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Golden State Warriors: Klay Thompson should feast on Portland in Game 1

By Nathan Beighle

OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 30: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors reacts to play during the game against the Houston Rockets during Game Two of the Western Conference Semi-Finals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 30, 2019 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 30: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors reacts to play during the game against the Houston Rockets during Game Two of the Western Conference Semi-Finals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 30, 2019 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Golden State Warriors won’t have Kevin Durant in Game 1 which means it could be the Klay Thompson show once again.

When we look at the Golden State Warriors-Houston Rockets Game 6, the first thing everyone looks at is the absolute fourth-quarter dominance of Stephen Curry. But, it was Klay Thompson’s performance who allowed them to be in that situation.

Ultimately, the performance of the underappreciated Kevon Looney and Andre Iguodala also played a role in the 57-57 halftime score, but it was mainly the dominance of Klay Thompson, who ended the first half of Game 6 with 21 points.

Curry, who scored zero in the first half, ended the game with 33 and sealed the deal for Golden State. However, Klay’s 21 in the first and 27 overall were also a huge reason for the Dubs series-ending victory.

All through the Dubs second-round series, we say one startling trend.

That is, when Kevin Durant is out, Klay Thompson is both far more aggressive and far more productive. Even with Durant, Thompson is much more involved when Durant’s passive and not looking for scoring in isolation and the majority of his touches.

The series against Houston is a perfect example of this theory.

In the first four games of the series, Thompson averaged 15.3 points per game on 38% shooting with just 15.5 attempts per game. In the remaining two, one of which was without Durant for over quarter and the other of which didn’t feature Durant at all, saw Thompson explode.

In those two, Thompson averaged 27 points on 21-for-40 from the field including six threes per game. He was consistently dominant and was one of the main reasons the Warriors won that close-out Game 6.

Against Portland, he’ll probably draw CJ McCollum. At 6-foot-7, Thompson has four inches on McCollum and should easily be able to shoot over him. This should be a matchup Golden State can exploit in both the paint and from the perimeter.

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The Warriors, as Klay said, need Durant back to three-peat, but for Thompson’s game, Durant being out may mean he’ll feast for yet a third-straight outing.

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