend and face the Thunder on Feb. 7.
(Photo credit: Lachlan Cunningham / Getty Images)