Klay Thompson leads the way with historic scoring night
Klay Thompson had a historic night, scoring 60 points in just 29 minutes as the Golden State Warriors blew the Indiana Pacers out.
Klay Thompson grew up in Los Angeles as a big fan of Kobe Bryant’s. In his last NBA game, the Black Mamba scored 61 points on 55 shots. Tonight, Thompson scored 60 on 33 attempts.
The Warriors’ All-Star also surpassed the future Hall of Famer as the fastest to reach 60 points in a game. Bryant held the previous record, scoring 62 in just under 33 minutes back in 2005. When Kerr took Thompson out, he had 60 in 29 minutes as the Warriors beat the Pacers 149-106.
It was one of the most incredible scoring performances in league history. Early on, he attacked the Indiana Pacers’ aggressive defense by cutting to the rim and getting layup after layup. The Warriors came out firing, scoring 38 points in the first quarter. Draymond Green dished out 7 early assists as the Dubs were getting rolling.
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The second half was 100 percent the “Klay Thompson show”. Steph Curry and Kevin Durant weren’t MVP players resting on the bench; they were fans with courtside seats. They were jumping and celebrating every time the star shooting guard hoisted up a shot. He scored 23 in the second quarter.
He didn’t miss a step coming out of the half. He dropped another 20 points in the third quarter before Steve Kerr finally pulled him just before hitting the 30 minute mark. He was 21 of 33 from the field and 8 of 14 from beyond the arc. Perhaps the best part of Thompson’s historic stat line was the whopping 1 assist that he racked.
It was all Warriors all game. The Pacers, who are talented, have had some big wins this season, defeating both the Los Angeles Clippers and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Paul George’s double double effort wasn’t enough to cool down the Dubs though.
The best play of the night didn’t even come from the guy who had 60 points. In the third quarter, Zaza Pachulia won a jump ball. Green grabbed it and did his best Derek Carr impression and threw a touchdown to a streaking Curry. The two-time MVP caught the ball and, in mid-air, tossed it backwards above his head to Durant who skied up, grabbed it with his left hand, and slammed it down with two hands. It was one of the most spectacular plays you’ll ever see.
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The Warriors, as a whole, played well. They had 45 assists on 54 field goals. They locked in defensively, as well, coming away with 13 blocks and 12 steals. The Dubs were just too much for the Indiana Pacers.
Thompson will look to follow up his historic performance with a strong effort against the rival Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.