Game Report: Klay Thompson ignites Chase Center in dream comeback

If you asked Golden State Warriors fans to envisage Klay Thompson’s comeback, the reality delivered what many would have dreamt. For Thompson himself, the game ticked off everything he would have hoped for.

Always the team man first and foremost, the Warriors delivered an important victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers after two straight losses. From an individual perspective, Thompson scored on the Warriors’ first possession, knocked down three signature triples, and delivered the moment of the night as he soared to the rim for a monstrous dunk over multiple defenders.

Most importantly, he not only came through his comeback game unscathed but as the dunk highlighted, he looked in the kind of physical condition that provides plenty of optimism going forward.

On a memorable night at Chase Center, Golden State Warriors’ All-Star Klay Thompson made a winning return after two and a half years away from the game.

The introduction was always going to be special, with Thompson sitting briefly and taking a moment as if it were a recollection of his last two and a half years of hell. It was his moment.

It was also a moment Draymond Green, a teammate of ten years, wanted to be a part of. He was out with calf tightness, however, he started the game, before quickly fouling to allow himself to be substituted out.

Following the first basket from Cleveland big man Jarratt Allan, Thompson came off a down screen from Kevon Looney, received a pass from Andrew Wiggins, and drove to the rim. It may not have been the classical Klay Thompson shooting stroke, but nevertheless, he flipped one over outstretched defenders and through the cotton.

Thompson’s return seemed to not only ignite the adoring fans, but also his splash brother Stephen Curry, who knocked down his four three-pointers following a recent struggle by his lofty standards.

Both teams struggled offensively throughout the first half, not that it dampened the spirit emanating through the building. The crowd was again on its feet when Thompson took Allan off the dribble late in the second quarter.

What followed was a detonating explosion, the likes of which was scarcely seen even before his two serious injuries. Thompson rose to finish over Lauri Markkanen and Lamar Stevens, landing strongly and then, whilst running back down the court, looking back with a curled lip as if to signify his return.

The Warriors took a five-point lead into half time, before Thompson found his rhythm to extend the lead with a series of jump shots. Even after he exited, the Dubs continued the momentum to build a 24-point lead by late in the third.

The newly acquired Rajon Rondo proved to be a thorn in any blowout Warrior victory, bringing Cleveland back to create a competitive final six minutes. But Thompson returned to leave a final imprint, first finding Kevon Looney on the roll for a strong finish, before creating space off Looney’s pick to nail a big three.

Although the Warriors finished with a 96-82 victory, the night was about one man amongst two very talented teams. The crowd was treated to just under 20 minutes of Thompson game time, in which he finished with 17 points on 7-18 from the field and 3-8 from three-point range.

Golden State moves to 30-9 on the season, a scary proposition with Thompson’s return now fulfilled. They now head for a tough four-game road trip, starting with the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday.