Golden State Warriors’ sharpshooter Klay Thompson recently promised his instagram followers that the ‘floodgates will open’ following a tough opening to the season. That promise was fulfilled on Sunday as the 32-year-old erupted in a vintage performance.
Thompson made his first six shots and had 20 first-quarter points, eventually finishing with 41 as the Warriors finally ended their season-long losing streak on the road. The Splash Brothers proved the catalyst in what was an otherwise unconvincing win over a Houston Rockets team with the worst record in the Western Conference.
Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry combined for 74 points as the Golden State Warriors did just enough to beat the Houston Rockets 127-120 at Toyota Center on Sunday.
Thompson and Andrew Wiggins had the Warriors rolling early as they opened up a 22-7 lead. However, a 12-point lead after the first quickly evaporated as the same bench woes again appeared prominent. Houston outscored Golden State 37-21 in a period plagued by turnovers, poor shooting and foul issues.
Curry went scoreless in the opening 18 minutes of the game, although he did have seven assists early as Thompson found his rhythm. Dealing with a deficit for much of the third period, Curry got going as both sides traded baskets across the second half.
But as the game remained close down the stretch, Thompson wasn’t about to allow his signature performance occur in a loss. His ninth three-pointer extended the lead to six with just over three to play, and his tenth the same margin with just over a minute to play. Curry put on the finishing touch with an absurd turnaround, high-arcing triple that put the result beyond doubt.
After so much criticism about his form through the first 16 games of the season, everyone, including Thompson, needed a timely reminder of his capacity as one of the most lethal shooters in NBA history. He finished 14-for-23 in the game, including a ridiculous 10-for-13 from downtown. Curry shot 7-for-14 from deep for 33 points to go with a season-high 15 assists, while Wiggins also had six threes in his 22 points. The trio’s 23 combined threes are now an NBA record.
Unsurprisingly, Golden State won the game at the three-point line, shooting 51.1% compared to the Rockets 33.3%. However, it was the turnover differential and Rockets’ offensive rebounding that kept the game close in an imperfect Warriors performance.
Yet at this stage, with so many individuals under pressure, it was simply beautiful to see Thompson release the shackles in such a sweeping way. Unfortunately for him, he’ll likely watch on again as the Warriors travel to New Orleans to play the Pelicans tomorrow.