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Klay Thompson ignites Golden State Warriors to rare blowout win

By Peter O'Keefe

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 06: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors shoots against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first quarter at Chase Center on February 06, 2023 in San Francisco, 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 the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 06: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors shoots against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first quarter at Chase Center on February 06, 2023 in San Francisco, 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 the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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Very little has come easy for the Golden State Warriors this season, with an injury to two-time MVP Stephen Curry expected to challenge the reigning champions even further. That wasn’t the case against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday though as Klay Thompson’s 42 points ignited his team to a blowout 141-114 win.

Behind 12 three-pointers from Klay Thompson and a double-double for Jordan Poole, the Golden State Warriors earned a big win over the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chase Center on Monday.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the hosts as the Thunder made a frisky start in a high-tempo first-quarter. OKC’s 56% shooting catapulted them to 37 points in the first 12 minutes, allowing them to build a six-point lead despite Thompson’s scorching hot 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting.

That grew to an eight-point lead at 44-36 early in the second, but from there the game flipped on its head in dramatic fashion. Thompson had three more triples to end the half with 27, though it was the Golden State defense that ratcheted up the intensity to keep the Thunder to just seven points over the final eight minutes.

It appeared Thompson’s hot shooting rubbed off on his teammates during the interval, with the Warriors quickly taking a seven-point halftime advantage and building it into a decisive 19-point advantage less than five minutes into the third. Golden State notched 44 points in the period thanks to 9-for-15 shooting on threes, effectively putting the game to bed against a non-resistant OKC.

The final period became a low-intensity defensive display much like the first, with all the attention predicated on how many points and threes Thompson could rack up. He finished 12-for-16 from beyond the arc, the second most makes of his career after the NBA record 14 against the Chicago Bulls in 2018.

Those 12 were part of a season-high 26 made threes for the Warriors as they shot the ball at a  ridiculous 52% from deep. While Thompson will grab all the headlines, his backcourt teammate Jordan Poole went about an efficient bounceback game after just three points in the win over Dallas on Saturday.

The fourth-year guard assumed the point-guard duties with aplomb, recording 21 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the field and 5-for-10 from three, along with a season-high 12 assists. It was also a nice response from Andrew Wiggins who quietly went about his 18 points, three rebounds and four assists on 53.3% shooting.

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Thompson may have been the man but it was a balanced team performance from Golden State — even Moses Moody and James Wiseman contributed impressively in the final minutes to display the sort of talent the Warriors have waiting in the wings. Now 28-26 on the season, they’ll look to repeat the dose against the Trail Blazers in Portland on Wednesday.

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